Body Never Recovered, but Man Is Convicted of Killing Mother

Although the victim’s body has never been recovered, Raymond Anthony Frost was convicted Thursday of murdering his mother, Myra King, in 1993.

Frost’s grandfather and namesake, Raymond A. King of Philadelphia, hugged all the jurors and thanked them for the verdict. King said his grandson got the punishment he deserved.

“He is where he needs to be,” said King, 68, adding that although the verdict brought him a sense of relief, he also feels sorrow for his grandson. “Now his suffering will begin.”

King was reported missing July 20, 1993, after she failed to show up for work at Girls Inc. in Costa Mesa. She was 44 at the time.

Prosecutors brought in several witnesses who testified they heard thumps coming from King’s apartment in Costa Mesa the night before she disappeared. They also testified they heard a woman screaming for help and a male voice saying, “Oh, my God, what have I done?”

Frost, now 24, told police he saw his mother about 9 p.m. on July 19. He said she left home without saying where she was going.

He was not present during the reading of the verdict.

“It’s been four long years,” Odell Harris, the victim’s mother, said after the verdict. “Since July 20, 1993, I have known deep down that my daughter is dead and it was by my grandson.”

King’s mother and father emerged from the courtroom weeping. Both said it was an overwhelming sense of relief that brought them to tears.

Harris said Myra King loved her son very much. Frost, however, did not always return his mother’s affection, she said. He had assaulted her on two occasions.

Family members said Frost continues to deny that he is responsible for King’s death.

Deputy Public Defender Jim Appel criticized the jury’s decision, saying jurors would have had to wrongly speculate about the night of King’s disappearance to convict Frost, based on the circumstantial evidence that was presented.

“They don’t know what happened,” he said. “They know someone said: “Help me.’ ”

Deputy Dist. Atty. Debbie Lloyd disagreed. The jury, she said, was meticulous in its deliberations and went over the evidence carefully in a case that was unusual because the victim’s body has not been found.

Frost, who faces a minimum sentence of 15 years to life in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced March 6.