Nude Housekeeper Not Guilty of Murder
Nude housekeeper Thomas Cordero was acquitted of stabbing his client to death with a knife, the New York Daily News reports. Thomas Cordero advertised his nude housekeeper services on the website Rentboy.com. He was hired by paralegal John Conley to clean Conley's home in the Bronx back in October 2001.
Thomas Cordero was arrested in 2007 for the murder and confessed to police in a taped statement that Conley tried to rape him and that he took the knife from the victim and stabbed him. However, during trial, Thomas Cordero said that he wanted to recant that confession because he was coerced by Detective Steven Berger. Thomas Cordero claims that he was scared that the police would sodomize him with a broomstick if he didn't give them the confession.
The Fifth Amendment prohibits the use of coerced confessions: "nor shall [any person] be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself."
In this particular case, it is not known if the confession by Cordero was coerced or not, but the lack of evidence (aside from Cordero's confession) proved to be enough for jurors in this case. This was in spite of Cordero's DNA at the scene of the crime. A juror said: "I'm not sure if he's guilty or innocent. I just don't think there was enough evidence."
In the meantime, Thomas Cordero vowed to find another line of work. He cried when he heard the verdict and said, "Thank you, thank you, thank you," to the jurors according to New York Magazine. Thomas Cordero, who has been in jail since 2007, told reporters that he is looking forward to starting his life over: "I'm relieved. I got my life back."
Related Resources:
- "Miranda" Rights and the Fifth Amendment (FindLaw)
- Why Not Coerce a Confession? (FindLaw's Writ)
- Confession (FindLaw's LawBrain)