During that time, he had been couch-surfing with a friend at Arpana's apartment complex: a young woman named Leslie, who would actually lie to police about Emanuel staying there (claiming that she was home alone when questioned). 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. In pretrial motions filed by Fair's attorneys, it was claimed that Emanuel Fair, a black man, had been treated very differently from other suspects or POIs (most of whom were white). 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. Several suspects and persons-of-interest would be probed during that time, but for almost all of them, there was either something ruling them out entirely or not enough evidence to move forward with the case. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing, of course. However, without charging C.J. However, the notion of a robbery taking place did not end there. At some point in the evening, it would be reported that Arpana got into a verbal argument with a male partygoer. You can listen early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery App. The best musical instrument is a love triangle. It remains possible that both (or neither) were involved in this case - as investigators implied over the years - but a successful case has not been built around either. He later told investigators that he was sexually attracted to Arpana, and was hoping to "hook up" with her that evening (his words, not mine). By Monday, Arpana had not yet surfaced and she would fail to show up for work that morning. Why did it play out like it did? At around 9:00 in the morning on Monday, November 3rd, 2008, police in Redmond, Washington were contacted by an individual informing them of a dead body. 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. "That same year, Gail Hansen, a chaplain ministering to inmates at Carrizales, provided evidence of commonplace illegal activities under Sheriff Cantu.". Again. 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.". would attend a party at a friend's house in Everett, and while there, attempted to wrestle them. These are just a couple of the most high-profile suspects I've uncovered while researching this case, but the answer may be more simple than that (it usually is). They argued against the analysis performed by TrueAllele; at least, until they were able to look through the source code of the software to determine just how, exactly, the program had come to this consensus. At points, C.J. . 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. Even though Emanuel Fair and other defendants all over the country began to demand access to the software's underbelly, Dr. Perlin was willing to take the issue to court to preserve his company's share in the burgeoning forensic analysis market, having already scored deals with law enforcement agencies all over the country. 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. In 2008, a 24-year-old Redmond-based software engineer named Arpana Jinaga was found strangled in her apartment after a Halloween party in her building. While border officials were able to quickly stop him, they ordered a search of his vehicle and ultimately turned him away because he didn't have a passport on him. But instead of returning home to India, she decided to take another huge leap and accepted a job as a software quality assurance engineer with the tech giant EMC (now known as Dell EMC). C.J. was a similarly likely candidate to be Arpana's killer. Shaer: This is a really challenging case to think about on lots of different levels. Strangers come together. Prosecutors made it clear that they'd be pursuing a life sentence, due to the brutality of the crime (not the standard 35-45 year sentence for 1st-degree murder). Utilizing almost 200,000 lines of code, TrueAllele can analyze evidence with more than a half-dozen contributors, and determine who the most likely culprit is based on how many genetic markers are left on the evidence and where. Shaer: This is a story that found me rather than the other way around. Not only was there just as much incriminating physical evidence implicating him in Arpana's death, but he had committed a ton of strange and bizarre acts around the time of her death that raised suspicion. We didnt know that the King County prosecutors office was going to be willing to participate in the show. By this point, Arpana had already started to make plans to accomplish all of these goals. Youve got some Janning to do! And they're a couple of names that you might be familiar with. Six years after charges were filed, Fair, now 33, spends his days shuffling between the King County Superior Court and the county jail while his two defense attorneys . The case remains unsolved today. New episodes of the nine-part series will be released weekly on Tuesdays. Most of the guests left Arpana's apartment for her neighbors just after 9:00 PM, but there were a lot of moving pieces that evening, and no real comprehensive way to determine who was where at what time. "There have been multiple reports between 2012 and 2020 of Carrizales guards provoking inmates in order to get reaction from the inmate and then beat the inmate," the lawsuit stated. Emanuel Fair's defense attorneys, on the other hand, didn't see it that way. But over the next few years, Emanuel Fair would fail to abide by the terms of his release and was later jailed on probation violations. When asked about this impromptu trip to the Canadian border, C.J. It's also a lot more complicated than TV shows and movies would have us believe. Alanis-Mejia is seeking $1 million in exemplary damages as well as the cost of attorney's fees. Despite the insistence from the Redmond Police Department that this case was their top priority, that didn't bring