US Photographer charged in death of porn model
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-25 15:46

A Pennsylvania photographer was arrested Wednesday and charged with murdering a 23-year-old Canadian porn model whom authorities allege he photographed just before killing her and dumping her body near a river.

Anthony Joseph Frederick is being held without bail.

Anthony Joseph Frederick, 46, of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, is currently being held without bail on charges he killed Natel King, who was missing for nearly three weeks before her corpse was found Tuesday.

King was known professionally as Taylor Sumers.

Frederick is charged with first- and third-degree murder, abuse of a corpse and possession of an instrument of crime. He is also charged with lying to authorities.

If convicted, he could face life in prison or the death penalty.

According to police records, a search of Frederick's home turned up shackles, duct tape, blood-stained equipment and a handwritten poem that read: "Cut with a knife/Blood does flow/You may bleed out/Death coming on slow."

King had been missing since February 29, the day of her photo session with Frederick. Shortly after 5:30 p.m. that day, King spoke by phone with one of her friends in Canada and sounded distressed.

The friend told police that King said Frederick "was kind of weird, and that she was worried. I asked if she was worried about not getting paid or getting killed, and she said, 'I don't know. Both,'" according to police records.

King's body was found near the Schuykill River Tuesday.

Natel King, 23, performed under the name Taylor Sumers.

There were multiple stab wounds to her chest, neck and hands, and a red ball was stuffed in her throat and attached to a leather strap that was fixed around her head, according to authorities.

Natel King, 23, performed under the name Taylor Sumers.

"She put up a terrific fight because her hands showed multiple defensive slash wounds," District Attorney Bruce Castor said.

Police said they found King's car on March 5 at Frederick's home, which was used as the site for the photo shoot.

According to the police report, officers found a suitcase and a laptop computer in the car but not King's purse, driver's license or cell phone.

The next day, police interviewed Frederick, with a follow-up interview a couple days later. According to the police report, Frederick told authorities he took 20 photographs of King naked and in bondage, paid her $900 and never saw her again.

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