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Son of late US porn mogul suspect in killing

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-14 10:29

SAN FRANCISCO: The son of a late San Francisco pornography mogul was being held without bail Monday on suspicion of killing his former girlfriend and fleeing with their 1-year-old daughter, prompting an alert that ended with his arrest off a highway near Sacramento, authorities said.

Danielle Keller, 29, was found beaten to death Sunday evening in the backyard of a home in Novato, north of San Francisco.

A neighbor, Lynn Treboutat, said she saw James Raphael Mitchell run from the home with his screaming daughter, then drive away Sunday evening. The toddler's first birthday party was held at the home Sunday, Treboutat said Monday.

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Mitchell, 27, was arrested off Interstate 80 in Citrus Heights after police found him and the girl, Samantha, unharmed about five hours after she disappeared, authorities said.

He's being held without bail in Marin County Jail on suspicion of murder, kidnapping and violating a restraining order.

Mitchell is listed in his jail report as a theater owner. His lawyer, former San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan, wouldn't comment on the allegations.

Mitchell's father is Jim Mitchell, part of a pioneering family owned adult-film empire who directed the 1972 porn classic, "Behind the Green Door." The movie was one of the first X-rated flicks with a plot line.

In 1969, the Mitchell brothers opened a still-running adult theater in San Francisco. In their heyday, the brothers faced multiple arrests on obscenity charges and ultimately produced hundreds of films, including "Resurrection of Eve" and "Sodom and Gomorrah: The Last 7 Days."

Jim Mitchell was convicted in 1991 of manslaughter and weapons charges in the shooting death of his brother Artie in Marin County. The slaying led to a spectacular trial, and the elder Mitchell served half of a six-year prison sentence.

He died on July 12, 2007, two years to the day before the alleged murder and kidnapping. His funeral was attended by politicians and pornographers alike.

James Mitchell and Keller had been in a "pretty combustive and combative relationship" for about two years, said Keller's mother, Claudia Stevens.

Keller had sole custody of Samantha and had obtained a restraining order against Mitchell, she said. Earlier this year, Keller and her daughter moved into Stevens' Novato home, where Sunday's killing allegedly took place.

Stevens said she hopes her granddaughter will return home sometime Monday.