Mollie Fitzgerald, the Captain America: The First Avenger actress accused of stabbing her mother in December 2020, will not stand trial. Her lawyer, Jason Billam, told TMZ on Sunday that she had been found unfit to stand trial and would be returned to a public mental hospital for treatment. Fitzgerald, 38, was arrested in Kansas on December 29 for second degree murder for allegedly stabbing her mother, Patricia Fitgerald, 68, on December 20. The actress claimed self-defense, but investigators said the evidence showed she was the attacker.
Fitzgerald was ruled incompetent to stand trial in late September, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. Her mental state will be revered every 90 days to see if she has regained the competence to stand trial, Billam said. Two of the three mental health doctors who examined Fitzgerald said she couldn’t help her lawyer defend herself. They said Fitzgerald understands that she is charged with the murder of her mother and what the lawyer, prosecutors and judge need to do in this case. However, she is confused about the whole court process, medics said, Billam told TMZ.
‘Captain America’ actress Mollie Fitzgerald accused of killing her mother https://t.co/MMivNOvcbl
– TMZ (@TMZ) January 1, 2020
On December 20, police were called in for an armed unrest at a house in Olathe, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. Patricia was found dead when agents arrived, the Kansas City Star reports. Fitzgerald was arrested on December 29 and charged with second degree murder. When she first appeared in court, Fitzgerald told the judge she planned to represent herself in court, the Star reported at the time.
Fitzgerald claimed self-defense, but the medical examiner’s autopsy revealed the actress to be the perpetrator, according to court documents obtained by TMZ in January. Fitzgerald told police she tried to disarm her mother and stabbed her in the back four times during the fight. The police found Patricia in a pool of blood and with the knife still on her back. The autopsy showed that Patricia had “defensive wounds” as well as an almost severed thumb. She also had bruises on her face, lips and neck. Fitzgerald’s injuries from the wrestling included small cuts on his hands and a bite mark on his left bicep.
Fitzgerald had a small role in Captain America: The First Avenger as “Stark Girl” and was credited as assistant director Joe Johnston. She has also directed and produced several short films. Fitzgerald’s mother was moving back to the Kansas City area after living in Houston for several years, her brother Gary Hunziker told The Star.
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