Cobra Killer (41 page)

Lockhart also gained a credited, non-speaking part in director Gus Van Sant’s Oscar-winning 2008 release,
Milk.
⁽³⁴⁾
“I don’t think I’ll make it as a mainstream (actor), but never say never,” Lockhart said. “I have some talent and if you nurture it, it can grow.”
⁽³³⁾

In 2008, Lockhart announced his new production company, Prodigy Pictures, was teaming up again with Dirty Bird Pictures, this time to produce
Brent Corrigan’s Summit.
Summit
was a follow-up to his earlier collaboration with Dirty Bird for the wildly successful
The Porne Ultimatum.

Summit
consists of Lockhart in the title role hosting nine other guys in a Lake Tahoe mountain cabin for a “reality style” orgy-fest. Established gay porno star Mason Wyler appears as did others from the Active Duty studios of Dink Flamingo. The film’s script was co-written by Grant Roy.

Lockhart called completion of the four-scene, two-hour film “one of the sweetest victories of my life” after “a three-year journey, fraught with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, setbacks, and scandals. The Cobra civil suit prevented me from making money, but did not prevent me from being productive. Being fucked out of my first website and business venture set me back eight months. Then having the trial looming overhead for so long, all of these things have severely limited my potential. None of these things have persisted to stand in my way but if it’s not THIS then it’s THAT. They sky is now the limit…”
⁽³⁴⁾

How long does Lockhart plan to stay in gay porn? In a May 2009 post to his website, Lockhart notes “In a lot of ways, just doing porn is beginning to make me feel less of a person. The sad part is, there was once a market and a place for the difference between what porn is and what I want to do with the adult industry.”
⁽³⁵⁾

Lockhart moves on

Sean Lockhart is many things to many people, but there is almost universal agreement that he is, often, dramatic. In the gay world, he might even be called “a drama queen” or “a diva.”

He took up on his blog what had happened to him over the course of the years since he came to know Bryan Kocis, learned of his death, and participated in bringing his killers to justice.

Immediately upon returning to California after testifying in Cuadra’s murder trial, he told his fans, “I feel completely and utterly deflated right now. While it may appear to be a hasty departure, the truth is, I’m not sure all of me is ready to put the polishing touches on this chapter of my life. I feel so…unfulfilled, like a spirit lingering and longing to carry out unfinished business.”
⁽³⁶⁾
He admitted to feeling overwhelmed with the idea of even trying to explain all that he had experienced. “Often times, I sit back and I wonder what the percentage is of my readers and fans that even have any clue that I’ve toiled with this predicament,” Lockhart wrote.
⁽³⁷⁾
“Much like Bryan’s personal home and residence, my world went up in smoke and flames when he was killed. The truth is…when Bryan was killed, everything in my world crumbled to my feet. All of my plans, hopes and aspirations were put on hold until I could get a grip on the situation.”
⁽³⁸⁾

If his bravado and self-centered assessment passed over the fact it was Kocis who ultimately suffered most, he didn’t seem to care. He credited his ex-lover and business partner Grant Roy for being “the thread, and I was the needle.”
⁽³⁹⁾

He admitted what anyone who read the transcript of the police intercepts of Cuadra and Kerekes could tell: he was frightened to death during most of those proceedings. “I had a job to do despite my fear of my life,” he said during Cuadra’s trial. “I had to play it off as if everything was fine.”
⁽⁴⁰⁾

Citing his desire to “move on” and fight temptations to go back over the past and look for more ways he could have avoided struggles, he said, “It’s best to just move on” and added, “I’m growing tiresome of living this extraordinary life. It’s time for me to just settle down and make a little porn.”
⁽⁴¹⁾

Moving on from porn, and from Roy, has been addressed by Lockhart more than once in his blog. In a July 2009 entry, he noted: “The truth is, right now in my life I’m in at a crossroads. My mainstream work is taking up more and more time than ever before.”
⁽⁴²⁾

He also confessed differences were erupting between him and Roy about how to run Lockhart’s career and their porn ventures. “The trouble we are finding is our past: which is varied and spotted with much misfortune,” he said. “Though (Grant and I) love each other very much, it has become increasingly difficult to put our differences aside.”
⁽⁴³⁾

