Overview
- Russ, 57, made his first court appearance as his attorney entered a not guilty plea, and he is being held without bail in King County.
- It is a single count of first-degree murder charged by information, with allegations of sexual motivation and use of a deadly weapon.
- A trial date is set for December 22.
- Investigators report new forensic analysis linked Russ to Tanya Frazier’s disappearance and death, and detectives recently informed her mother.
- Court records describe Russ as an unregistered sex offender with multiple prior convictions who was re-sentenced and released in 2020–21 after a previous life term.