‘Captain America’ Actress Accused of Fatally Stabbing Mom Says it Was Self-Defense
(IBEXNews) - The “Captain America” actress charged with stabbing her mom to death in Kansas last month reportedly told cops she acted in self-defense.
Mollie Maxine Fitzgerald, 38, told a 911 operator and responding officers that her mom first tried to kill her, leading to the fatal incident inside the family’s Olathe home, the Kansas City Star reported.
Citing new court records, the newspaper said Fitzgerald personally called 911 just before noon on Dec. 20 to report the death and claim she was the victim.
When police arrived, victim Patricia “Tee” Fitzgerald, 68, was found lying on the floor of the home’s entryway with a knife in her back, the newspaper said.
The actress, who had a small role in the 2011 Marvel film playing a “Stark Girl,” allegedly claimed her mom started the confrontation by brandishing the weapon first.
She claimed her mom acted in a threatening manner, leading her to fight back with a vacuum attachment, gain control of the knife and use it.
“(Fitzgerald) said her mother just would not stop trying to take the knife to kill her, so she had to kill her mom,” the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by The Star reportedly states.
Police allegedly found signs of a struggle inside the house, including a broken lamp and damaged drywall.
The daughter was treated at a hospital for minor cuts and a bite mark on her arm, the newspaper said.
A medical examiner, meanwhile, found “defensive injuries” on the victim and bruising consistent with choking but no injuries suggesting she ever had control of the knife, The Star reported.
Mollie Fitzgerald said she wanted to represent herself at a Jan. 2 court hearing in the case. A judge reportedly ordered her to undergo a mental competency evaluation before moving forward.
The actress previously raved about her experience on “Captain America: The First Avenger,” the 2011 blockbuster that grossed $177 million in the U.S.
“Being a part of this production has been one of the best experiences of my life,” she reportedly told a comic book publication in 2011.
The superhero flick spawned the sequels titled “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014) and “Captain America: Civil War” (2016), but Fitzgerald was not in either of them.