Shortly after King’s disappearance, Jennifer Mitkus told police she was present at a bondage photo shoot between King and photographer Anthony Frederick, but later admitted that she had last seen King outside the photographer’s studio, before the shoot began.
King was later found stabbed to death in a ravine. She was wearing bondage gear and wrapped in a photographer’s backdrop similar to the one in a photo taken by Frederick, who is scheduled to stand trial for murder later this month.
Public defender Carolyn Carluccio petitioned the court Wednesday to hold a hearing so that Mitkus could admit to charges of false testimony and hindering apprehension, thereby avoiding a full jury trial and instead allowing a judge to determine her sentence.
But Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor refused to accept the plea, stating that he wanted to leave open the option to file future criminal charges against Mitkus in relation to the case.
“[Castor] has been saying for a year that he’s going to file additional charges,” Carluccio said. “He should have done that a year ago.”
As a general rule, prosecutors are supposed to file all charges related to a criminal case in the same complaint.
Carluccio argued that Mitkus has already served enough time in the case. She was in county prison from March to September in lieu of $10,000 bail she was unable to pay.
“We’re very frustrated that we aren’t able to go in and plead guilty to the charges and say, ‘We’re at the mercy of the court,’” Carluccio said. “[Mitkus] has already served more time than she was facing. She wanted to plead guilty to the charges to get on with her life and move ahead.”