forth any answers in the months to come, as the workable leads only led investigators to numerous dead-ends. So I was really primed to be interested in that anyway. This isnt some true-crime podcast I can listen to and just have an opinion on.. C.J. The twelve jurors, who had originally leaned 9-3 in favor of acquittal, had been sent back to deliberate before ultimately coming up with a split decision (6-6 in favor of guilty/not-guilty, 5 of whom believed that "C.J." Fair's attorneys would point out several gaps in the investigation. She was last seen by numerous people leaving an apartment on the first floor - where the party had ended up - and was heading back up to her apartment on the third floor (the top level of the complex). Suspect podcast on Wondery : r/TrueCrimePodcasts - reddit However, this case would prove to be much harder to solve for investigators; many of whom had not worked on a murder case in quite some time (if at all). Whoever had forced entry into the apartment had attempted to clean and cover up their crime afterward. Later, police would figure out that Fair attended that same Halloween party as Arpana because of photographs that other partygoers had taken, some of which had been posted online to social media sites. 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. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. Its the best we can do forensically, but it still requires human beings to translate. They were able to follow the trail of maelstrom throughout the apartment down the hallway, towards the decedent's bedroom, where they discovered her body: that of a 24-year-old from India, who had come to America a few years prior to pursue her "American dream". Instead of trying to solve Jinagas murder, Shaer and Benson use extensive interviews to weave a complex narrative around race, injustice, the place of forensic DNA evidence in the common perception of guilt and innocence and, ultimately, a tragic story with no real closure. As a teen, she participated in an IEEE Hardware Design Contest that earned her some attention from universities and potential employers, and seemed to cement her down the path of computing. Mar. However, when police revealed that they had obtained a log of his text messages and calls directly from his cell provider, he audibly responded "oh crap" and then claimed ignorance. Keyes was a methodical serial killer who obsessively planned out his crimes ahead of time, but was also known to act impulsively. 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. showed up to the Halloween party rather late and was already heavily-intoxicated when he arrived. That is, until roughly two years later when King County officials would throw together a press conference, where they announced the arrest of a suspect. The case is described to us as a true whodunit, one that relies purely on circumstantial and DNA evidence because there werent any witnesses to the killing. They can be found on Instagram @readrunsea; The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. The apartment was discovered in a state of disrepair different from how it had looked days beforehand (during the Halloween party), which made it clear that the struggle had ultimately led to Arpana's bedroom. Whats Next for Convicted Sex Criminals Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly? Emanuel Fair's second trial began just last year, in 2019, and again, tried to reach a jury consensus regarding his guilt. Privacy Policy and Just because it never happened doesnt mean they cant get back together. And when they wake up the next morning, one resident is dead. Follow Suspect Season 2: Vanished in the Snow on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. By Cameron Sheppard March 4, 2023 1:30 pm. Inside of Arpana's bathroom, investigators would find a white comforter from her bed, which had also been stained with blood. Things you buy through our links may earnVox Mediaa commission. While O'Leary was ultimately arrested for crimes he committed in Colorado, he had committed earlier crimes in Washington; in particular, in the area where Arpana lived - where he lived, as well. All that we know for sure is that Arpana had already lived a full life by the age of 24, and could have continued changing the world for the better. Because the contents of "The Wretch" have not been cracked, investigators believe that it could hold proof of O'Leary committing more heinous crimes than he has been convicted of thus far, possibly even murder. Arpana Jinaga was a 24-year-old computer programmer, who had moved to the Pacific Northwest in March of 2008. Reply . She recalled one of these voicemails sounding like constant movement on the other end, but nothing verbally being said. But because of his prior criminal record, he would remain at the top of their suspect list for some time until the results from the forensic analysis came back from the Washington state crime lab, which seemed to implicate his involvement in the murder. and Nirmala Jinaga, a professor of computer engineering and a housewife, respectively. In addition to having at least one brief encounter with Arpana at the party, police were able to determine that Fair had spent time at the party with "C.J." The lawsuit states abuse by guards also continued when Sheriff Omar Lucio took over in 2005, although Lucio had vowed to clean up jail abuses by guards. 