Opinion ID: 1727306
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Were the Photographs Favorable to Way?

Text: As to the first prong, the trial court made a statement in its order denying relief because it was not convinced that the photos were exculpatory, while acknowledging that the photographs could have been used in support of an alternative defense theory. Under Brady, evidence is considered exculpatory merely if it is favorable to the accused, either because it is exculpatory, or because it is impeaching. Strickler, 119 S.Ct. at 1948. During the guilt phase of the trial, William Myers, an expert witness called by the State, testified that the fire had not been caused by an electrical shortage. Concerning the circuit breaker, Myers testified that: Q. Did you make a check in that garage area for any electrical shortages? A. Yes, sir, I did. Q. How did you do that? A. [I] went to the electrical breaker panel that was located on the north wall and checked to see if there had been any indications of localized heat or if any of the breakers had been tripped indicating that there had been a short. Q. What conclusions did you make? A. There was no electrical fire in the garage. Although the expert never affirmatively testified as to whether he had found the breakers tripped, his testimony could lead the jury to conclude that he had examined the circuit breakers and found that they had not been tripped. The photograph of the electrical panel would have shown that the breakers were tripped after the fire. At the very least, it appears that this photograph could have been used to impeach the State's witness as to the condition of the breakers after the fire. In addition, this photograph could have been used to support the alternative defense theory that the fire had been started accidentally by a spark from an open circuit breaker igniting furniture refinishing chemicals. Likewise, the photograph of the weight bench could have also been used to support this alternative theory that Adrienne's head wounds had not been caused by Way. Thus, we conclude that the photographs were exculpatory evidence under Brady and Bagley.