Joaquin Ciria has spent more than half his life behind bars for the murder of his friend in San Francisco, in the United States, a crime he has always claimed he did not commit.
Ciria was acquitted Monday, exactly 32 years to the date of his arrest, following an extensive review and investigation by the San Francisco District Attorney’s Innocence Commission, prosecutor Chesa Boudin said in a statement.
The 61-year-old was convicted of murder in 1991 for the shooting death of Felix Bastarrica. There was no physical evidence linking Ciria to the crime, but San Francisco police inspectors focused on him “based on street rumors and statements by getaway driver George Varela,” according to the prosecutor.
Bastarrica was killed by a mutual acquaintance of Varela and Ciria, the Northern California Innocence Project said in a press release.
In exchange for full immunity, Varela testified that he took Ciria to the scene of the crime, but was under extreme pressure from the police to identify Ciria at the time, despite Ciria having two alibi witnesses who were never heard at the trial, the prosecutor said.
“It’s very difficult, you know? See your child, them taking your child. It’s sad to see your son growing up alone,” Ciria’s mother, Yojana Paiz, told the company’s affiliate. CNN KPIX. “But finally, we are here. We’re at the end now. He will leave. Whatever God has for us, we have to accept it.”
Since Ciria’s arrest began, Yojana said she has kept in touch with her son through regular visits and phone calls.
Ciria’s attorney Ellen Eggers and Northern California Innocence Project attorney Paige Kaneb took her case to the prosecution’s Innocence Commission for review, and after a four-month investigation, Boudin made her decision to acquit Ciria.
New evidence provided by Ciria’s legal team showed he was convicted on the basis of perjury for another man’s crime, the district attorney said. Ciria’s case was the first analyzed by the Innocence Commission since its formation in 2020.
stolen memories
“Promoting justice in our legal system requires that we not only move forward, but also look back,” said Boudin. “Wrongful convictions cause concentric circles of harm: to the wrongfully convicted, to victims of crimes who have been told a false story and re-traumatized, to jurors who have unwittingly participated in the injustice, and to the integrity of the system as a whole. When someone has been wrongfully convicted, it is up to prosecutors to correct that injustice.”
Ciria is currently in San Francisco County Jail after being transported from Folsom Prison last week, Ellen told CNN and is expected to be released within a week.
Under California state law, Ciria is entitled to financial compensation at a rate of $140 per day for the 32 years she spent in prison, which equates to just over $100 a day. 1.6 million, according to the California Victim Compensation Board.
“As a result of this wrongful conviction, the state stole 32 birthdays, 32 birthdays, 32 years that he was unable to be with his son at all of his special moments,” Paige said in a statement. “However, Joaquin has kept his big heart and easy smile and is full of joy as he waits to start his life anew.”
Source: CNN Brasil
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