Abuse experts testifies in Gentry trial

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press April 19, 2000

By ALAN SCHNEPF Valley Press Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - A renowned child-abuse expert testified Tuesday she believes Michael and Kathleen Gentry are at least partially responsible for the death of their 15-year-old daughter, who died in 1996.

The couple now face charges of involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment and conspiracy.

The couple and their defense attorney said Lindsay Gentry died because she was afflicted with congenital myotonic dystrophy, a rare neurological disease that weakens the muscles.

Prosecutor Kathy Cady said the Gentrys let their daughter die because they failed to feed her properly and let her waste away. When she died, Lindsay Gentry stood 4 feet, 10 inches, but weighed only 44 pounds.

The defense contends the disease, coupled with Lindsay's mental retardation, made it difficult to keep the girl properly nourished. The condition hampered her ability to swallow, they said.But prosecutor Kathy Cady and some witnesses she called claim the Gentrys displayed a pattern of abuse and neglect that proves there was more than nature behind Lindsay Gentry's death.

One of those witnesses, Dr. Astrid Heger, is a renowned child abuse expert who runs the Center for the Vulnerable Child at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. Heger said Lindsay's disease made her vulnerable, but her parents' actions - or lack thereof - are what killed her.Heger said that after reviewing Lindsay Gentry's autopsy, medical reports and other records, she decided beyond doubt that Lindsay was abused and neglected.

"You'd have to show me a different child to change my opinion," Heger said in court.

The exchange between Heger and the Gentrys' three-man defense team took on a confrontational tone at times, especially after they asked her if she was being compensated for her testimony, which she said she was not.

Defense attorney Patrick Thomason questioned whether Heger could present an accurate portrayal of what happened to Lindsay because the witness had only been presented with information from prosecutors.

"Are you in the habit of making an opinion based on information from one side of the controversy?" he asked.

Heger didn't hesitate with her reply.

"I'm in the habit of reviewing medical records," she said, "and often testifying for the other side (the defense)."

She also chuckled at defense attorney Lyle Middleton when he mispronounced "gastroenterologist."

Jurors have been faced with many such technical terms as Cady and the defense attorneys hammer out testimony from witnesses about the nature of Lindsay Gentry's ailments.

During the four days of testimony, Cady has had several witnesses write, on a large posterboard, a timeline of Lindsay's last nine years. When she concludes her case, that board will be filled with what the prosecution said are individual episodes of abuse that, when taken as a whole, display a broader pattern of mistreatment.

Anaheim Police Officer Kenneth Gregory wrote on the board Tuesday. He responded to a call to an Anaheim apartment complex in 1987 after the Gentry's oldest daughter, Sheila (now Sheila Pollard), made a call to police.

Gregory said Sheila Gentry lived in a different apartment in the complex from her parents, and that a dispute between them led to the call.

When he responded, his discussion with Michael Gentry drew some disturbing comments, he said."He told me he disciplines his daughter however he wants and hits her in the back, arm and buttocks," Gregory testified.

Michael Gentry was under the mistaken impression that neighbors had heard Sheila screaming and called police. Gentry talked about killing them because "they were sticking their noses in his business," Gregory said.

The defense said that the Anaheim call had nothing to do with Lindsay Gentry.

Sheila Pollard testified for the prosecution at the first trial, but recanted earlier statements she had made about her parents' alleged mistreatment of Lindsay. She may be a defense witness for this trial, Middleton said.

Cady also called Lindsay's former dentist to the stand, contending that her loose and sometimes damaged teeth illustrated that she was taking blows from her father.

The Gentry team countered that Lindsay's wobbly gait made her prone to falls, which resulted in her chipped and loose teeth. The dentist said he could distinguish whether the teeth were damaged by falls to the ground or blows to the face.

Since the trial started April 13, some of Lindsay's former teachers, testifying for the prosecution, have said they fed the girl because she came to school hungry, sometimes with audible stomach growls. That feeding was cut off when Lindsay's parents presented a doctor's note demanding the teachers stop providing food for the girl.

The Gentrys' attorney have countered that Lindsay had a special diet that was being compromised by the feedings.

The trial marks the second for the Gentrys regarding the death of their daughter. A jury deadlocked last year, favoring acquittal 10-2, in the couple's trial for murder.