This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google A new true-crime podcast delves into the complicated murder case of a rising 24-year-old software programmer in Redmond, Wash. They dance and drink. Meanwhile, the shift in the podcasts emphasis does mean that Jinagas own story ends up fading into the background a little bit. Fair and C.J. She would begin working there in March of 2008, and a company spokesman would later say that during her brief six-month tenure at the company, she had cemented herself as a hardworking and bright employee, who was considered a "rising star" among the higher-ups at EMC. In addition to being strangled-to-death by what appeared to be a bootlace, Arpana had endured other injuries before her death, which included (but was not limited to): a handful of blunt force blows to the head, the breaking of several teeth during the confrontation with her killer, being gagged by her own underwear (which the assailant had used duct tape to keep in place), and was then forcibly raped for an unknown extent of time. Everything Everywhere All at Once leads with eight nominations tonight. "Defendants Galarza and Solis acted unprofessionally and in a manner they knew would cause additional stress to Alanis' situation for no legitimate reason other than to bully Alanis because defendants Galarza and Solis were in a position of authority, power and control to do so," the lawsuit stated. and on their website: sarahneilsonwriter.com. They then recalled the sound of running water for upwards of an hour; which they just assumed was Arpana taking a late-night shower but was probably the killer attempting to cover up the crime scene. Redmond, a suburb on the outskirts of Seattle, is located just on the other side of scenic Lake Washington and is known as a bit of a tech mecca (having served as the homes for both Microsoft and Nintendo). This file contains 75 GB of incriminating details about O'Leary that he has refused to budge on, even after being arrested and sentenced to life in prison. Or it might not. Mar. Arpana moved to Redmond, Washington in the early months of 2008. An apartment complex hosts a big Halloween party with themed rooms and costumed . Police had already determined that Arpana's body had been covered in that type of motor oil, so whoever had handled it had likely been involved in her death. Prosecutors implied that Fair had been lying about where he was during these vital hours, which remained unexplained nearly two years later. Emanuel Fair's defense attorneys, on the other hand, didn't see it that way. "Galarza and Solis intentionally escalated the interaction by commenting in a derogatory fashion about Alanis' mother.". In the weeks to come, it would be reported that several items had been sent to the Washington state crime lab, but it was estimated that it could take weeks - if not months - for items to be tested for any possible forensic evidence. But what I hope people also get from this is that theres a lot of vitality in the podcast it starts with Arpana and her being an extremely alive, curious person. However, investigators could not establish a specific time of death; instead speculating that she had died at some point early on Saturday morning, sometime between 3:00 and 8:00 AM. It would later be found that other items were missing from the crime scene, including at least one of Arpana's ID cards, her Blackberry (cell phone), and her digital camera; none of which would ever be recovered. Shane Waters will introduce 14 crime podcast hosts, including Crimelines! Arpana Jinaga. Weve got romance, breakups, emotionally loaded dumplings this episode has a little bit of everything! claimed to not remember anything about them. Mar. He is also seeking a jury trial. Let's get this out of the way: Suspect is a very good listen. Among thousands of contestants, she was singled out as a top-20 performer and was the only participant from Asia to be featured in the subsequent awards. This likely resulted in his DNA being distributed throughout the apartment; in particular, in Arpana's bathroom, where he had cleaned himself up. Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance: In this Part 2 Episode: 1. could see that things were in disarray, and briefly scanned the apartment before locating the body of Arpana lying on her bedroom floor, already in the process of decomposing. was their ultimate undoing, and it had been a problem of their own making (as they had hoped to try C.J. Let's talk about Jeff (Suspect, Episode 7) There are, sadly, myriad reasons why the average American should live in fear of ever having to deal with the criminal justice system, be they guilty of a crime or not. Many had written off the case long ago, due to the belief that DNA had correctly tagged Fair as the killer back in 2010, but the truth is that the story is much more complicated than that. An exclusive trailer for Suspect is below. Thats where a lot of the drama is for us, and where we wanted to investigate what had happened. For the next two years, investigators would struggle to make sense of this case. Crime scene investigators with the Washington State Patrol would arrive at the scene roughly four hours after the 911 call was made, and began documenting what they found and where. While Arpana would show an affinity for art, writing, and even gymnastics from an early age, she seemed destined to follow in her father's footsteps, becoming a bit of a tech prodigy in her teenage years. It's also a lot more complicated than TV shows and movies would have us believe. Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. He said that he met her briefly that night, and seemed to get along well with her; she briefly showed him photos from her bedroom computer, but that was about the extent of their interaction. Writing the Atlantic story was a bit of a wake [up] call in all the different ways that DNA can be misused. The world is a sadder place without her but the people she touched while she was here will remember her for an eternity.". Writing, research, hosting, and production by Micheal Whelan, Producers: Maggyjames, Roberta Janson, Ben Krokum, Peggy Belarde, Quil Carter, Victoria Reid, Laura Hannan, Gabriella Bromley, Amy Hampton, Steven Wilson, Scott Meesey, Damion Moore, Astrid Kneier, Marie Vanglund, Scott Patzold, Lori Rodriguez, Aimee McGregor, Sue Kirk, Sydney Scotton, Sara Moscaritolo, Thomas Ahearn, Seth Morgan, Alyssa Lawton, Marion Welsh, Jared Midwood, Patrick Laakso, Kelly Jo Hapgood, Meadow Landry, Rebecca Miller, Tatum Bautista, Travis Scsepko, Teunia Elzinga, Erin Pyles, Jo Wong, Jacinda B., Ryan Green, Consuelo Moreno, Kelly Harris, and Emi Coates, Music throughout the episode was composed by Jake Mooshian. Unlike Emanuel Fair, he also had a prior relationship with Arpana, lived next-door to her, and had been noticeably resentful towards her in the weeks leading up to her death. was interviewed multiple times by investigators, and each time, was unable to remember certain details: including what he had been up to during the estimated time of the murder (3:00 - 8:00 AM). The semen from an unnamed neighbor was found on a towel near Arpana's body, while another neighbor's DNA was found on a bootlace that investigators theorized had been used to strangle Arpana (this neighbor, it's worth pointing out, had an alibi for the time of the murder, and had not been at the Halloween party). At the time of this announcement - in October of 2010 - he was incarcerated at the McNeil Island Correction Center in Steilacoom for failing to update his sex offender registration and was not expected to be released until 2012. Suspect Season 1 Episode 1. Those thoughts were welcomed by Arpana's family back home in India, who found it "heartening" to hear what an impact she had had on those in the Seattle area over just a few months. As if that wasn't bad enough, the killer had then sprayed motorcycle oil and other chemicals all over the 24-year-old's body, which they had then attempted to light on fire, not knowing that oil isn't flammable. Whoever had forced entry into the apartment had attempted to clean and cover up their crime afterward. 4A former Cameron County inmate is suing the county and two of its jailers for $1 million alleging he was beaten by the jailers while incarcerated. We didnt want to make that kind of show. The description they gave to police more closely resembled C.J. In addition to the bleach, investigators would note that the apartment smelled faintly of motor oil, which had been dumped all around the crime scene; especially in the bedroom, on and around Arpana's body. claims to have woken up at around 10:00 AM. Lt. Brian Coats would later tell reporters about the crime scene: "It was a scene where the suspect or suspects spent a considerable amount of time covering the evidence of crime. Im trying to tell the truth dont cut this podcast to make me look like a maybe suspect. Later, a woman who served as the jury foreperson in a pivotal trial talked about her responsibility as follows: I had to pay attention. Short of clear leads and smoking guns, the authorities ultimately pin the crime on the lone Black man at the party, Emanuel Fair, who had a prior criminal record. Alanis-Mejia was booked into Carrizales on Sept. 10, 2020, on an outstanding warrant, that alleges he was unaware of, according to the lawsuit. Season 1 features a whodunit-style search for a holiday party killer. Its challenging in terms of race, in terms of policing, in terms of forensic science. Specifically, it is a software that uses thousands of algorithms to read DNA and translate it, essentially, into evidence that investigators and prosecutors can then use. Eventually, they would reach out to a family friend, Jay B. There, she lived in Apartment 8946, on the top floor of the complex. Throughout the latter half of 2017 and the entirety of 2018, another lengthy legal battle would ensue. Then, in a strange turn of fate, he decided to drive up to the Canadian border, where he attempted to drive through the border without stopping or declaring himself. Suspect is a lot more successful in the latter mode, if only because the series wraps up with yet another genre convention: the original mystery resolves inconclusively. But as the reporting got going in earnest, it became more about an opportunity to do something which Ive always wanted to do, which is really break down an investigation from beginning to end and see how these cases come together or dont. In that sense, the end of Suspect could very well be the start of the rest of the story. It would soon become clear to them that someone had attempted to scrub the apartment of their presence, wiping bleach onto several pieces of furniture, as well as a table in the living room (from which, fluid had spilled down onto the carpet, permanently staining it). Who knows, she might have even become a mother by now. Was there anything that surprised you in your reporting of this story? Instead, her life was brought to a violent and sudden end the morning after a Halloween party, and no one has been held to task for that. Editors note: A previous version of this story stated Emanuel Fair was convicted for the murder of Arpana Jinaga. According to an interview with Coats by Matt Shaer who retraced the steps of Coats' investigation in his podcast, Suspect, and whose interviews helped inform Fair's lawsuit he spotted . I hope people think about that, but I also hope that they think about the way that justice is carried out or not, in cities across the country and in a really liberal place like Seattle. Of course, for [Arpanas] family, its crushing. The damage left behind made it evident that the killer had entered through brute force, and from there, had proceeded to struggle with Arpana. The analysis of this evidence had been performed by TrueAllele, making it the first criminal trial in Washington state that this was done; it had been used in prosecutions from other states - as well as exonerations in Washington - but never in this manner. This contemporary moment of true-crime-podcast ubiquity and cultural power presents greater opportunity for more ambition and formal innovation than were seeing across the board right now, I think. