'Everybody is looking at their phones,' says man freed after 30 years in prison
A man who has been released from prison after 30 years for a crime he says he never committed has been readjusting to life - and getting used to just how connected people are now.
Gordon Cordeiro was jailed in 1994 over the murder of Timothy Blaisdell on the island of Maui, but due to new DNA evidence his conviction was overturned on Friday.
Speaking about his first impression of the outside world following his release from Maui Community Correctional Center, Mr Cordeiro, who has always maintained his innocence, said he has been trying to get used to how connected people are.
"Everybody is looking at their phones," he said, during his first Zoom interview since leaving prison.
Mr Cordeiro also commented on the new DNA evidence which led to his release, telling the Associated Press news agency: "Thank God for new DNA. Technology is awesome."
The first thing he did after he was freed was visit his mother's grave as he said he had constantly thought about her during his time behind bars.
Mr Cordeiro's mother, Paulette, died aged 49 in September 1994 from ALS, often called Lou Gehrig's disease. Her son was arrested the following month.
"Thanks for looking over me. Keeping me safe," Mr Cordeiro recalled saying at her grave.
In a picture provided by his sister, he can be seen kneeling graveside, with a garland of flowers he was given upon release draped over the headstone.
Speaking more about what he had got up to since regaining his freedom, Mr Cordeiro said he went for a steak dinner and celebrated with family at his father's house.
The next day, he visited more relatives' graves and planned to go to Costco.
"It feels normal," he said, but added Maui had changed as he pointed to the destruction caused in Lahaina by a wildfire in 2023.
Announcing her decision to free him, Judge Kirstin Hamman ruled new evidence, including DNA test results, would likely change the outcome of another trial.
Maui County Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin said he plans to appeal against the decision and seek to have bail imposed on Mr Cordeiro's release.
Mr Cordeiro's first trial ended in a hung jury, with only one juror voting to convict him.
But he was later found guilty of murder, robbery and attempted murder and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
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