CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has overturned Joe David Padron's murder conviction after he spent two decades in prison for a crime he says he didn't commit.
Padron was sentenced to life in prison for a double murder that occurred in 2002. Despite facing the death penalty, he consistently maintained his innocence.
"They offered me first it was 50 years. I said no. 50 years for what? They said well you're gonna sign for 50 years. Just admit that you did it. Sign here and you won't take the death penalty," Padron said.
When offered a reduced sentence of 25 years in exchange for a confession, Padron still refused.
"I'm not gonna sign for no 50 years. I'm not gonna do that. Ok, then for 25 years. 25 and you win. I said no," Padron said.
When asked if he would rather face the death penalty, Padron responded: "I mean I don't wanna face the death penalty, but I'm not gonna do 25 years in prison. No. I'm just not gonna do that."
"I didn't want to admit to something I didn't do," Padron said.
This began Padron's grueling two-decade fight to clear his name, culminating in the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals setting aside his conviction on Wednesday based on false testimony from jailhouse informants.
Padron vividly recalls sitting in court, knowing those lies could seal his fate.
"And so you're sitting there and your life is on the line. And you know these people are lying on you. If the jury believes them, you're gone," Padron said.
After years in prison, Corpus Christi defense attorney Danice Obregon took his case. When she was appointed Nueces County Chief Public Defender, she could no longer work on Padron's case, so she enlisted the Innocence Project of Texas for help.
Lisa Greenberg, part of Padron's legal team, reflected on the significance of his case.
"We see so many injustices that are not corrected, or it's ok if this injustice happens because this person doesn't matter. That's how we start to feel. That injustices don't matter. And when you get a moment like this, it's gratitude and relief and thank goodness it's like finally. Finally, somebody heard us. Somebody heard Joe David," Greenberg said.
Padron expressed gratitude for his legal team's belief in him.
"To see them doing what they're doing, you don't really understand it. And why me? Why do you believe in me? And my mom said because they see something that everybody else did not," Padron said.
Padron is now looking to the future, planning to return to the prison where he spent two decades — not as an inmate, but as a minister. He aims to work with at-risk youth and share his story.
Reflecting on his legal team's dedication, Padron noted how rare it is to receive such personal attention.
"That's so rare nowadays when a lawyer actually takes a personal interest in you because there's hundreds of clients. Hundreds of defendants," Padron said.
Obregon shared her perspective on the long wait for justice.
"The wait is alleviated by doing the work. By not giving up. It's hard because as criminal defense attorneys, we lose a lot. We're supposed to lose. If the system works the way it was intended to, and everything goes correctly, the investigation is done right, and they find the right people, and plenty of evidence, then all we're talking about is the appropriate outcome," Obregon said.
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