A Southern California sheriff is expected to testify in court about jailhouse informants amid a long-running scandal over her department's use of snitches.
Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens is scheduled to take the stand Wednesday to address allegations the department has wrongfully withheld evidence from defense attorneys about informant use.
The allegations surfaced in the case against convicted killer Scott Dekraai.
Dekraai's lawyer wants his client to be spared the death penalty over the scandal.
Dekraai has pleaded guilty to killing eight people in a 2011 shooting rampage at a hair salon.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Thomas Goethals previously removed the county district attorney's office from the case after finding deputies lied or withheld evidence about the snitches. The state Attorney General's office is now prosecuting Dekraai's case.
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