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. That day, Arpana showed up for work as if it were any other workday, but told some of her coworkers about a party being held that evening at her apartment complex. That dream that would ultimately turn into a nightmare for herself and her loved ones, who have had to endure years of trials and tribulations in the wake of their tragic loss. And soon, she was able to build an entire social circle around herself, due to her bubbly personality and her willingness to try anything at least once. Inside of Arpana's bathroom, investigators would find a white comforter from her bed, which had also been stained with blood. These were the last calls or texts Arpana would receive that night, and when questioned about these phone calls, C.J. In it, she spoke about her love of working with computers and using them to innovate new and exciting things and spoke about working with companies in the future to do just that - innovate - before following in her father's footsteps to become a professor. Now inside, Jay and C.J. Both were seen together, and this would come up later - which is why I mention it - but both claim that their interaction lasted no more than 30 minutes or so, and they hadn't seen each other before or since. It is unknown if Galarza and Solis are still employed by the county, and it is also unknown if they have hired attorneys to represent them. That said, the meta value of podcasts like this along with magazine features, documentaries, and other media formats more generally tends to be clustered in how it can drum up more real-world interest in the case to a point where it can maybe produce a chance of shaking up more meaningful leads. . This interview has been edited for length and clarity. We're not going to put this to bed. This is sort of in the background of the show, but Seattle is a liberal place. It's an extra special, two-part, more than two-hour, Valentine's event. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, of course. Cameron County officials did not respond to The Brownsville Herald for comment by press time. Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix have broken up after he allegedly cheated on her with Raquel Leviss. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of Joel Alonso Alanis-Mejia, alleges the county jail system has a history of jailers using excessive force against inmates. It's also worth pointing out that the same evidence used against Emanuel Fair - the DNA evidence analyzed by TrueAllele - revealed that C.J. A tech prodigy from an early age, Arpana seemed poised to achieve great things in life. On Thursday, June 6th, 2019, the 12 members of the jury began deliberating, and originally found themselves deadlocked yet again (split into groups of 4: innocent, guilty, and undecided). would admit that during this time, he had stopped taking his psychiatric medication. Sure, it grapples with several important ideas discriminatory policing based on race, the limitations of DNA evidence, the thorny relationship between the judicial system and actual justice but it doesnt end up being particularly about any of those things, nor does it substantially advance the conversation on any front. And they're a couple of names that you might be familiar with. New episodes of the nine-part series will be released weekly on Tuesdays. theres no closure for them, certainly from the justice system. C.J. In a new Wondery podcast series called Suspect, career journalistsMatthew ShaerandEric Bensoninvestigate the story of Jinagas murder, Fairs conviction and the spiderweb of details around this story. Those pleas would continue to amplify months after Arpana's murder, when it became evident that answers were not readily available. Arpana Jinaga was a 24-year-old computer programmer, who had moved to the Pacific Northwest in March of 2008. October 31st, 2008 - Halloween - had the rare fortune of falling on a Friday. Sign up for Vultures new recommendation newsletter 1.5x Speed here. Sarah Neilson is a freelance writer and book critic based in Seattle. Phil Skelton, a member of the PNW Riders, spoke to the Redmond Reporter and said about Arpana: "When you met her, she would have you smiling within 15 seconds.". Those that remembered the incident thought that the man involved should be investigated as a suspect, but investigators probing this altercation didn't believe that there was anything to it. This included the tape used to gag Arpana, DNA recovered from her neck (where she had been strangled), and a bloody robe found in the apartment complex's dumpster, which contained traces of Fair's DNA. In fact, Suspect is as straightforward as a true-crime podcast can get. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Offscreen, he was one himself. On October 31st, 2008, Israel Keyes flew from Anchorage to SeaTac and was in the Seattle area until November 2nd, when he then flew from SeaTac to Boston.
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