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After spending more than three decades behind bars for crimes he did not commit, Gordon Cordeiro walked free this week—exonerated through the dedicated efforts of the Hawaiʻi Innocence Project (HIP). On Feb. 21, Cordeiro had his conviction vacated and was freed.
HIP, founded in 2005 at the William S. Richardson School of Law, fights for the freedom of those who have been wrongfully convicted and advocates for the prevention of future injustice. HIP is a law clinic and nonprofit with a mission to free prisoners who are factually innocent but who have been wrongfully convicted.
Cordeiro’s wrongful conviction was overturned after new evidence, including DNA testing, proved his innocence. The legal team at HIP, led by Co-Directors Rick Fried and Ken Lawson, Associate Director Jennifer Brown ‘17, and volunteer attorney Gina Gormley, worked tirelessly on his case, alongside current and former HIP students who played a vital role in the investigation and legal proceedings.
“Gordon’s conviction was vacated on grounds consistent with his innocence (which HIP knew all along). Gordon was tried twice, with the first trial ending with a hung jury where 11 of the 12 jurors were in favor of acquittal. At the second trial, where he was found guilty, the state added testimony from four jailhouse snitches to go with their star witness—the man who was originally the primary suspect in the 1994 murder. New DNA evidence demonstrates that Gordon did not murder and rob the suspect, but an unknown person, along with the state’s star witness, did,” Ken Lawson said.
“Many HIP students worked on Gordon’s case over the years, and HIP never gave up. HIP kept doing DNA testing and interviewing witnesses, including the jailhouse informants who recanted their false testimony that Gordon wrote a map and other incriminating statements on paper and in a Bible,” Ken Lawson said. “HIP hired a handwriting expert who found that the informants’ recantations were true because their handwriting matched the documents, and Gordon’s handwriting did not. HIP students interviewed those informants and went to the crime scene numerous times.”
Cordeiro’s exoneration marks a major victory in the fight for justice, but cases like his highlight the critical need for funding to continue HIP’s work. DNA testing alone costs upwards of $100,000 per case, and HIP relies on donations to support these efforts, as well as the work of dedicated attorneys and students advocating for the wrongfully convicted.
HIP Co-Directors Rick Fried and Ken Lawson, HIP Associate Director Jennifer Brown, and HIP volunteer attorney Gina Gormley want to thank all current and former HIP students who worked on Gordon’s case.
“One of the lessons that HIP instills in the students is that we believe in our clients and their innocence. So, no matter how bleak a client’s case may look, we don’t quit,” said Ken Lawson. “We never give up on trying to find new evidence, and within all ethical boundaries, we fight like hell for their freedom.”
HIP’s mission extends beyond exonerations—it is about restoring lives, preventing future injustices, and training the next generation of lawyers committed to justice. Support HIP’s work by making a donation today.
Click here to donate to the Hawaiʻi Innocence Project.
For more information about Gordon Cordeiro’s case, read the coverage in The New York Times, AP News, and Maui Now.