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. Speaking to the Bellevue Reporter, Lt. Doug Shepard of the Redmond Police Department said: "We're a safe community. Weve got romance, breakups, emotionally loaded dumplings this episode has a little bit of everything! Now that Meredith is gone, it is business as usual at Grey Sloan Memorial. Sarah Neilson is a freelance writer and book critic based in Seattle. Suspect is an investigative series about mislaid justice and the kinds of weighty decisions that detectives, lawyers, and jurors make every day - decisions that, once made, are almost impossible to reverse. By the age of 24, Arpana Jinaga had already lived a full and rewarding life and seemed poised to leave a positive impact on the rest of the world. Over nine episodes, true crime podcast Suspect hosts Matthew Shaer and Eric Benson return to the scene of the 2008 crime over a decade later to uncover what happened, and speak with everyone about . On November 21st, 2008 - three weeks after the murder - he spoke to investigators and admitted to being inside of Arpana's apartment during the Halloween party. And when you get to talk to all these different people who are involved in the case at different times, you see how that power manifests itself or doesnt. Speaking to the Redmond Reporter, some of the club's members would remember Arpana as the fun-loving, ambitious young woman she had been - not just the victim she had become in local newspapers. Alanis was "left in that state for two hours, until he was taken to the Valley Regional Medical Center," according to the lawsuit. In fact, they posited throughout the first trial that he may have been an accomplice; an uncharged accomplice, but an accomplice nonetheless. O'Leary is currently serving out his sentence at the Sterling Correctional Facility and remains a possible suspect in this case. Now inside, Jay and C.J. Prosecutors implied that Fair had been lying about where he was during these vital hours, which remained unexplained nearly two years later. A new true-crime podcast delves into the complicated murder case of a rising 24-year-old software programmer in Redmond, Wash. 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. We didnt want to make that kind of show. Prior to that, she had attended Rutgers University on the east coast, but had grown up in the Indian city of Hyderabad as the oldest of two daughters. Emanuel Fair's innocence would be asserted by his defense attorneys in the months and years to come, who insisted that he receive proper treatment under the law; which, they alleged, prosecutors were refusing to give to him, as had the investigators from the very beginning of this case. The final stretch of the series lingers in the bittersweet of the triumph: Its justice, but it comes after great loss. Inside the apartment, it became clear to investigators that a struggle had taken place. It is . 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). In the weeks after Arpana's murder, Emanuel Fair was identified through photographs and eventually questioned. Season 2: Vanished in the Snow chronicles the disappearance of 12-year-old Jonelle Matthews. But a check of his online activity would reveal that at around 10:00, he had printed out maps for local pawn shops. After being held in custody for nine years, he was found not guilty of Jinagas murder and released in 2019. There, she lived in Apartment 8946, on the top floor of the complex. would later tell police that he was "kind of wanting to explore" and could offer up no further explanation for his bizarre actions. Let's get this out of the way: Suspect is a very good listen. 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). In addition to joining a motorcycle club, Arpana also volunteered at the Redmond Fire Department, riding along to fires in the area; as well as animal shelters in Bellevue, where she helped care for and attend to unwanted pets. October 31st, 2008 - Halloween - had the rare fortune of falling on a Friday. Alanis Mejia is also accused of striking Galarza in the chest. Who knows, she might have even become a mother by now. Despite not even knowing how to ride a motorcycle at the time, she purchased a Suzuki and began attending classes to learn how to safely ride it. Meanwhile, Emanuel Fair's defense attorneys Benjamin Goldsmith and Katharine Edwards emphasized creating reasonable doubt; mostly, by pointing the blame at Arpana's neighbor, C.J., whom, they believed made a more convincing suspect. 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. A witness that was returning home from work that evening at around 3:00 AM - who had not attended the Halloween party, but lived nearby - later told police that they saw a non-black individual standing in the doorway of Arpana's apartment at around 3:00 AM. In that sense, Suspect is a little bit like the true-crime podcast version of a Gerard Butler movie or a really good episode of Law and Order: an exemplar of its genre, but not a revolutionary, which I sincerely mean as praise. 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. 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. Paul Vernon, one of Emanuel Fair's defense attorneys, countered the state's claims; stating that if they were factoring in DNA evidence for the crime, then this neighbor of Arpana's would be just as guilty as Emanuel Fair (if not more so). Its probably a spoiler to tell you at this point that the team doesnt end up solving Jinagas murder. This one is not going away. While Arpana didn't have any friends or family in the area, she didn't let that deter her from leaning into the community. "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. 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. These were the last calls or texts Arpana would receive that night, and when questioned about these phone calls, C.J. Days after the discovery of Arpana's body, a ceremony was held in Redmond, which had all of the customs of a Hindu memorial service and was attended by the many of dozens of lives that Arpana had impacted during her short time in the Pacific Northwest.