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Death Row Appeal Denied in Crestview Murders
07/09/09 - 11:18 AM

WMBB News Department

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The Florida Supreme Court denies an appeal from a death row inmate.  The murders happened in Crestview.

According to the ruling, “Jeffrey G. Hutchinson was charged and convicted of four counts of first-degree murder with a firearm for the murders of his live-in girlfriend, Renee Flaherty, and her three children: four-year-old Logan, seven-year-old Amanda, and nine-year-old Geoffrey. Hutchinson was sentenced to death for the murder of each child.”

The ruling offered the following information about the incident,

“The relevant facts concerning the murders are as follows. On the evening of the murders, Hutchinson and Renee argued. Hutchinson packed some of his clothes and guns into his truck, left, and went to a bar. Renee then called her friend, Francis Pruitt (Pruitt), in Washington and told her that she thought Hutchinson had left for good. The bartender testified that Hutchinson arrived around 8 p.m. Hutchinson told the bartender, “Renee is pissed off at me,” drank one and a half glasses of beer and then left the bar muttering to himself. Other witnesses testified that Hutchinson drove recklessly after he left the bar.

“Approximately forty minutes after Hutchinson left the bar, there was a 911 call from Hutchinson’s home. The caller stated, “I just shot my family.” Two of Hutchinson’s close friends identified the caller’s voice as Hutchinson’s. Hutchinson said to the 911 operator, “There were some guys here.” He told the operator that he did not know how many people were there, how many had been hurt, or how they had been injured. Deputies arrived at Hutchinson’s home within ten minutes of the 911 call and found Hutchinson on the ground in the garage with the cordless phone nearby. The phone call was still connected to the 911 operator. Deputies found Renee’s body on the bed in the master bedroom, Amanda’s body on the floor near the bed in the master bedroom, and Logan’s body at the foot of the bed in the master bedroom. Each had been shot once in the head with a shotgun. Deputies found Geoffrey’s body on the floor in the living room between the couch and the coffee table. He had been shot once in the chest and once in the head. The murder weapon, a Mossberg 12-gauge pistol-grip shotgun that belonged to Hutchinson, was found on the kitchen counter. Hutchinson had gunshot residue on his hands. He also had Geoffrey’s body tissue on his leg.

“Hutchinson’s defense at trial was that two men came into the house, he struggled with them, and they shot Renee and the children and fled. Hutchinson was examined by an EMT at the scene and a jail nurse. He had no injuries. Hutchinson also presented the defense of intoxication, and he argued that this was a crime of passion, not first-degree murder. The jury found Hutchinson guilty of four counts of first-degree murder.”

The ruling says, “Hutchinson appeals the denial of postconviction relief to this Court raising three issues. He contends (1) trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance during the guilt phase by failing to present evidence that Hutchinson‘s voice was not on the 911 audio tape; (2) trial counsel rendered ineffective assistance during the guilt phase by failing to introduce into evidence the nylon stocking found at the crime scene; and (3) the trial court erred in summarily denying Hutchinson‘s claims of actual innocence and conflict of interest.”

The 18-page document goes on to explain the reasons each of the three arguments is invalid, and denies the appeal.