Phillips, whose real name is Bryan Charles Kocis, helmed the Dallas, Pa.-based gay porn company that focuses on the twink category in bareback and masturbatory scenes.
On Thursday, Phillips, 44, was identified by dental records after firefighters responded to the blaze a day earlier at his home in Dallas Township, north of Wilkes-Barre.
Luzerne County Coroner Dr. John Consalvo has ruled the death a homicide. He said Phillips was dead before the fire broke out.
Some of Cobra’s titles include “Take It Like A Bitch Boy,” “A Boy’s Raw Urges” and “Bareback Twink Orgy.”
Phillips’ company catapulted in 2004 after he cast twink model Brent Corrigan in Cobra’s “Every Poolboy’s Dream.” The video put Phillips’ company on the gay porn map and Corrigan went on to become the most famous, and most lucrative, of Phillips pool of actors.
But Phillips had legal problems that set back his 6-year-old company and personal life.
He was sentenced in May 2002 to a year of probation for possessing a videotape that showed him having sex with a 15-year-old boy.
In that case, authorities seized video cameras, photos, magazines, computer discs and more than 600 videos. They also found a video production studio in Phillips’ basement.
Phillips dodged more serious charges after the boy conceded he had misrepresented his age to him.
Phillips also had additional claims of using underage models in his videos. At least four titles were voluntarily removed from circulation by Cobra's distributor, Pacific Sun Entertainment, but still are being hawked on some Internet sites.
Later, Phillips filed suit against Corrigan in U.S. District Court in San Diego for numerous trademark violations, cybersquatting and breach of contract, among other charges.
Corrigan maintains a weblog at his official site, BrentCorriganOnline.com, which also doubles as SeanLockhartOnline.com, another name of Corrigan's.
The federal court case, which still is pending, seeks to prevent him from using the “Brent Corrigan" stage name because Cobra claims the name as a protected trademark.
Cobra Video also created a website, Brentcorriganxxx.com, which offers free downloads of clips and pictures from all of Corrigan's post-2004 work.
Police told XBIZ on Friday that so far there are no suspects, but they do want to talk to Corrigan.