MURDER TRIAL RUNS INTO DELAY; WITNESSES LATE FOR GENTRY CASE.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer The trial of Michael and Kathleen Gentry, accused of fatally starving starve v. starved, starv·ing, starves v.intr. 1. To suffer or die from extreme or prolonged lack of food. 2. Informal To be hungry. 3. To suffer from deprivation. their severely disabled daughter, was delayed Wednesday when the two final prosecution witnesses failed to arrive. Dr. Phillip Hyden and Dr. Astrid Heger, child abuse specialists at Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. County/USC Medical Center, had been called to testify Wednesday but said they could not make it because of a previous commitment for a meeting, Deputy District Attorney Kathleen Cady told the judge. ``This is wrong,'' Superior Court Judge John Fisher
Saint John Fisher also John Cardinal Fisher (c. 1469 – 1535), was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal and martyr. told Cady. ``It's not right for a county employee to shut down my courtroom for half a day.'' The conclusion of the prosecution case was rescheduled for today, along with the start of the defense case. The Gentrys are accused of murder, child abuse and conspiracy in the February 1996 death of their 15-year-old daughter Lindsay. Lindsay Gentry suffered from congenital myotonic dystrophy Myotonic Dystrophy Definition Myotonic dystrophy is a progressive disease in which the muscles are weak and are slow to relax after contraction. and was 4 feet 8 inches tall and weighed about 44 pounds when she died. The disorder, which in a lesser form affects Kathleen Gentry, is characterized by the wasting away Noun 1. wasting away - a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse atrophy, wasting amyotrophia, amyotrophy - progressive wasting of muscle tissues tabes - wasting of the body during a chronic disease of muscles, formation of cataracts Cataracts Definition A cataract is a cloudiness or opacity in the normally transparent crystalline lens of the eye. This cloudiness can cause a decrease in vision and may lead to eventual blindness. and frequently mental deficiency mental deficiency n. See mental retardation. . On Wednesday, the eighth day of trial, jurors listened to testimony from two prosecution witnesses in the morning and then were dismissed soon after their lunch break. Joanne Gill, an Orange County social worker, talked about interviews in 1988 with Lindsay and her older sister, Shiela. The sister testified Tuesday that her parents never mistreated her or her disabled sibling, despite claims she made as a rebellious teen-ager. Gill said Shiela, when a teen-ager, told her that her sister was frequently hit. Mona Wagner, an aide to state Sen. W.J. ``Pete'' Knight, R-Palmdale, talked about a visit from Michael Gentry and his daughter to the legislator's office when Knight was an assemblyman as·sem·bly·man n. A man who is a member of a legislative assembly. assemblyman Noun pl -men a member of a legislative assembly Noun 1. . Hyden and Heger were expected to testify that injuries Lindsay suffered in the years before her death could not have been caused by falls, as her parents said they were. At one point, the judge said he was considering sending out sheriff's deputies to pick up the physicians, but backed away when the prosecutor said she was not entirely certain both had been served with subpoenas before Wednesday. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos PHOTO (1--Color) Kathleen Gentry (2--Color) Michael Gentry |
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