A San Francisco man has been exonerated after serving more than three decades in prison for murder, according to a press release by the Santa Clara University's Northern California Innocence Project.
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Joaquin Ciria served 32 years in prison for murdering his friend, Felix Bastaricca in SOMA in 1990. But Judge Brendan Conroy overturned his conviction on Monday after new evidence pointed to a mutual acquaintance of the two men instead.
The Northern California Innocence Project had reviewed the case and sent to San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin for his take, and he agreed with the project's findings, leading to Ciria's release.
Ciria was able to leave custody on Wednesday to greetings from supporters and his son, Pedro, now the same age as his father's time in jail, according to reporting by KNTV.
"I know without a question that if this happened to me in any other country in the world I might not have got the opportunity for this day," said Ciria, as reported by the station.
Ciria was convicted 32 years ago after the actual killer began pointing fingers in his direction and the police coerced a witness to lie about Ciria's involvement.
New evidence uncovered included testimony by a family friend and the sister of the perjured witness who admitted to them that Ciria was innocent, as well as a new eyewitness account of the murder itself.
Ciria's former defense attorney also admitted to having made mistakes in his role during the trial.
"As a result of this wrongful conviction, the State stole 32 birthdays, 32 Christmases, 32 years in which he could not be with his son for all the special moments," said NCIP Attorney Paige Kaneb in the release. "Yet Joaquin has kept his big heart and easy smile and is full of joy as he looks forward to starting his life again."
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