NORRISTOWN -- Two of Montgomery County's legal titans will face off against one another in the murder trial of Lower Providence photographer Anthony J. Frederick, who is accused of killing Canadian adult film actress Natel King in February.
Judge William T. Nicholas this week appointed Norristown lawyer Richard D. Winters, one of the county's top defense attorneys, to represent Frederick, 47, of the 1100 block of Bayless Place.
Winters will be going up against county District Attorney Bruce L. Castor Jr., who is personally prosecuting the case with co-counsel Assistant District Attorney Barbara Ashcroft.
Frederick initially had been represented by private counsel Daniel-Paul Alva, who petitioned to withdraw from the case because of unspecified differences with his client.
Winters, who recently stepped down as the county solicitor, will receive an initial flat fee of $5,000 from the county and can petition the court for additional fees depending on the amount of time he spends on the case. He will be paid at a rate of $65 an hour, which is well below the hourly rate charged by seasoned defense lawyers.
The county spends an average of about $10,000 to $12,000 in attorney fees for court-appointed lawyers in murder cases for defendants who cannot afford to hire their own lawyers.
Frederick, who has been held in the county prison without bail since his arrest in March, is charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, unsworn falsification to authorities and abuse of a corpse.
Citing the lack of aggravating circumstances, Castor already has said he will not seek the death penalty if Frederick is convicted of first-degree murder.
Frederick was to have gone on trial in December but the trial likely will be postponed because of the change in lawyers.
The body of the tall, blonde, 23-year-old Canadian college student, who posed for adult entertainment photos and films under the name of Taylor Sumers to earn money for school, was discovered March 23 in Whitemarsh by a passer-by walking along River Road near Harts Lane.
Wrapped in a blue backdrop commonly used by a photographer, the body appeared to have rolled down a steep embankment after being dumped over a guardrail, according to authorities. A ball gag and other bondage-type materials were found in the area.
The coroner's office ruled King's death a homicide, saying she died from multiple stab wounds to the neck and upper body.
King had traveled from her home in Ontario to work with Frederick on a photo shoot on Feb. 29 at his rented apartment studio in the 100 block of West Third Street in Conshohocken.She was reported missing by her roommate in Canada on March 4.
Jennifer Mitkus, who started her employment with Frederick as a photographer's assistant that same day, told authorities she last saw King by her car outside the studio after the photo shoot had been completed. She and Frederick left the area before King, Mitkus reportedly told authorities.
County law enforcement officials contend that King never left the studio alive.
Mitkus, 30, who was living at motels in Oaks and Pottstown at the time, is charged with making unsworn falsifications to authorities and hindering apprehension. Montgomery County Public Defender Chief Carolyn T. Carluccio represents Mitkus, who has been imprisoned since her arrest in lieu of $10,000 cash bail.
Castor has speculated that the motive for the stabbing was that either Frederick, who had photographed King with a ball gag in her mouth, did not want to pay her for the photo shoot or that it was the result of making a snuff video that got out of hand.
