PORTLAND, Ore. - Adult-website owner Paul Eugene Frizzelle has been accused of murdering 18-year-old model Emily Egan, whose body was found Tuesday in Frizzelle's apartment, police said.
Frizzelle, 37, operator of Slit Parade and Petty Grove Productions, was arrested by officers who went to his apartment in response to calls from concerned neighbors. He was jailed on count of murder, and is scheduled to go before a jury next week and appear in court on Sept. 7.
The incident has shocked adult-industry insiders such as "Darklady" Teresa Reed, who told AVN Online on Thursday that she was "clueless" about who Frizzelle was and had never heard of the man prior to his arrest.
"I've never encountered this guy, and so far I haven't been able to find anyone else who's ever heard of him," she said. "It's all very sad."
Wasteland Inc. CEO Colin Rowntree, who also said he does not know Frizzelle, said the arrested site operator "gives everyone a bad name in the industry." Rowntree said that any model taking a job with a "solo shooter" should check the photographer's references and have a male escort present, since those situations can be "very dangerous."
"The few incidents I have heard of over the years - where models are either harmed or, in a few cases, killed - all came from this sort of ‘solo shooter' situation," he said. "Reputable studios in the industry always have a good number of staff on hand for shoots, and this keeps things very professional."
Rowntree also urged models and actresses to register at OneModelPlace.com, "where they can check references, chat with other models about past experience with photographers and read some very helpful articles about how to stay safe."
Asked about Frizzelle's criminal record, Portland Police Department Public Information Officer Brian Schmautz said there had been no "police contact" with Frizzelle prior to the alleged murder.
Although an autopsy conducted by the Multnomah County medical examiner reportedly determined that Egan died of homicidal violence, police "cannot release the cause of death yet," Schmautz said Thursday.
"We are still a few days away from completing that part, based on the witness interviews that we have to do," he said. "It would be inappropriate for us to release that until we have recorded all of the witnesses' accounts from their interviews."
