Paul Evans

Case identification

Paul Evans was born on 01/30/72. He was tried in the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, Indian River County. The case was docketed as DC# 572349 and the Circuit Court case number was 97-754.

The sentencing judge was The Honorable Robert A. Hawley. The trial attorney was Mark Harllee – Assistant Public Defender. The direct appeal attorney was Gary Caldwell – Assistant Public Defender. The collateral appeals attorneys were Suzanne Keffer & Christina Spudeas – CCRC-S.

Timeline

• 03/23/91 — Date of the offense.
• 08/06/97 — Paul Evans was indicted on one count of First-Degree Murder.
• 02/11/99 — The jury returned a guilty verdict.
• 02/12/99 — The jury recommended a death sentence by a vote of 9-3.
• 06/16/99 — Paul Evans was sentenced to death.
• 08/30/99 — Paul Evans filed a Direct Appeal with the Florida Supreme Court, citing fourteen errors.
• 12/13/01 — The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence.
• 07/19/02 — Paul Evans filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court.
• 10/15/02 — The U.S. Supreme Court denied the Petition for Writ of Certiorari.
• 10/03/03 — Paul Evans filed a 3.851 Motion with the Circuit Court.
• 06/06/05 — The Circuit Court denied the 3.851 Motion.
• 09/06/05 — Paul Evans filed a 3.851 Motion Appeal with the Florida Supreme Court.
• 07-494 — The record included Florida Supreme Court opinion SC05-1617 & 07-494.
• SC96404 & SC05-1617 — The record included Florida Supreme Court opinion SC96404 opinion SC05-1617.
• Pending — The 3.851 Motion Appeal with the Florida Supreme Court was pending.

Background

The murder of Alan Pfeiffer was described as the result of a murder-for-hire conspiracy involving Connie Pfeiffer (Alan Pfeiffer’s wife), Paul Evans, Sarah Thomas (Evans’ girlfriend), and Donna Waddell (Evans’ roommate).

A few weeks prior to the murder, Connie Pfeiffer approached several individuals regarding the killing of her husband, but each individual refused.

Donna Waddell, Connie Pfeiffer’s co-worker, suggested that her roommate, Paul Evans, might be willing to commit the murder.

The offence

On the morning of 03/23/91, Evans, Pfeiffer, and Waddell arranged the Pfeiffer’s trailer to look as if a robbery had taken place, stacking electronic equipment near the back door of the trailer.

After the trailer was arranged, Waddell and Evans went to Waddell’s house to steal her father’s gun.

Evans, Thomas, and Waddell went to the fair that evening, but later left to go to the trailer. Thomas and Waddell dropped Evans off at the trailer, where he was to wait for Alan Pfeiffer to arrive and then shoot him.

Evans arranged for Thomas and Waddell to pick him up at the trailer one to two hours after they dropped him off.

On 03/23/91, Alan Pfeiffer left work at 7:30 p.m. for the thirty-minute drive to the trailer. Neighbors testified that gunshots were heard coming from the Pfeiffer’s trailer between 8:00 and 8:30 p.m.

After picking up Evans at the trailer, Evans, Thomas, and Waddell went back to the fair, where they met up with Connie Pfeiffer.

Early the next morning, police found Alan Pfeiffer’s body on the living room floor with three gunshot wounds – two in the head and one in the spine.

Investigation

After an investigation in which no arrests were made, the case grew cold and was eventually closed.

In 1997, six years after the murder, the case was reopened and the investigation focused on Evans, Connie Pfeiffer, Waddell, and Thomas.

Thomas first agreed to cooperate with police and wore a wire to get incriminating statements from Waddell. Waddell was arrested, and when presented with the tape-recorded statements, she also agreed to cooperate with the police. As a result of the statements of Thomas and Waddell, Evans and Connie Pfeiffer were implicated in the murder and arrested.

Arrest and co-defendants

Evans and Connie Pfeiffer were implicated and arrested based on statements from Thomas and Waddell.

Donna Waddell and Sarah Thomas were involved prior to and during the events leading to the killing. Sarah Thomas was 16 years old at the time of the murder.

Codefendant information:

• Connie Pfeiffer was convicted of First-Degree Murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
• Donna Waddell pled guilty to Second-Degree Murder and was sentenced to ten years imprisonment.
• Sarah Thomas testified at the trial but was never charged with a crime.

Prior incarceration history

At the time of the murder, Evans was on probation for a Burglary charge. Additionally, he had several property crime convictions and sentences of probation.

Trial

Paul Evans was indicted on one count of First-Degree Murder on 08/06/97.

On 02/11/99, the jury returned a guilty verdict. On 02/12/99, the jury recommended a death sentence by a vote of 9-3.

On 06/16/99, Paul Evans was sentenced to death.

Sentencing

Hawley. Paul Evans was sentenced to death on 06/16/99.

Appeals

Paul Evans filed a Direct Appeal with the Florida Supreme Court on 08/30/99, citing fourteen errors, many of which revolved around issues of witness testimony and the delay between the crime and the indictment.

The Florida Supreme Court affirmed the conviction and sentence on 12/13/01.

Paul Evans filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court on 07/19/02; it was denied on 10/15/02.

Paul Evans filed a 3.851 Motion with the Circuit Court on 10/03/03; it was denied on 06/06/05.

Paul Evans filed a 3.851 Motion Appeal with the Florida Supreme Court on 09/06/05; it was pending.

Outcome

The Florida Supreme Court affirmed his conviction and sentence on 12/13/01.

Other details

A date of offense was given as 03/23/91, and the trial events described tied the jury verdict and recommended sentence to that timeframe.

Sarah Thomas’s age at the time of the murder was given as 16 years old.