Lockhart again hinted at leaving gay porn outright. “There’s only so much you can create with porn and sex before you find yourself on a loop,” he wrote. “In many ways, I feel I am outgrowing the adult industry. This doesn’t mean I want to leave it behind. It does mean I need to find other ways to flex my artistic muscle. The deeper I get into the porn world the more I realize how
base
it is.”
⁽⁴⁴⁾

A month later, Lockhart complained openly to his fans via his blog about the so-far lackluster sales of his latest porn venture,
Brent Corrigan’s Big Easy
(sales figures that didn’t prevent the epic from being named the 2010 Gay VN “Amateur/Pro-Am” gay porn feature of the year.) “I believe I have every right to voice these frustrations and feelings. I know I run the risk of coming off like a bitch. I understand people are losing their jobs
all over the world
at an alarming rate,” but he lamented few sales from people who often claimed to be his supporters. Lockhart proclaimed: “If you think I’m angry, I’m not. I’m thoroughly disappointed. It’s plain to see.” 
⁽⁴⁵⁾

He again raised the specter of leaving porn outright. “I’m not that lonely, sad little boy just looking for friends and admirers anymore,” he wrote. “When I entered into this industry and even started writing (on a blog), I admit now that much of that was about self validation. I was desperately searching for approval and interest. I needed the attention because I was building my self esteem. I’ve grown up now and reality has set in. Validation and self confidence doesn’t mean anything if you’re living in a tent on the street corner of F Street in the East Village.”
⁽⁴⁶⁾

The Kocis family and Cobra Video

Bryan Kocis’ family has faded back into their private lives, the kind of privacy most families in the tight-knit communities of northeast Pennsylvania treasure. It was never their desire to be the lead story on the local TV news or the front page of the area’s two daily newspapers. The murder and trial completed, more than two years of emotional ups and down were mostly over. As one might expect, Kocis’ parents have given few interviews or comments since the trial. Their mourning delayed, their grief work lies ever around them.

Kocis’ sister, Melody Bartusek, did offer comments briefly, both during the time of Cuadra’s trial and afterward. Otherwise, she too seemed ready to move on with her life. She did not hold back, however, on a continued contempt held for Sean Lockhart. “(Bryan) was known for giving everyone the benefit of the doubt,” she said. “Bryan made mistakes, but he was a victim of a horrible crime, and it was sad how many people forgot that. Sean Lockhart was Bryan’s biggest mistake. He cared for Sean very much and Sean did nothing but hurt him.”
⁽⁴⁷⁾

She said her brother was planning to keep a promise to get Lockhart out of the porn business and help him go to college, as he said he wanted to do. Lockhart claimed that those offers of help, however, came with strings attached that he remain in Pennsylvania and be romantically involved with Kocis.

Bartusek said, “I was with Bryan when Sean told him he wasn’t coming back to finish his contract with Cobra, and that he was starting his own company. Bryan (had) just bought him a car. I will never forget how upset Bryan was. Unfortunately, Bryan is not here to tell his side of the story.”
⁽⁴⁸⁾

The Kocis family is bitter about Lockhart’s efforts to “make it look like he was the victim, but the victim was Bryan the whole time.”

Kocis’ sister takes issue with the claims that her brother did not check Lockhart’s ID prior to making porn videos with him. “Sean lied from the beginning to get into the business, and then once he was in…he made a plan with Grant (Roy) to take Bryan for everything he was worth.”
⁽⁴⁹⁾

Beyond the hard feelings that exist between Kocis’ kin and Lockhart and Roy, the Kocis family does not believe Lockhart was involved in killing Bryan. “But I think if he wasn’t involved at all, he should have warned Bryan of Harlow and Joe after the famous Las Vegas dinner,” Bartusek said. “Grant and Sean did help the police, and for that we are grateful.” She added, “The part that gets me so mad is that Sean has no remorse for anything he did and the hatred that he created against Bryan. I believe the events that took place and the public bad mouthing they did of Bryan led to the murder. I just wish Bryan would have never met Sean, maybe this would have never happened.”
⁽⁵⁰⁾

 Bartusek said she also is concentrated on “letting go of my anger toward (Sean and Grant) because they are not worth my attention and I have more important things in my life. Bryan and I believed in the saying ‘What comes around goes around’ and…ironically one of Bryan’s other sayings he would tell me often is ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!’ My life isn’t ever going to be the same without him!”
⁽⁵¹⁾

The Kocis family
is
convinced the right men were convicted of killing their loved one. They were pleased and thankful for the police and prosecutors who worked so hard in bringing the case to a close.

