Sun Feb 23 07:01:00 UTC 2025: ## Hawaii Man Freed After 30 Years in Prison Based on New DNA Evidence
**Maui, Hawaii** – Gordon Cordeiro, 51, walked free Friday after spending three decades in prison for a murder he always maintained he didn’t commit. A judge vacated his conviction following the presentation of new DNA evidence that casts doubt on his guilt in the 1994 killing of Timothy Blaisdell.
The courtroom erupted in gasps and cries as Judge Kirstin Hamman announced the decision, ordering Cordeiro’s immediate release. The announcement followed a hearing where the Hawaii Innocence Project argued for his release based on new DNA evidence, ineffective counsel, and potential prosecutorial misconduct.
Cordeiro was initially convicted of murder, robbery, and attempted murder in connection with Blaisdell’s death during a drug deal gone wrong on Maui. His first trial ended in a hung jury, but he was found guilty in a subsequent trial. The Hawaii Innocence Project presented evidence that police relied heavily on unreliable jailhouse informants whose testimony was incentivized with promises of reduced sentences, and that they fabricated murder-for-hire plots implicating Cordeiro.
New DNA testing has now excluded Cordeiro as the source of DNA found on Blaisdell’s body and other crime scene evidence. Furthermore, the testing revealed the DNA of an unidentified person. Cordeiro’s lawyers believe the actual perpetrator was Michael Freitas, who died in 2020, and who had repeatedly changed his story, ultimately shifting blame to Cordeiro.
Maui County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin expressed disappointment with the ruling, stating that the judge’s findings did not exonerate Cordeiro. His office plans to appeal the decision and request bail pending the appeal, citing a flight risk.
Kenneth Lawson, co-director of the Hawaii Innocence Project, described the moment of Cordeiro’s release as deeply emotional. Cordeiro himself, speaking to reporters outside the Maui Community Correctional Center, declared it “Freedom Friday” and expressed gratitude to his supporters and the judge, even extending thanks to the prosecution for stipulating to certain facts. His first priority: a visit with his mother.
While the judge rejected claims of prosecutorial misconduct, the new evidence, coupled with concerns about the reliability of initial witness testimony, was enough to convince the court that a retrial would likely result in a different outcome. The case highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the use of incentivized jailhouse informants and the potential for wrongful convictions.
First Piper 