Even the District Attorney Believed Joaquin Ciria Was Innocent. Why Did It Take So Long to Set Him

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Even the District Attorney Believed Joaquin Ciria Was Innocent. Why Did It Take So Long to Set Him Free?

Just before 1 p.m. on April 20, the doors of the San Francisco County Jail opened, and Joaquin Ciria emerged. The 61-year-old wore an almost disbelieving smile, and a grey t-shirt depicting the same scene in miniature: a man pulling open a door and stepping out into the light.

Ciria and his supporters had had plenty of time to prepare for this moment, down to the outfit: It had been 32 years and a day since he was arrested for a murder he swore he didn’t commit. Every day since — more than half of Ciria’s life had been spent in California custody. Now, a judge in San Francisco Superior Court had vacated his 1991 conviction, saying new evidence had poked holes in the logic of the decision.

Ciria first hugged his son, who had been six weeks old when Ciria was arrested and now stood as tall as his father. “We made it,” Ciria said.

Then, turning to the assembled crowd of reporters, supporters and family, Ciria thanked the people who’d made his release possible. He motioned to the lawyers and the law students who’d helped to build his case. But his list also included an unusual shout-out: to the office of the San Francisco district attorney, Chesa Boudin.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/08/07/california-innocence-commission-joaquin-ciria-00037546