Joe David Padron is a free man after spending two decades behind bars for a crime he insists he didn’t commit. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals recently overturned his murder conviction, citing false testimony from jailhouse informants.
Back in 2002, Padron received a life sentence for a double homicide. Though prosecutors initially sought the death penalty, he never wavered in maintaining 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.
Even when offered a 25-year sentence in exchange for a confession, Padron refused.
“I’m not gonna sign for no 50 years. I’m not gonna do that. Okay, then for 25 years. 25 and you win. I said no,” he said.
When asked if he preferred risking the death penalty, Padron replied:
“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.”
That decision marked the start of his long legal battle to prove his innocence—one that ended when the court found the testimony used to convict him was unreliable.
“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, recalling his time in court.
Corpus Christi attorney Danice Obregon eventually took on his case. When she became Nueces County’s Chief Public Defender, she brought in the Innocence Project of Texas to continue the fight.
Lisa Greenberg, part of Padron’s legal team, emphasized the emotional weight of the case.
“We see so many injustices that are not corrected… 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 was deeply moved by his team’s commitment.
“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,” he shared.
Looking ahead, Padron plans to return to the prison—not as an inmate, but as a minister. He hopes to inspire at-risk youth by sharing his story.
“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.
Reflecting on the road to justice, Obregon added:
“The wait is alleviated by doing the work. By not giving up. It’s hard because as criminal defense attorneys, we lose a lot… But when things go right, and justice is served, it means everything.”
