Villainous abuser Jeanette Phelps
Jeanette Phelps (Bambi Allen; 1938-1973) is the main villainess from "He Was Trying to Kill Me," episode 1.23 of Adam-12 (airdate March 15, 1969). She is a wannabe model and a married mother of two: six-year-old daughter Charlie Phelps and an unnamed infant.
Officers Pete Malloy and Jim Reed were called to the Phelps home due to the children being left alone, with Jeanette being described as neglectful. It was also revealed that Charlie had two father figures in her life: her actual father (Jeanette's estranged husband), William Phelps, and a man named Philip Bartell, an assumed lover of Jeanette. After Charlie was taken to juvenile protection, it was revealed that there were bruises on her body, with Charlie claiming that her "daddy" beat her.
Malloy and Reed's suspicions regarding the abuse turned to Bartell, who they had already arrested for traffic tickets, with Bartell denying the claims. In the episode's climax, the duo returned to the apartment after learning that Jeanette returned home, and it was there that they found Jeanette being thrashed by William, who was arrested and suspected of abusing Charlie. It was at that moment that not only did William deny the accusations, he revealed the truth: Jeanette was the abuser. The callous villainess often used a cord to beat Charlie with, and her neglectful ways were solely due to her frustration that her attempts to become a model failed.
In response to William's reveal, the evil Jeanette berated her husband for revealing the truth, and she claimed to Malloy that she didn't hate Charlie, adding that she wanted her daughter to be like her. She also stated that William loved her more than Charlie, and that Charlie preferred living with her than her father. Malloy later arrested Jeanette, who looked at an old photo of herself and marveled at how pretty she was, before tossing the photo in anger after Malloy commented that Charlie had said the same thing.