CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — Joe David Padron, who spent over two decades behind bars for a double homicide he maintained he didn't commit, may soon learn whether he'll face another trial.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals vacated Padron's conviction last month, finding that false testimony from jailhouse informants led to his wrongful conviction in the 2002 shooting deaths of two men at a Corpus Christi drug house.
Following this decision, the case returned to district court with the Hidalgo County District Attorney's office now handling the prosecution. The transfer occurred after Nueces County District Attorney Jimmy Granberry recused himself and his office, as Granberry had previously been part of Padron's defense team.
At a hearing Wednesday, prosecutors requested 30 days to decide whether to retry the case. Simultaneously, Padron's attorneys asked for his ankle monitor to be removed. The judge scheduled the next hearing for June 4 to address both matters.
Throughout his imprisonment, Padron consistently refused plea deals that would have reduced his sentence, telling investigators: "They offered me 50 years. I said no. Then 25 years. I still said no. I'm not gonna admit to something I didn't do." 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."
In 2023, 214th District Court Judge Inna Klein recommended the conviction be overturned, and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ultimately agreed.
Mike Ware, Executive Director of the Innocence Project of Texas and Padron's attorney, emphasized the significance of the decision: "Both Judge Klein and the Court of Criminal Appeals recognized that two of the prosecution's witnesses gave false testimony causing Mr. Padron's wrongful conviction."
Additional evidence supporting Padron's innocence included testimony that one of the actual perpetrators confessed and specifically named three other individuals involved in the murders, confirming Padron had no connection to the crime.
Looking toward the future, Padron has expressed plans to return to the prison where he spent two decades—not as an inmate, but as a minister working with at-risk youth. "I feel excited and relieved," Padron told KRIS 6 News. "I'm glad that justice has prevailed. The families of the victims deserve to know the truth."
