Facts of the Crime:
On the evening of September 11, 1998, Jeffrey Hutchinson and his live-in girlfriend, Renee Flaherty had an argument. After the argument, Hutchinson packed some of his clothes and guns into his truck, left, and went to a bar. Hutchinson told the bartender, who knew both Hutchinson and Flaherty, “Renee is pissed off at me.” Hutchinson drank one and a half glasses of beer and left, muttering to himself. Witnesses noted that Hutchinson drove recklessly as he left the bar.
Approximately 40 minutes after Hutchinson left the bar, there was a 911 call from Hutchinson’s home. The caller stated, “I just shot my family” and “There were some guys here.” Friends identified the caller’s voice as Hutchinson’s. Deputies arrived within 10 minutes of Hutchinson’s call and found him on the ground in the garage. Deputies found the bodies of Renee Flaherty, Amanda Flaherty (seven years old) and Logan Flaherty (four years old) in the master bedroom. Each had been shot once in the head with a shotgun. Geoffrey Flaherty (nine years old) was found in the living room, shot once in the chest and once in the head with a shotgun. Hutchinson had gunshot residue on his hands and Geoffrey’s body tissue on his leg. Hutchinson alleged that two men came into the house, and he struggled with them. They then shot Renee and the children and fled. Hutchinson was examined at the scene and at the jail and had no injuries.
Hutchinson was sentenced to death in Okaloosa County on February 6, 2001.
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