Murder trial of Edmonton filmmaker to open Wednesday

Opening arguments will begin Wednesday afternoon in the first-degree murder trial of an Edmonton filmmaker accused of killing a man in a fashion mirrored in one of his own films.

Mark Andrew Twitchell, 31, is accused in the slaying of 38-year-old oilfield worker Johnny Altinger.

Police allege Altinger was lured to his death over the Internet on the promise of an intimate encounter with someone he believed to be a woman in October 2008.

Police say the events echo a scene in Twitchell's script for a movie called House of Cards, which police say was filmed in the same garage where Altinger was supposed to met his online friend. Police have not found Altinger's body, but say they have enough evidence to sustain the charge.

Twitchell is known for a Star Wars fan-flick he produced in the summer of 2006.

The family man was attempting to get a comedy feature about the lives of movie extras, called Day Players, off the ground when he was charged.

He also faces an attempted murder charge for an alleged attack on a second man lured off the Internet in similar fashion.

The jury trial, which has attracted international media attention, is expected to run up to seven weeks, with 72 people slated to take the stand.