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Porn Mogul's Son Found Guilty Of Murdering Girlfriend With Baseball Bat

SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) — The son of a San Francisco porn pioneer is facing life in prison after a jury convicted him of beating his ex-girlfriend to death with a baseball bat.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that a Marin County Superior Court jury deliberated less than two days before finding 29-year-old James Mitchell guilty of first-degree murder Tuesday.

He was also convicted of kidnapping, child endangerment, child abduction, domestic violence and stalking.

Prosecutors say Mitchell clubbed 29-year-old Danielle Keller to death at her home while horrified neighbors watched. He then fled with the 1-year-old daughter he fathered with Keller. He was arrested hours after the July 2009 attack.

Mitchell is the son of Jim Mitchell, who directed the 1972 porn movie classic "Behind the Green Door."

Jim and brother Artie ran a porn empire including live stage shows and videos.

In 1991, Jim went to his brother Artie's house and fatally shot him with a .22 rifle. He said he only went to his brother's house to confront him about his alcohol and cocaine addiction but a jury found Jim guilty of voluntary manslaughter.

The brother's story was depicted in the 2000 TV film "Rated X," starring real-life siblings Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez, who also directed.

Jim's murder trial was the first to use 3D technology to re-stage a crime scene.

Jim served three years in prison before being released in 1997. He died of an apparent heart attack in 2007.

(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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