Associated Press

OLATHE, Kansas – An actress who had a small role in the movie "Captain America: The First Avenger" accused of stabbing her mother to death inside a suburban Kansas City home has decided to represent herself.

Mollie Fitzgerald, 38, was arrested Tuesday by police in Olathe, the Kansas City Star and multiple local TV stations reported.

She was charged with second-degree murder and jailed on $500,000 bond.

A spokesperson for the Olathe Police Department did not immediately return a call from USA TODAY.Fitzgerald appeared by video Thursday in Johnson County District Court, according to the Star.

The outlet said Fitzgerald told a judge she has a law degree from the University of Houston and intends to represent herself. Bond was set at $500,000, and her next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 9.

Mollie Fitzgerald is accused in the death of her mother, Patricia "Tee" Fitzgerald, 68, whom authorities say was found Dec. 20 inside her home in Olathe.

Although Mollie Fitzgerald had a small role as Stark Girl in 2011's "Captain America," her IMDb page shows she has more credits as a producer and director than as an actress.

She has worked mostly on low-budget films such as 2017's short "The Creeps," for which she served as both producer and director.

For "Captain America," she also worked as an assistant to the director, Joe Johnston. The film, which starred Chris Evans, grossed $176.6 million in the U.S. and more than $370 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

"Being a part of this production has been one of the best experiences of my life," Fitzgerald said at a comic book publication in 2011.

Patricia Fitzgerald was in the process of moving back to the Kansas City area after living several decades in the Houston area, her brother, Gary Hunziker, told the Kansas City Star.

Hunziker, 72, of Keokuk, Iowa, said he knew few details about the circumstances surrounding his sister's death.

"We were shocked," he said. But "it doesn't matter the circumstances – the loss of a sister is what it's all about."

He said their family grew up on a farm in northeast Missouri. Patricia Fitzgerald studied physical therapy at the University of Missouri and moved to the Kansas City area. She then moved to Texas, where her husband had a law firm.

Contributing: Maria Puente, USA TODAY