Parents Plead Not Guilty in Death of Daughter
A Lake Los Angeles couple whose neglect prosecutors say caused their disabled daughter to starve to death pleaded not guilty Monday to murder and child abuse.
Michael and Kathleen “Katrina” Gentry, 54 and 44 respectively, were arrested July 23 after a two-year investigation by Los Angeles County sheriff’s homicide detectives and the district attorney’s office into the death of Lindsay Gentry, 15, who died in a Fontana hospital on Feb. 6, 1996.
The teenager suffered from a rare neurological disease that stunted her growth and caused curvature of the spine and severe cataracts in her eyes. She weighed only 46 pounds when her parents brought her to the hospital for intravenous feeding six days before her death.
On Monday, Municipal Judge Dale Fischer scheduled a preliminary hearing Aug. 26 to determine if there is enough evidence to try the Gentrys, both of whom remain jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.
Prosecutors contend that the couple caused their daughter’s death by neglecting to feed her. Sheriff’s detectives say they brought the charges only after gathering information from various sources, including school officials, medical experts, child welfare workers and volumes of medical and other records.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
