A Hawaii man who spent 30 years in prison for a murder he always denied has been released after new DNA evidence emerged.
As Judge Kirstin Hamman ordered his release, cries and gasps filled the courtroom.
The case happened in 1994 when Timothy Blaisdell was killed during a drug deal robbery on the island of Maui.
At his first trial, only one juror voted to convict Gordon Cordeiro, who was 22 at the time. However, he was later found guilty of killing Blaisdell, as well as attempted murder, and robbery, receiving a life sentence without parole.
The Hawaii Innocence Project, which works to exonerate the wrongfully convicted, took up Cordeiro’s case. At a recent hearing, they argued that new DNA evidence proves his factual innocence, and he should be released.
Prosecuting attorney Andrew Martin expressed disappointment, stating that “none of the judge’s new findings exonerate him in any way.”
Martin plans to appeal in an effort to impose bail on Cordeiro’s release, arguing that, given the severity of the case, he poses a flight risk.
Co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, Kenneth Lawson, said the moment the judge vacated Cordeiro’s convictions exoneration was “very emotional” and that everyone cried.
Cordeiro’s Reaction to Release
Standing outside the Maui Community Correctional Center, Gordon Cordeiro called the day “Freedom Friday.”
Upon his release, he shared that his first priority was to see his mother, saying simply, “that would be nice.”
When asked about adjusting to life after 30 years behind bars, he responded, “I have good support.”
Court documents reveal that Cordeiro’s wrongful conviction was largely due to officials relying on jailhouse informants from four different facilities, who were promised reduced sentences in exchange for information.
The Hawaii Innocence Project stated that the jury was swayed by false testimony from incentivized jailhouse informants, who fabricated murder-for-hire plots during Cordeiro’s second trial.
However, the judge ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove the state had knowingly used false testimony.
According to Cordeiro’s attorneys, he had multiple alibis on the day of the murder. At 22 years old, he was at home with his family, building a shelving unit in the garage and installing a radio in his sister’s car—nowhere near the crime scene in upcountry Maui.
Court documents reveal that Timothy Blaisdell had traveled to Skid Row with Michael Freitas to buy a pound of marijuana for cash. His body was later discovered at the bottom of a ravine.
According to Cordeiro’s attorneys, Freitas repeatedly changed his story before ultimately blaming Cordeiro, claiming he was a former friend who had “snitched” on him in a separate drug case.
After Cordeiro’s conviction, investigators recovered new physical evidence from the crime scene, which confirmed that his DNA did not match any found on Blaisdell’s body.
The judge determined that this new evidence would have altered the outcome of a new trial.
Cordeiro’s attorneys argue that Freitas, who died in 2020, had orchestrated Blaisdell’s robbery and was directly involved in his murder.
