A Hawaii man was liberated after spending 30 years in prison for a murder, he says he did not commit, and some of the first things he did after his release was enjoying a steak dinner and visiting his mother’s grave.
Gordon Cordeiro had protected his freedom on Friday after a judge ordered him in the light of New DNA certificate that led to the destruction of his conviction in the fatal shooting of 1994 by Timothy Blaisdell on the island of Maui.
The mother of Cordeiro, Paulette, died in September 1994, a month before her son was arrested. She died at the age of 49 ALS, often called Lou Hrig. Cordeiro and his sisters had taken her turn for her death for her.
“Thank you for looking over me,” Cordeiro recalled only a few hours after his release on her grave on her grave, he told The Associated Press. “Keep me safe.”
Gordon Cordeiro, who spent 30 years in prison for a murder, he said he did not commit, visits his mother’s grave on Friday, February 21, 2025 in Makawao, Hawaii, hours after a judge ordered his release. (Denise Lamb via AP)
Cordeiro said he often thought of his mother during his time behind bars. He said he was with her and building racks for the family when Blaisdell was shot and killed during a drug robbery.
After enjoying a steak in a steak house and visiting his mother’s grave, he celebrated with family in his father’s house. The next day he went to the graves of other family members and made a trip to Costco.
“It feels normal,” he told The Associated Press.
Maui, however, has changed a lot during his time in prison, Cordeiro said, with reference to the historic city of Lahaina that was destroyed by a natural fire in 2023.
He also pointed out that technology and its consumption have changed.
“Everyone looks at their phones,” he said.
Gordon Cordeiro enjoys the dinner in a steak house Friday, February 21, 2025 in Kahului, Hawaii, hours after a judge ordered him released for new evidence. (AP)
Cordeiro only had a pager before he was sent to prison. He now has a smartphone, but said that he “is not staring at it yet. It keeps squeaking and messages come in, and it’s different.”
Judge Kirstin Hamman announced on Friday that Cordeiro’s punishment was left and that he would be released out of custody. She ruled that new evidence, including DNA test results, would probably change the outcome of another study.
Maui County Officer Andrew Martin said he intended to appeal and try to have imposed bail on the release of Cordeiro.
Lamb First test Finished in a hung jury, while only one jury member voted to condemn him. He was later found guilty of murder, theft and attempted murder and he was convicted of life without the possibility of conditional release.
Gordon Cordeiro was released after a judge ordered him released in the light of new DNA certificate that led to the destruction of his conviction in the fatal shooting of 1994 by Timothy Blaisdell. (Istock)
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After his conviction, new tests on physical evidence from the scene excluded him as the source of DNA on Blaisdell’s body and others Proof of the crime sceneAccording to the Hawaii Innocence project. A DNA profile of a non -created person was also found on the inner pockets of Blaisdell’s Jeans.
“Thank goodness for new DNA,” said Cordeiro Saturday. “Technology is great.”
Cordeiro said his immediate plans include repairing cars, helping with his father’s house and “perhaps give back to the community.”
The Associated Press has contributed to this report.
