Opinion ID: 1640733
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: whether the purported recantations of curtis lipsey and adam ray merit an evidentiary hearing.

Text: ¶ 41. Howell alleges that his two co-defendants have changed their stories and now swear that they do not know who killed Pernell. We are again reminded that recanted testimony is inherently unreliable. Bradley, 214 So.2d at 817; Yarborough, 514 So.2d at 1220. ¶ 42. We note that both Lipsey and Ray are presently incarcerated after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the killing of Pernell. Their present claims that they do not know who killed Pernell are contradicted not only by their initial statements to police and, in Lipsey's case, by trial testimony, but also by their guilty pleas. Lipsey stated under oath during his guilty-plea hearing that Marlon pulled out a gun and shot Pernell and that Howell's intention at the time was to rob the man. Lipsey also testified under oath at Howell's trial that he saw Howell shoot Pernell and that the motive was robbery. During his guilty-plea colloquy, Ray claimed that they were looking for someone to rob; that Howell had flashed the car's lights to get Pernell to stop; and that although he did not see the actual shooting, he did see Howell talking to Pernell. Ray then heard a gunshot and Howell immediately jumped back in the car. ¶ 43. In his affidavit, Lipsey admits that he, Ray, and Howell were together on the night Pernell was killed. Lipsey now claims that he does not know who killed Pernell since he did not see the weapon or the shooting. He claims that he told law enforcement that Howell was the shooter only because he was confused due to intoxication and because law enforcement officials threatened him. In the waivers of rights signed when they were questioned, both Ray and Lipsey stated that no threats had been made and no pressure or coercion of any kind had been used against them. No specific threat is mentioned in Lipsey's affidavit other than his statement that law enforcement officials had told him that he would get a death sentence or life imprisonment if he did not cooperate. Even if true, such statements by law enforcement would not render Lipsey's statement inadmissible. ¶ 44. Notably, Lipsey's current statement does not include any claim that Howell did not kill Pernell. Lipsey's present testimony is simply that he did not see the killing. Lipsey's claim that he was intoxicated when he was interrogated is insignificant based on the record before us. Lipsey claims that he drank until 3:30 or longer; however, he was not questioned until 6:30 p.m., approximately fifteen hours later. Lipsey's statement to law enforcement was not introduced into evidence; however, Lipsey testified at Howell's trial, and he unquestionably does not claim that he was intoxicated at the time he testified at trial that Howell was the shooter. ¶ 45. Adam Ray's recantation is even more suspect than Lipsey's recantation. In his current statement, Ray admits that he, Lipsey, and Howell were together riding around on the night of the crime. In stating that it was too dark to see from Rice's house to the street at the time of the shooting, Ray admits that he, Lipsey, and Howell were at the scene of the killing. Importantly, Ray does not claim that Howell did not shoot Pernell, but instead, Ray's claim now is merely that he did not see anyone with a gun that night and that he never would have said that Howell was the shooter if law enforcement officials had not tricked him by telling him that Howell had implicated him. Ray never testified at trial, and his only appearance in the proceedings involved the adoptive admission in which Brandon Shaw testified that Ray had said in Howell's presence that Howell had shot a man. ¶ 46. We note the apparent contradiction in Howell's current position. At trial and even now, Howell's argument has been that Lipsey or Ray was the actual murderer. Yet in his petition, Howell relies on affidavits from both, one of whom he claims must be the actual killer. Lipsey claims that he does not know who the shooter was, but it may be implied from his affidavit that Lipsey is in essence stating that Howell or Ray was the shooter. Likewise, Ray claims no knowledge of who shot Pernell, but according to Ray, the only possibilities as to the killer are Lipsey and Howell. Thus, according to Howell's affidavits, either Howell is the killer or one of his affiants is necessarily lying in his affidavit. ¶ 47. In light of the general untrustworthiness of recanted testimony and in consideration of the totality of the circumstances of the affidavits and the record before us, we find that the current affidavits of Ray and Lipsey wherein they recant previous statements or prior testimony do not entitle Howell to any relief.