Joaquin Ciria

Story Spotlight: Released from Life in Prison via the Innocence Commission

Joaquin Ciria's life transformed on April 18, 2022, as the San Francisco Superior Court cleared him of a wrongful murder conviction after an unjust 32-year imprisonment. A loving husband and originally from Cuba, he moved to the US as a teenager. False accusations in 1990 led to his incarceration, but his persistent claims of innocence were championed by pro bono attorney Ellen Eggers and the Northern California Innocence Project. With support from District Attorney Chesa Boudin and the DA's Innocence Commission, Ciria's case faced intense scrutiny, revealing coerced testimony as the basis of his conviction. Newly uncovered evidence, including corroborating accounts and a hidden eyewitness, shattered this facade. Released on April 20, 2022, from San Francisco County Jail, Ciria embraced his family and friends, ready to rebuild a life taken from him.