Callum Jones
A man from Hawaii who'd spent 30 years behind bars for a murder he said he didn't commit has opened up about what he planned to do upon his release.
Back in 1994, Gordon Cordeiro, from Maui, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the murder of Timothy Blaisdell on a remote dirt road on the island - a crime which he vehemently denied.
Blaisdell had been shot after traveling to purchase marijuana with $800 in cash, with his body later found at the bottom of a ravine.
Though his initial trial ended in a 'hung jury', he was found guilty of murder, robbery and attempted murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
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His case was later picked up by The Hawaii Innocence Project and after 30 years, Cordeiro would be exonerated from prison following a key piece of evidence which proved his innocence.
Judge Kirstin Hamman told the court: "And the judgement and sentence is vacated and the defendant is ordered to be released from custody."
Branding his release date 'Freedom Friday', he thanked his nearest and dearest for helping facilitate his release.
After his release, Cordeiro stood outside the Maui Community Correctional Center and revealed what he had planned to do first.
"I'd like to go see my mom," he told reporters. "Would be nice."
Cordeiro's mother, Paulette Cordeiro, passed away as a result of ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, in 1994 - the year her son went to jail.
At his mother's grave, he said (via Associated Press): "Thanks for looking over me. Keeping me safe."
He then later celebrated with his family with a steak dinner, with further plans the following day to visit more relatives' graves and go to Costco, The Independent reports.
"It feels normal." he said via a video interview on Saturday (February 22). However, one thing that's taken a while to get used to is the use of phones, as he added: "Everybody is looking at their phones.
"I’m not staring at it yet. It keeps beeping and messages coming in, and it’s different."
Cordeiro's attorney's had previously argued that a man named Michael Freitas, who passed away in 2020, and was with Blaisdell the day he died, was actually involved.
"The police botched this case from the beginning and turned the number one suspect into the state's star witness, resulting in a 30-plus-year nightmare and miscarriage of justice for Gordon and his family," Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, said.
Regional prosecutors have since disagreed with the monumental ruling, with Maui County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin stating bail conditions should be imposed.
"None of the judge's findings exonerate him in any way," Martin said (via CBS).