I knew Bryan Kocis and considered him a friend. I started making videos in '97 and he came to me a few years later for advice as he was entering the business. His videos quickly surpassed mine in quality and distribution, and I was pleased (and a bit envious) at his success.

I was stunned when I learned he had been murdered and have followed the case closely. There is an excellent(!!!) blog about the case here:

http://handjtrial.blogspot.com/

I recommend anyone follow it who is interested in the case. Just stick it in your blog reader and check it out as the trial begins next week.

I am 100% absolutely convinced of the guilt of Kerekes and Cuadro. I was pleased no end when Kerekes plead guilty and received a life sentence with no chance of parole. Even if the governor commutes his sentence (which he won't), he still gets several more years after that for willful desecration of a corpse (he burned Bryan's body).

The amount of evidence against the two was simply staggering. The fact that they rented a car, drove it to Bryan's county in PA and rented a nearby hotel room just before the murder. The knife they bought at Wal-Mart just before the crime. The fact that their cell phones were used on towers just outside Bryan's home at the time of the murder. The fact they left the hotel and drove back to VA immediately after the murder. Bryan's camera being found in their possession back in Virginia. (They had sanded off the serial number, but then stupidly posted a message at an online customer support forums saying they had just purchased the camera but didn't have a manual, and how did certain features work?) The conversation at the nude beach when Cuadro talks about how upsetting the murder was, and that he had trouble sleeping for nights after. Although killing Kocis felt "kinda good".

Say what you want about Bryan -- he was no saint, no one deserves to be drugged by a potential model. Then when you realize something is wrong and try to get to a phone the model opens the door and lets in an accomplice. Bryan had been stabbed 29 (or was it more?), and nearly beheaded by one of the blows. His body was dumped on the floor, covered with gasoline, and lit on fire.

All because the two heavily indebted thugs had this delusional idea that they were going to net a million dollars out of their deal with Lockhart. An absolutely ludicrous idea for a relatively untested video producer. A few videos on BoyBatter does not Bel Ami make!

I have long been of the opinion that Cuadro should accept his fate, plead guilty, and forever give up his rights as a free man. Failing that, I look forward to him being disgraced in court and locked away for the rest of his life. And while I am a moral opponent of the death penalty, I won't write any letters in protest of his execution.

--Aaron

PS, I have attached a picture of me in Brazil. One of my models tipped off several thugs that I was photographing models in my apartment and, presumably, had a large amount of cash. I was tricked into allowing them into my apartment where they tried to rob me. They didn't get a dime, but as you see I got more than I bargained for.

Moral of the story: What happened to Bryan (or me) can happen to any of you. I was traveling in a crime-ridden country but Bryan felt safe and secure in his own home. Don't ever let your guard down for a moment, because that mistake may be your last.