Brenna Cooper
A man who served three decades behind bars has been released after new DNA evidence revealed he was not connected to a 1994 murder.
Gordon Cordeiro, from Maui, Hawaii, was sentenced to life without possibility of parole for the killing of Timothy Blaisdell on a remote dirt road on the island.
According to court documents, Blaisdell had been shot after travelling to purchase pound of marijuana with $800 (£633) in cash.
His body was later found at the bottom of a ravine.
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Cordeiro, aged 20 at the time of the killing, was later found guilty of murder, robbery and attempted murder in a second retrial and received a sentence of life without the possibility of parole.
Over the next couple of decades, Cordeiro's family would continue to argue his innocence, with his case later being picked up by The Hawaii Innocence Project, who argued the now 51-year-old should be released after new DNA testing indicated that he was not present at the crime scene.
This backs up an alibi presented by Cordeiro's attorneys, who argued that he was at home with his family on the day of the killing and nowhere near the remote road, which is referred to by locals as Skid Row, Associated Press reports.
Three decades on from the conviction and Cordeiro has now been freed from prison, after judge Judge Kirstin Hamman ruled that the new evidence presented would likely change the outcome of another trial.
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"And the judgement and sentence is vacated and the defendant is ordered to be released from custody," she told the court, while gasps and cries could be heard in the courtroom.
Cordeiro has since branded his release 'Freedom Friday' and thanked his family and supporters for sticking by him.
"[I'd like] to thank all these people. This is the people that helped me out," he told Hawaii News Now, adding: "Without them, I wouldn't have made it out."
He will also be eligible to file for $50,000 (£39,582) compensation for every year he served, totalling $1.5 million (£1.1 million).
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His joy was shared by Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, who said: "He cried, we all cried."
Cordeiro's attorney's had previously argued that a man named Michael Freitas, who had accompanied Blaisdell on the day of his killing, was actually involved. Freitas has since passed away in 2020.
"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," Lawson added (via The Daily Mail).
Regional prosecutors have since disagreed with the ruling, with Maui County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin stating that he is seeking for bail conditions to be imposed.
"None of the judge's findings exonerate him in any way," Martin said (via CBS), adding Cordeiro was a flight risk.