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Mendocino Co. Mom Accused Of Trying To Kill Disabled Son

WILLITS, Mendocino County (CBS / AP) -- A Northern California woman has pleaded not guilty to charges that she tried to kill her bedridden son by setting the Willits house she was about to lose to foreclosure on fire.

Nancy Jo McGinty was arraigned in Mendocino County Superior Court Friday on charges of arson and attempted murder.

The 51-year-old real estate agent was arrested a week ago in the Bay Area, where she moved with her 31-year-old son after the December blaze destroyed their home.

The son is paralyzed and brain injured from a Jeep crash six years ago. Neighbors rescued him after several propane tanks McGinty allegedly placed in the dwelling exploded.

Authorities allege that McGinty, under the financial and emotional stress of caring for her son, originally had planned to kill herself, too.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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