Defense Attacks Patty Hearst’s Credibility

Attorneys for a group of 1970s radicals accused of killing a suburban homemaker a quarter-century ago continued their push Friday to undercut the government’s star witness--newspaper heiress Patricia Hearst Shaw.

As a Nov. 12 preliminary hearing was set for the four former Symbionese Liberation Army members charged with the shotgun murder of Myrna Opsahl, 42, defense attorneys said the upcoming trial would hinge on Hearst’s believability.

They contend that Hearst’s recollections were clouded after she was kidnapped by the SLA and, claiming to be brainwashed, joined its ranks.

Past mental evaluations concluded that Hearst’s memories were patchy and that she was prone to fill the gaps with hearsay, the attorneys said.

“Without credible testimony from Patty Hearst, there is no case,” defense attorney Charles F. Bourdon said after Friday’s hearing. “This is all about Patty Hearst.”

Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Cecil also accepted formal not guilty pleas Friday from Emily Harris, who now goes by the name Emily Montague; her former husband, William Harris; and Michael Bortin. Sara Jane Olson, who has already pleaded not guilty, is serving prison time for a Los Angeles bomb-planting case, and was not in court Friday.

All four are accused of the April 21, 1975 robbery of Crocker National Bank in suburban Carmichael that left Opsahl dead.

Hearst has admitted to being a getaway driver in the robbery, but her account--painstakingly rendered in a 400-page autobiography and past grand jury testimony--has been rejected by the defendants as a fabrication.

Prosecutors, who have declined to comment while the case is underway, argue in court papers that Hearst shows no signs of mental incompetence and is being subjected to a defense tactic designed to undermine her credibility.

They also contend that much of her account of the events has largely been corroborated by independent evidence and testimony.

The defense postponed two requests to the court: to gain access to Hearst’s psychiatric records and for a new mental examination to determine her competency as a witness.

Instead, the lawyers said they will continue a push for her mental health records from the FBI and other government agencies, including documents Hearst submitted to the White House to win clemency and an eventual pardon by former President Clinton.

Bourdon said the defense hopes those documents will buttress a bid before the trial for a new mental examination of Hearst.