Having spent 30 years in prison for a murder he’s always denied committing, last Friday, Gordon Cordeiro was released after a Hawaii judge vacated his conviction based on new DNA evidence. The courtroom erupted in gasps and cries as Judge Kirstin Hamman ruled that the evidence would likely change the outcome of another trial, leading to Cordeiro’s immediate release.
The Hawaii Innocence Project argued that Cordeiro's conviction was based on unreliable jailhouse informants, ineffective legal representation, and prosecutorial misconduct. New DNA testing excluded Cordeiro as the source of evidence found on the victim, Timothy Blaisdell, and identified an unknown person’s DNA inside Blaisdell’s pockets.
Maui County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin voiced disappointment in the ruling and says they intend to appeal. Cordeiro, now 51, thanked his supporters, said he’s adjusting to life as a free man, and that he’s eager to visit his mother.
Gordon said the craziest thing he's experienced so far being out of jail after 30 years . . . "everybody is looking at their PHONE" all the time.
He'd never seen cell phone zombies, because smartphones weren't a thing yet in 1994. We didn't even have flip-phones until '96. All he had was a BEEPER
Source: CBS NEWS
photo: Getty
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