Actress Gayheart Charged With Manslaughter

ByABC News
October 2, 2001, 2:06 PM

Oct. 2 -- Former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Rebecca Gayheart has been charged with vehicular manslaughter for a June 13 accident in Los Angeles in which a 9-year-old boy was killed

The misdemeanor criminal negligence charge carries up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine, according to police. Gayheart will be arraigned Oct. 22.

The parents of Jorge Cruz, the boy who was killed, allege that the actress was chatting on her cell phone and failed to see their son when he was crossing the street. They filed a wrongful death lawsuit against her in August.

The 29-year-old Gayheart has also appeared in Jawbreaker and Urban Legend, and in ads for Noxzema and Clairol.