FRED LEWIS WAY, APPELLANT,
v.
STATE OF FLORIDA, APPELLEE

Fla. | 1993-12-23
No. 78640
BARKETT, C.J., and OVERTON, McDonald, shaw, grimes, kogan and HARDING, JJ., concur.
630 So. 2d 177 Florida Supreme Court (1993) Caution
Cited by 8 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.

Synopsis

Fred Lewis Way appeals his death sentence imposed after resentencing and the summary denial of his second motion for postconviction relief. The Florida Supreme Court reverses the summary denial and remands for an evidentiary hearing on Way's claim that withheld photographs could have supported an alternative theory that his wife and daughter died in an accidental propane gas explosion rather than an intentional gasoline fire.


Holding

The Court holds that an evidentiary hearing is warranted because the record does not conclusively refute Way's claim regarding the photographs, and there has been no determination of whether the photographs were improperly withheld or whether their disclosure would have affected the trial outcome. The Court reverses the summary denial and remands for an evidentiary hearing.


Headnotes

[1] A court must grant an evidentiary hearing on a motion for postconviction relief when disputed issues of fact exist regarding the allegations.

[2] A defendant is entitled to an evidentiary hearing on a claim of newly discovered evidence if the evidence could support an alternative theory of the crime and potentially…

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Key Quotes

“Way contends that the photographs show an electrical breaker box in the garage, with four or five tripped circuits, in close proximity to a propane gas tank. His theory, which he supports with an affidavit of an arson investigator, is that the circuit breakers tripped because of an electrical malfunction, thereby causing a spark that ignited the propane gas.”

Establishes the substance of Way's alternative theory of death that the withheld photographs allegedly support.

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Facts & Procedural History

Way was convicted of first-degree murder of his daughter, second-degree murder of his wife, and arson after allegedly beating both women with a hammer…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

Fred Lewis Way appeals his sentence of death imposed after a resentencing proceeding. He also appeals the summary denial of his second motion for postconvietion relief under Florida Rule of Criminal Procedure 3.850. We have jurisdiction pursuant to article V, section 3(b)(1) of the Florida Constitution.

Way was charged with murdering his wife and daughter in the garage of their home. At the original trial, the State contended that Way beat both women in the head with a hammer, poured gasoline on them, and set them on fire. Way was convicted of the first-degree murder of his daughter, the second-degree murder of his wife, and arson. He was sentenced to death for his daughter’s murder. This Court affirmed the convictions and sentence on direct appeal. Way v. State, 496 So. 2d 126 (Fla.1986).

Subsequently, Way filed a motion for post-conviction relief which was denied after an evidentiary hearing. Way appealed the denial to this Court and also filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. The Court affirmed the denial of the motion for postconviction relief but granted habeas relief based on Hitchcock v. Dugger, 481 U.S. 393, 107 S.Ct. 1821, 95 L.Ed.2d 347 (1987). We vacated Way’s death sentence and ordered resentencing before a new jury. Way v. Dugger, 568 So. 2d 1263 (Fla.1990).

At the resentencing proceeding, the jury again recommended death by a vote of seven to five. The trial court followed the jury’s recommendation and sentenced Way to death. Way now appeals his death sentence. He also appeals the summary denial of his second motion for postconviction relief. The proceedings in both cases were consolidated for purposes of review in this Court.

Way’s motion for postconviction relief is based on facts which he alleges were unknown to him or his attorney and which could not be discovered by reasonable diligence. Fla.R.Crim.P. 3.850(b)(1). According to Way, certain photographs relating to the arson investigation undertaken by the State provide evidence that his wife and daughter were killed in an accidental propane gas explosion rather than, as the State has argued throughout, in a gasoline fire intentionally started by Way. Way contends that the photographs show an electrical breaker box in the garage, with four or five tripped circuits, in close proximity to a propane gas tank. His theory, which he supports with an affidavit of an arson investigator, is that the circuit breakers tripped because of an electrical malfunction, thereby causing a spark that ignited the propane gas. Way contends that the photographs were in the State’s possession before trial but were never disclosed to the defense and that no other photographs showed the tripped circuit breakers. While arguing against the motion, the state attorney who had tried the ease contended that the disputed photographs had been made available to the defense. The circuit court denied relief without an evidentiary hearing, finding that the record conclusively refuted Way’s claim.

On appeal, Way argues that an evidentiary hearing is warranted to clear up disputed issues of fact surrounding the photographs and to allow Way to try to substantiate his claims. We agree. There has been no evidentiary determination of whether there was an improper withholding of the photographs and whether, even if there was, it would have affected the outcome of Way’s trial. We are unable to conclusively determine from the record that this “new” evidence could not support an alternative theory of the deaths of his wife and daughter and provide a basis on which a jury could find him innocent.

Accordingly, we reverse the summary denial of the motion for postconvietion relief and remand to the circuit court for an evidentiary hearing on Way’s allegations. We ask the parties promptly to advise this Court of the outcome of the evidentiary hearing because we have determined to withhold ruling on Way’s direct appeal from resentencing until that time.

It is so ordered.

BARKETT, C.J., and OVERTON, McDonald, shaw, grimes, kogan and HARDING, JJ., concur.


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Citator

Cited By

  • WAY v. State, 760 So. 2d 903 (Fla. 2000)
    …mergency 3.850 motion in the trial court alleging that photographs withheld from the defense showed that the fire had been started by an “accidental propane gas explosion” instead of having been intentionally set by Way using gasoline. Way v. State, 630 So. 2d 177, 178 (Fla.1993) (Way III). The trial court summarily denied relief on the 3.850 motion and proceeded with the resentencing. The jury again recommended the imposition of the death penalty by a vote [*908] of seven to five. The trial court imposed th…
  • Krishna Maharaj v. State, 684 So. 2d 726 (Fla. 1996)
    …na v. State, 573 So. 2d 293 (Fla.1990). On the other hand, our review of Maharaj’s motion reflects that an evidentiary hearing on at least some of his claims is warranted because those claims involve disputed issues of fact. See, e.g., Way v. State, 630 So. 2d 177 (Fla.1993)(one of the purposes of an evidentiary hearing is to resolve disputed issues of fact regarding issues that might warrant reversal). Specifically, we find that an evidentiary hearing is necessary to at least resolve whether (1) material was…
  • Duest v. State, 855 So. 2d 33 (Fla. 2003)
    …serting that the change in testimony constitutes either undisclosed exculpatory evidence or newly discovered evidence entitling him to a new trial.6 The absence of a pending motion for postconviction relief distinguishes this case from Way v. State, 630 So. 2d 177 (Fla.1993), in which this [*40] Court reversed the summary denial of a motion for postconviction relief raising a Brady claim and withheld ruling on the direct appeal from resentencing pending disposition of the postconviction motion. Id. at 179. In…

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