Disgusted at what she considers serial lying Cuadra conducted on the witness stand during his trial, she added, “I wish he (would have) got the death penalty, but I’m very happy he will be in prison the rest of his life.” While still angry at Kerekes, Bartusek said the family was at least “happy that Joe owned up to what he did and at least apologized. It does give some closure. Harlow made himself look like a victim of Joe, but it was really the other way around.”
⁽⁵²⁾

In October 2010, EuroMedia Distribution announced it had signed an exclusive, worldwide, multi-year DVD and licensing agreement with Cobra Video.
⁽⁵³⁾
“We couldn’t be more excited to be working hand-in-hand with Cobra Studios,” said Hugo Harley, director of development for EuroMedia. “Beyond their still-popular back catalog, we will be overseeing a rebranding of the line and bringing some new releases and never-before-seen product to market. They have a strong brand and amazing content that delivers time and time again. We look forward to bringing their content to fans around the world.”
⁽⁵⁴⁾
Harley added that EuroMedia would also handle licensing of all broadcast, web licensing, and mobile rights for Cobra Videos. They also promised to release some “sure to be talked about (but) never-before-released scenes” from Cobra.
⁽⁵⁵⁾

The investigators

The men and women who dedicated countless hours of work on the Kocis case had little time to sit back and take a breath. In the two years after Kocis’ murder, violent crime continued to rise in the community, including more than a dozen death penalty cases.

State police investigators continued to respond to requests from local communities to help investigate crimes, and local police continued their daily efforts to prevent and respond to crime. Sadly, the Bryan Kocis murder was not the first and certainly not the last to occur.

For Dallas Township Police Chief Robert Jolley and the seven officers on his department, their regular work serving the community goes on. Fortunately, the community averages only one homicide every seven to ten years.
⁽⁵⁶⁾

“What you do on a homicide case like this is that you bring in everyone that is available and you work it—you work it hard for the first two or three days,” Dallas Township Detective Sergeant Doug Higgins said. “We had no idea how widespread this investigation was going to be.”
⁽⁵⁷⁾

Higgins and Jolley said the investigation was “a huge effort.” Both men expressed appreciation that Dallas Township supervisors were supportive of the effort to solve the crime. “I told (township officials), I cannot guarantee you when the end will come, but we need all of our guys out there working on this,” Higgins said. “Their response to me was, ‘Do what you have to do.’”
⁽⁵⁸⁾

And while the sexual orientation of the victims (and later the suspects) in the case would become known as gay, Higgins said that did not affect the investigation. “The way we looked at it is that we had a job to do, someone has been killed, and we were going to find the killer.”
⁽⁵⁹⁾

Assistant DA Michael Melnick is satisfied with the outcome, especially the fact that both Cuadra and Kerekes are sentenced to life sentences with no chance of parole. “There is no parole for murder in Luzerne County,” Melnick declares.
⁽⁶⁰⁾

Melnick’s busy schedule continues, split between his work as a courtroom litigator for the district attorney’s office and his private practice. The polite, cigar-smoking Melnick comes across as a conversational, friendly small-town lawyer, but in reality has established a reputation as a brilliant legal scrapper who stands up for the people of Luzerne County.

His law office, ironically on the busy Pennsylvania Route 309 in Shavertown, was along the route Cuadra and Kerekes had to follow from their motel room in Plains Township to the victim’s home in the Back Mountain community of Dallas. While stopping short of calling the Cuadra-Kerekes case one of the biggest of his career, he does call the case very complex. Melnick is quick to credit local, state, and federal police investigators for their work in bringing the case to conclusion.