Hollywood loves a sordid tale, which makes it all the more obvious why the murderous plot of King Cobra would resonate. Now, another of the film’s real-life characters is speaking out about the production.
While there’s much to glean about the power of greed and lust from the 2007 murder of gay porn studio Cobra Video owner Bryan Kocis by two escorts, Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes (above, left), let’s not forget that these two men are and will almost certainly continue to be residents of the US prison system until they day they die.
Related: Brent Corrigan Blasts Hollywood For “Bastardizing” His Life, Cashed That Check All The Same
And Joseph Kerekes, for one, is not staying quiet.
How about we take this to the next level?
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In a phone interview with NewsChannel3 from a Pennsylvania state prison where he is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for second degree murder, Kerekes expounds on his state of mind leading up to the vicious killing, as well as his thoughts on the James Franco-produced film.
“[The movie] is very, very lifelike and very true. Even some of the quotes, I have no idea how they captured them,” Kerekes said, adding, “When you think you can get away with anything, you will try anything.”
The convicted killer attempted to contextualize his downfall, explaining how his ministry career at Bethel Temple Assembly of God in Hampton, Virginia, went “to hell” after he was dismissed due to “fits of rage.”
That’s when he turned to escorting, and after meeting Harlow Cuadra in a Yahoo chat room, the two embarked on starting an escorting business that would become their amateur gay porn company, BoyBatter.com.
“Eventually from the street I would own a million dollar house in Virginia Beach,” said Kerekes. “I mean, I worked my way up in about five years.”
But that’s where Kerekes’ version of events parts ways from Peter Conway’s, a Norfolk resident whose book about the trial, Cobra Killer, inspired the film.
“They had over a million dollars’ worth of bills that they were paying,” Conway said a few days before the movie premiere. “They had to make about $3,900 a day just to stay afloat.”
Related: The First Review Of James Franco’s Sexy Gay Murder Drama May Surprise You
Conway argues it was the couple’s financial woes that pushed them to murder Kocis in order to embark on a business plan with then-aspiring porn actor Brent Corrigan, real name Sean Lockhart, who was still under contract with Kocis’ Cobra Video.
“They came up with this wild idea that if they killed Bryan [Kocis], there would be no need for the contract between Sean [Lockhart] and Bryan any longer,” said Conway, “and they would make the millions that they thought they would.”
Kerekes didn’t rebuff that theory entirely, saying, “We were blurred and blinded by greed, and we thought that we were Gods.”
But for whatever reason, he’s not copping up to the debt part.
Related: First Look At Disney Star Garrett Clayton As Brent Corrigan In James Franco’s Gay Biopic
“Even the movie with James Franco got it wrong,” said Kerekes. “We did not do any of this because we were in debt. We did this because we wanted more, and we thought we could get away with it.”
Now he says he spends his days working out and replying to pen pals, noting to NewsChannel3, “I’m in the best shape of my life.”
That may be, but it’s a life that will never again know freedom, something we can all agree is likely for the best.
MarionPaige
Joe Kerekes couldn’t possibly have seen the movie, so, he can’t know that James Franco’s performance in the movie “King Cobra” has very little to do with him. Although, in a letter to the reporter who did this report, Kerekes said James Franco was scheduled to visit him in prison. With respect to Cuadra / Kerekes debt,
The Commonwealth of Virginia filed a RICO lawsuit against Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes and seized all of their assets. One has to assume that Cuadra and Kerekes in fact HAD ASSETS for Virginia to go to the trouble of suing them to seize their assets. Also,
A man testified to giving Harlow Cuadra $70,000 “because he loved Harlow”. Other clients of Harlow’s admitted to just giving Harlow money. Eventually,
If the movie “King Cobra” does in fact generate a lot of renewed interest in what Bryan Kocis was doing and how Harlow Cuadra and Joseph Kerekes were prosecuted, people with some legal expertise are bound to step forward and call BS on most of what is accepted as “Fact” about The Bryan Kocis Scandal. Point,
Most of the judges and prosecutors against Cuadra and Kerekes were:
1. booted out of office,
2. sent to prison themselves; or
3. just out right fired
see The Bitchless Blog for a Bryan Kocis Murder Timeline http://www.bitchless.net/index.php?showtopic=106963
MarionPaige
the lead prosecutor against Cuadra and Kerekes, the guy who invented most of this fiction about Bryan Kocis and why Koccis was killed, was recently fired from the DA’s office. He had previously made headlines for visiting his incarcerated girlfriend in jail.
peterconway
Nice try to make a story… and “Marion” aka Everhart… please shut up – we’re surprised you still aren’t bitching about Kids for Cash.
Billy Budd
This is so sordid and ugly. I am almost giving up on watching the movie.
Caine
Oh brother…
MarionPaige
actor Keegan Allen plays Harlow Cuadra in the movie “King Cobra”. However,
The “picture” Keegan is shown flashing on his smartphone https://twitter.com/KeeganAllenNews/status/722091485164879872 is of Marlow Cuadra, http://www.marlowcuadra.com , a fictional character invented by The Bitchless Blog
DCguy
@MarionPaige:
It’s weird that the actual guy the movie is about talks about how accurate it is, and yet here you are saying everything is wrong.
Ybarry45
What? I am shocked….shocked to find out Zac Efron is not playing Brent Corrigan.
Bob LaBlah
Those two were what they were: poor white trash.
BriBri
Those two are right where they need to be, rotting away in jail. Good riddance.
Juanjo
@MarionPaige: Denial is not just a river in Egypt. Do you have anything other than logical fallacies? You know, like actual, verifiable fact relevant to the case.
Pete
@Ybarry45: Fortunately Zac’s outgrown his Troy Bolton twink looks.
They should have used one of the more epicene Helix twinks, like foundation princess Brad Chase
tricky ricky
@MarionPaige: oh marion paige. you sound just like damon kruezer. still a loozer.
MarionPaige
@MarionPaige:
http://psdispatch.com/news/local/39601/luzerne-county-assistant-district-attorney-terminated
the lead prosecutor against Cuadra and Kerekes, the guy who invented most of this fiction about Bryan Kocis and why Kocis was killed, was recently fired from the DA’s office. He had previously made headlines for visiting his incarcerated girlfriend in jail.
Bob LaBlah
Its really tacky (to me at least) to click on a link (the commenters name) and be lead strait to a porn site.
MarionPaige
the Luzerne County DA at the time of Harlow Cuadra’s trial, Jackie Musto Carroll, bemoans the fact that she lost re-election because voters seemed to blame her (the DA) because over 2,000 children were railroaded into juvenile detention by two corrupt Judges (Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella). BTW, Judge Michael Conahan was the judge who gave Bryan Kocis one year probation (instead of jail) in Kocis’ criminal case.
https://youtu.be/vxoRCPGUG3w
BGinBigD
You commenting bitches can all fight amongst yourselves! All I care about the film is does anyone/everyone hit nekked?????
seaguy
I always though Joseph was the cute one but then I like shaved heads. Brian Kocis RIP
MarionPaige
It is “interesting” that James Franco would be meeting with Joseph Kerekes now, AFTER the movie “King Cobra” has already been made.
https://localtvwtkr.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/kerekes-letter_edit.jpg
And,
Yes, I did see the movie King Cobra on its premier at Tribeca. See King Cobra blow-by-blow http://www.bitchless.net/index.php?showtopic=106990
MarionPaige
king cobra will play at Outfest Film Festival in LA
https://secure.outfest.org/tixSYS/2016/xslguide/eventnote.php?notepg=1&EventNumber=0820