Captain America: The First Avenger actress Mollie Fitzgerald has been charged with second-degree murder after she allegedly stabbed her mother to death.
Media outlets reported that the 38-year-old was arrested on Tuesday (Dec 31) in Olathe, Kansas in the United States.
Mrs Patricia Fitzgerald, 68, was found dead inside her home in that town on Dec 20.
The actress, who played Stark Girl in the 2011 Marvel film, was at the scene and taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
The tragedy has devastated the family, with the deceased's brother Gary Hunziker issuing a statement that said: "We were shocked.
"It doesn't matter the circumstances - the loss of a sister is what it's all about."
Mollie Fitzgerald, who is being held in jail, appeared in court on Thursday (Jan 2).
She told the judge that she has a law degree from the University of Houston and intends to represent herself in the criminal case, reported the Kansas City Star.
Her next court appearance is scheduled for Jan 9.
According to The Sun Online, a friend, who wants to remain anonymous, noted that the actress had not seemed her normal self in recent years.
"It was all very paranoid and bizarre so I felt something was definitely wrong," the friend said of the accused's online postings.
The friend added that the actress also made "crazy" accusations against her own parents.
In Captain America, she played Stark Girl and was also credited as an assistant to the director, Joe Johnston.
The movie, starring Chris Evans, netted more than US$370 million (S$499 million) worldwide.
"Being a part of this production has been one of the best experiences of my life," Mollie Fitzgerald told a comic-book publication in 2011.
She also went behind the cameras, directing 2014 thriller The Lawful Truth and 2011 comedy Absurd Illusions.
