DES MOINES, Iowa —
A former stripper convicted of killing her client at his home in 1999 has reached a plea deal in the case, new court documents show.
According to the documents filed Wednesday, Andrea Morris withdrew her plea of not guilty and entered a plea of guilty to second-degree murder, willful injury and first-degree theft in the death of Patrick McRae, 43.Advertisement
McRae was stabbed to death on Oct. 16, 1999.
The plea deal means Morris was sentenced of up to 50 years in prison for the second-degree murder charge, up to 10 years for the willful injury charge and up to 10 years for the theft charge. The terms will run consecutively for a total not to exceed 70 years.
Morris was originally convicted of the crime in 2006 and sentenced to life in prison without parole, but a new trial was ordered after court workers reported that they smelled alcohol on the breath of her lawyer during the trial.
Her attorney, Bob Powers, said that he entered an alcohol rehabilitation program shortly after the Morris’ trial.
Morris will be eligible for parole after 70 percent of her sentence is served in prison.
Prosecutors criticized Morris’ version of the crime, which involves McRae chasing her, then Morris retreating from the front door to hide briefly in a closet. They said the story is not supported by physical evidence, noting that police found Morris’ DNA in drops of blood on a bedspread and on a toothpaste dispenser.
Prosecutors also noted a series of bloody footprints that appeared to have been made by Morris’ boots in the house and on an outside deck.
Police have said they discovered McRae’s blood in Morris’ Ford Bronco, which was located in New Orleans more than five years after the slaying.
McRae’s relatives declined to comment after the verdict.
“I think it just gives them closure,” prosecutor Steve Foritano said. “It’s been seven years of waiting and wondering and believing that everybody just forgot about Pat McRae.”
Morris is expected to be sentenced next month.
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