SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The son of a late San Francisco pornography mogul was scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday on suspicion of killing his former girlfriend and fleeing with their 1-year-old daughter.

James Raphael Mitchell, the 27-year-old son of the late “Behind the Green Door” director Jim Mitchell, was being held on suspicion of murder, kidnapping and violating a restraining order.

His ex-girlfriend, Danielle Keller, 29, was found beaten to death Sunday evening in the backyard of her mother’s home in Novato, north of San Francisco.

A Novato police spokesman, Sgt. Earl Titman, said officers recovered what they think is the murder weapon, but he would not say what it was.

A neighbor, Lynn Treboutat, said she saw Mitchell run from the home with his screaming daughter, Samantha, then drive away Sunday evening. The toddler’s 1st birthday party was held at the home Sunday, Treboutat said.

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

He was being held without bail in Marin County Jail, where a jail report listed his occupation as a theater owner. His lawyer, former San Francisco District Attorney Terence Hallinan, wouldn’t comment on the allegations.

Along with his brother Artie, Jim Mitchell was part of a family-owned adult film empire that produced hundreds of X-rated films, including “Resurrection of Eve” and “Sodom and Gomorrah: The Last 7 Days.” Jim Mitchell directed the 1972 porn classic, “Behind the Green Door,” one of the first porno 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.

Jim Mitchell was convicted in 1991 of manslaughter and weapons charges in the shooting death of his brother 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 involving his son.

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, Stevens said.

Meanwhile, dozens attended a candlelight vigil for Keller on Monday night. They marched from the Novato police station to her home, calling for more awareness to domestic violence.

From www.pressdemocrat.com – A man suspected of beating his girlfriend to death with a baseball bat and abducting their daughter on her first birthday is in custody at Marin County Jail after police traced his cell phone to Citrus Heights and arrested him.

The suspect, 27-year-old James Mitchell, is the son of the late Jim Mitchell, a legendary pornographer who served three years of a six-year sentence at San Quentin for killing his brother and business partner.

Samantha Mitchell, the daughter of Mitchell and his deceased girlfriend, Danielle Keller, was found unharmed in Mitchell’s car.

An Amber Alert had been issued for her Sunday night when police determined she had likely been kidnapped by her father, who did not have custody of her.

The girl’s maternal grandmother said she was relieved that her granddaughter was unharmed.

“We’re working to get her returned to me as soon as possible,” grandmother Claudia Stevens said.

Novato police were summoned to Stevens’ home by a neighbor who called 911 to report an apparent assault just before 7 p.m. Sunday, Novato Police Capt. Jim Berg said. Officers arrived within three minutes and found Keller’s battered body in the yard.

“Unfortunately the victim, Miss Keller, was dead at the scene,” he said. “We recovered evidence at the scene. We’re not disclosing the item. But it would appear to be that the victim died of blunt-force trauma.”

Accounts in the San Francisco Chronicle state that Keller was hit in the head several times with a baseball bat.

Keller and Mitchell had a history of domestic violence, and Keller had a restraining order against Mitchell, Berg said. Though the couple owned a house together in Pittsburg, Keller and her child were living with Stevens.

Lynn Treboutat, a neighbor, said Monday there had been a birthday party for Samantha, and she saw Mitchell running with his screaming daughter and drive away.

Police are trying to determine who was home at the time of the murder. News reports have indicated Stevens was out with friends for coffee when her daughter was killed. An autopsy was expected to be completed on Keller on Monday, Berg said.

Mitchell was traced through his cell phone use to Sacramento County. Police there found his car parked on Park Oaks Drive with the girl inside, Berg said.

Mitchell was walking about one block from the car. He was arrested on suspicion of homicide, domestic violence, child stealing and violating court orders.

Keller’s death shares the same anniversary as that of Mitchell’s father, who died in Two Rock in 2007 at the age of 63.