Daughter Charged With Felony Neglect in Death : Caring for Mother Cost Woman Her Job, Then Freedom

A radio news reporter charged with felony neglect after the death of her mother had lost her job last month because she missed too much work caring for the bedridden woman, former co-workers said Wednesday.

Cynthia Jeter Green, 38, of North Hollywood was praised by former co-workers at KMNY-AM for the compassion she had shown for her 77-year-old mother, Virginia Jeter. They expressed shock at the neglect charge filed after Jeter’s death Monday.

“We knew that she was trying to care for her mother and that it was a stress on her,” said Steve Kindred, news director for the station, which is devoted to financial news. “We may have underestimated how much of a strain it was.”

Psychiatric Evaluation

Green’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Marc A. Hentell, said his client will undergo psychiatric evaluation before entering a plea.

“The question is, ‘How did it happen?’ and how it happened will determine the eventual outcome of the case,” Hentell said.

The attorney would not elaborate on Green’s mental state. A social worker’s evaluation, contained in a police report on the case, concludes that Green “appears impaired” and in need of crisis counseling.

Green faces one count of elderly neglect with an allegation of causing great bodily injury, a felony that carries a penalty of up to 7 years in prison. She was being held at the Van Nuys Jail in lieu of $6,000 bail after appearing briefly Wednesday in San Fernando Municipal Court for an arraignment hearing, which was postponed until Jan. 25.

Vera Gold, executive vice president at KMNY, said Green had told co-workers her mother was ill with Alzheimer’s disease. Gold said Green appeared dedicated to caring for her mother and in November had talked about having trouble feeding her mother.

Moved From Texas

Green, who worked for several Los Angeles radio stations and a traffic reporting service after moving from Texas 4 years ago, lost her job at KMNY after she missed several days of work, Gold said.

“It was a mutual parting of the ways because she couldn’t meet the timetables,” Gold said. “She missed 3 days in a row we attributed to her taking care of her mother. She always expressed great compassion about taking care of her mother.”

The mother and daughter lived together for 1 1/2 years in a rented house in the 7800 block of Bellingham Avenue. Los Angeles police said that paramedics were called to the home at 2:45 p.m. Monday by Green, who reported that her mother had suffered a stroke.

According to the police report on the death, as soon as paramedics stepped into the home they noticed a rancid odor, and Green, who was crying, directed them to her mother’s bedroom, saying, “It’s hideous.”

Woman Unconscious

In the bedroom, Green’s 70-pound mother was lying unconscious on her back in a hospital-type bed and was covered with maggots, lice and feces, the police report said.

Jeter, who was also suffering from malnutrition, bedsores and skin rot, was unresponsive to attempts to revive her, police said. The paramedics took her to Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Panorama City, where she died about 5 hours later. The paramedics alerted police, who initially arrested Green on suspicion of manslaughter.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Lee Harris said Green may still face a manslaughter charge, pending an autopsy today on Jeter’s body, which should show whether a lack of proper care contributed to her death.

Gold said she spoke by telephone to Green at the Van Nuys Jail after her arrest.

“She was absolutely beside herself with grief,” Gold said. “She said, ‘They are accusing me of this terrible thing, and I did my best.’ She was very upset that her mother was gone.”