SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake County District Attorney is seeking to vacate the conviction of a man who was found guilty of murder more than 20 years ago.
In 2001, Adrian Whitfield Gordon was convicted of 50-year-old Lee Lundskog's murder after a bench trial. He was sentenced to five years to life and was eventually paroled in 2023.
Now, DA Sim Gill believes Gordon, who was 21 at the time, did not have a fair trial.
Four years ago, Gordon's attorney with the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center contacted the DA's Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU) to discuss the case. They said that shortly after Lundskog's murder, an anonymous caller identified a murder suspect and gave police their location. That person was detained, questioned, then arrested on outstanding warrants. However, the police report was filed under a different case number than the murder, and the lead detective did not disclose the information to the prosecution or defense in Gordon's trial.
The CIU reviewed the case and determined that Gordon's conviction was "compromised." Gill filed a Petition to Vacate Conviction on Monday.
Gill also said the DA's office has overturned convictions before with recommendations from the CIU and their office's own analysis, but this is the first murder conviction overturned.
"If our system makes mistakes, we have to have the courage to be able to correct them," he said. "And this is not about shame. It is about correcting a wrong, then I think that ultimately speaks to the trust and integrity of what we do afterwards."
In 2019, FOX 13 News spoke with Gordon, along with his dad and attorneys with the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center. Gordon maintained his innocence.
"I know I didn't do it, and I'd go to my deathbed with that,” Gordon said.
WATCH: Rocky Mountain Innocence Center working to exonerate Utah man who spent 18 years in prison for murder (2019)
Although Gill is seeking to vacate the conviction, he pointed out that they are not exonerating Gordon.
"Though there was not a clear finding of innocence, there was a clear determination that Mr. Gordon was not given a fair chance at trial," Gill said. "If, as prosecutors, we find evidence that a conviction lacks integrity, we have an ethical and moral obligation to vacate that conviction, or the justice that our system promises, will lack integrity as well."
Those at the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center expressed their gratitude for Gill's decision.
"We are grateful for this first step towards justice for Mr. Gordon and hope the case will be fully resolved soon," their statement read in part, adding that they began pursuing his case nearly 20 years ago.
"This is both the legal and ethical right thing to do, which we are doing," Gill added. "And then we are going to go back to square one, look at it, and say, 'OK, where are we? What do we know about this case? What is the evidence?' That is a separate analysis that we will go through."
Salt Lake Police Chief Brian Redd gave a statement Monday in response to Gill's announcement:
"We have a vested interest in ensuring justice is served in every case we investigate. Given the latest findings in this case, we will review the evidence, and work closely with the District Attorneys’ Office and other partners to determine the next steps forward."
