Hawaii
Hawaii man freed after 30 years in prison for murder he denied committing, celebrates with steak dinner
A Hawaii man was freed 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 enjoy a steak dinner and visit his mother’s grave.
Gordon Cordeiro had his freedom secured on Friday after a judge ordered him released in light of new DNA evidence that led to the overturning of his conviction in the 1994 fatal shooting of Timothy Blaisdell on the island of Maui.
Cordeiro’s mother, Paulette, died in September 1994, a month before her son was arrested. She died at the age of 49 from ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s disease. Cordeiro and his sisters had taken turns caring for her before her passing.
“Thanks for looking over me,” Cordeiro recalled saying at her grave just hours after his release on Friday, he told The Associated Press. “Keeping me safe.”
CONNECTICUT TO AWARD NEARLY $6 MILLION TO FAMILY OF DISABLED MAN WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED FOR MURDER CONVICTION
Gordon Cordeiro, who spent 30 years in prison for a murder he said he did not commit, visits the grave of his mother on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Makawao, Hawaii, hours after a judge ordered his release. (Denise Cordeiro via AP)
Cordeiro said he often thought about his mother during his time behind bars. He said he was with her and building shelving units for the family when Blaisdell was shot and killed during a drug deal robbery.
After enjoying a steak dinner at a steak house and visiting his mother’s grave, he celebrated with family at his father’s house. The next day, he went to other relatives’ graves 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, citing the historic town of Lahaina being destroyed by a wildfire in 2023.
He also pointed out that technology and its consumption have changed.
“Everybody is looking at their phones,” he said.
Gordon Cordeiro enjoys dinner at a steak house Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Kahului, Hawaii, hours after a judge ordered him released because of new evidence. (AP)
Cordeiro only had a pager before he was sent to prison. He now has a smartphone, but said he is “not staring at it yet. It keeps beeping and messages coming in, and it’s different.”
Judge Kirstin Hamman announced Friday that Cordeiro’s sentence was vacated and that he was to be released from custody. She ruled that 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 and seek to have bail imposed on Cordeiro’s release.
Cordeiro’s first trial ended in a hung jury, as only one juror voted to convict him. He was later found guilty of murder, robbery and attempted murder, and he was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole.
PHILLY MAN EXONERATED AFTER SERVING 24 YEARS FOR MURDER CONVICTION HAS BEEN CONVICTED IN SEPARATE KILLING
Gordon Cordeiro was freed after a judge ordered him released in light of new DNA evidence that led to the overturning of his conviction in the 1994 fatal shooting of Timothy Blaisdell. (iStock)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
After his conviction, new testing on physical evidence from the scene excluded him as the source of DNA on Blaisdell’s body and other crime scene evidence, according to the Hawaii Innocence Project. A DNA profile of an unidentified person was also found on the inside pockets of Blaisdell’s jeans.
“Thank God for new DNA,” Cordeiro said Saturday. “Technology is awesome.”
Cordeiro said his immediate plans include fixing cars, helping with his dad’s house and “maybe giving back to the community a little bit.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Hawaii
Hawaii County Surf Forecast for March 04, 2026 | Big Island Now
Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast
| Shores | Tonight | Wednesday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| North Facing | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 |
| East Facing | 3-5 | 4-6 | 4-6 | 5-7 |
| South Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| Weather | Mostly cloudy. Numerous showers. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||||
| Winds | East winds 5 to 10 mph. | ||||||
|
|||||||
| Weather | Partly sunny. Numerous showers. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the upper 70s. | |||||
| Winds | East winds 10 to 15 mph. | |||||
|
||||||
| Sunrise | 6:37 AM HST. | |||||
| Sunset | 6:27 PM HST. | |||||
Forecast for Big Island Leeward
| Shores | Tonight | Wednesday | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surf | Surf | |||
| PM | AM | AM | PM | |
| West Facing | 2-4 | 2-4 | 2-4 | 1-3 |
| South Facing | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 1-3 |
| Weather | Mostly sunny until 6 PM, then mostly cloudy. Hazy. |
||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Temperature | In the upper 60s. | ||||||||||
| Winds | West winds around 5 mph early in the afternoon, becoming light and variable. |
||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Weather | Partly sunny. Hazy. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Temperature | In the mid 80s. | ||||||||
| Winds | Light and variable winds, becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. |
||||||||
|
|||||||||
| Sunrise | 6:41 AM HST. | ||||||||
| Sunset | 6:31 PM HST. | ||||||||
The current moderate northwest swell will continue a gradual decline through Thursday. A small west-northwest swell will arrive on Friday and hold through the weekend, followed by a small north-northwest swell early next week. Choppy east shore surf will build to near seasonal average by Wednesday as trade winds strengthen over and east of the islands. Little change is expected along east facing shores through the weekend, followed by a possible decline early next week if winds veer southerly. Surf along south facing shores will remain small to tiny through the weekend, and some islands may an increase in choppy surf if southerly winds develop early next week.
NORTH EAST
am
pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Semi choppy with ESE winds 5-10mph in the morning increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon.
NORTH WEST
am
pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Clean in the early morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions move in during the morning hours with the winds shifting W 5-10mph.
WEST
am
pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Semi glassy in the morning with N winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting WNW 5-10mph.
SOUTH EAST
am
pm
Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.
Conditions: Light sideshore texture in the morning with NE winds 10-15mph. This becomes Sideshore texture/chop for the afternoon.
Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com
Hawaii
Hawaii delegation continues to blast U.S. attack on Iran | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Hawaii
Blood moon to dazzle Hawaii skies tonight
We recognize you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which
enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore access cannot be granted at this time.
For any issues, contact news@kitv.com or call 808-535-0400 .
-
World6 days agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Massachusetts7 days agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Denver, CO7 days ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Louisiana1 week agoWildfire near Gum Swamp Road in Livingston Parish now under control; more than 200 acres burned
-
Oregon5 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling
-
Florida3 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Maryland3 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Culture1 week agoTry This Quiz on Thrilling Books That Became Popular Movies