'Captain America: The First Avenger' star Mollie Fitzgerald insists she acted in self-defense following her arrest over the death of her 68-year-old mother on New Year's Eve.
- Jan 16, 2020
AceShowbiz - Actress Mollie Fitzgerald has told police she acted in self-defence after being charged with the second-degree murder of her mother.
The 38-year-old "Captain America: The First Avenger" star was arrested on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2019. It has since been revealed that in a call to authorities on 20 December, she told police she had stabbed her 68-year-old mother Patricia "Tee" Fitzgerald to death in self-defence during an altercation at her Kansas home.
Fitzgerald senior was pronounced dead at the scene, police confirmed.
And in new court documents, obtained by The Kansas City Stars, the star insists she acted in self-defence, despite medical examiners finding no signs that her mother was ever in control of a weapon.
In the affidavit for the arrest, Fitzgerald's father told law enforcement that her "aggressive behaviours (had) been escalating," with the actress insisting her mother first came at her with a knife, but she took the weapon after hitting her with a vacuum attachment.
According to the affidavit, "(Mollie Fitzgerald) said her mother just would not stop trying to take the knife to kill her, so she had to kill her mum."
The actress and "The Lawful Truth" director was treated for minor cuts, and an autopsy revealed that Patricia suffered from bruising consistent with being choked, as well as other "defensive injuries."
According to reports, Fitzgerald was jailed on a $500,000 bond. She reportedly said in a January 2, 2020 court hearing that she would represent herself, but a judge on Tuesday, January 14 ordered that she first undergo a mental competency evaluation before the case progresses any further.
