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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Former Key Witness Pleads Guilty

Associated Press

A woman once touted as a key defense witness in the O.J. Simpson murder trial pleaded guilty Wednesday to three felony theft counts.

Mary Anne Gerchas entered her plea to charges stemming from her failure to pay a hotel bill of more than $23,000, stealing jewelry and writing a $2,000 bad check to an attorney who helped her fight an eviction.

Gerchas, 40, admitted to the special allegation that she was on bail when she passed the bad check, said Deputy District Attorney Lael Rubin.An unrelated court hearing was scheduled Thursday in Pomona, where Gerchas is accused of submitting false statements on a car loan application.

Gerchas claimed she saw four men near Nicole Brown Simpson’s condo the night she was killed.