King County prosecutors expect the Oregon man charged with first-degree murder in connection with the death of a Kent city employee could be extradited to Washington within the next week.
William L. Phillip Jr., 30, continues to fight his extradition to Washington to face the murder charge for the May 21 stabbing death of Seth Frankel. But the efforts by Phillip to further delay the extradition appear to be running out.
“His attorney had filed a writ in Multnomah County which was dismissed (March 4),” said Dan Donohoe, spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, in an e-mail. “It appears that nothing else has been filed in Multnomah County, so he should be returned here soon.”
Auburn Police – with the help of the U.S. Marshals Service – arrested Phillip Dec. 10 in Portland in connection with Frankel’s death. Frankel, 41, a video-program coordinator for the city of Kent, was killed in his Auburn home. He was discovered the following day by a neighbor who was checking on his welfare, and who looked through a window, spotting the body.
Prosecutors allege that Phillip, a former boyfriend of the woman Frankel dated, drove to Auburn to kill Frankel because he was angry that someone else was dating the woman. Detectives connected Phillip to the murder through a blood-stained towel found at Frankel’s house as well as cell-phone records that put Phillip near the home May 21.
Many suspects waive extradition, which means that a suspect agrees to go with authorities from another jurisdiction willingly, thus making an extradition hearing unnecessary.
Because Phillip has fought extradition, the governors from each state had to sign papers to allow the proceeding. Phillip remained March 9 in the Multnomah County Jail in Portland. He is being held on $1 million bail.
King County prosecutors will schedule an arraignment at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on the murder charge for Phillip once he is extradited from Oregon.
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