On April 19, 1989, in Central Park, five boys lives were changed forever. These five boys, Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam, and Antron McCray, all from Harlem, went to Central Park around 9:00pm. At this time there was also 30 other teenager committing several attacks, assaults, and robberies. The police were dispatched at 9:30 pm and apprehended Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson along with other teenagers at approximately 10:15. Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise were brought in for questioning later, after having been identified by other youths as participants in some of the attacks. Around this same time, Trisha Meili was jogging in the Park when she was attacked, rape, and left to die.
All five confessed to a number of the attacks committed in the park that night, and implicated one or more of the others. While being questioned about the night, the …show more content…
All five said that they themselves had only helped restrain the jogger, or touched her, while one or more others raped her. Analysis indicated that the DNA collected at the crime scene did not match any of the suspects, and that it had come from a single, as yet unknown person.
When the boys went to trial, the prosecution's case rested almost entirely on the confessions since no DNA evidence tied the suspects to the crime. One of the jurors who were interviewed after the trial said that they were not convinced by the confessions, but were impressed by the physical evidence introduced by the prosecutors. The five defendants spent between six and 13 years in prison.
Matias Reyes later confessed to the rape of Trisha Meili. Reyes's confession, plus DNA evidence confirming his participation in the rape, led the District Attorney's office to recommend vacating the convictions of the defendants originally found guilty. Supporters of the five defendants again claimed that their confessions had been coerced by
All five confessed to a number of the attacks committed in the park that night, and implicated one or more of the others. While being questioned about the night, the …show more content…
All five said that they themselves had only helped restrain the jogger, or touched her, while one or more others raped her. Analysis indicated that the DNA collected at the crime scene did not match any of the suspects, and that it had come from a single, as yet unknown person.
When the boys went to trial, the prosecution's case rested almost entirely on the confessions since no DNA evidence tied the suspects to the crime. One of the jurors who were interviewed after the trial said that they were not convinced by the confessions, but were impressed by the physical evidence introduced by the prosecutors. The five defendants spent between six and 13 years in prison.
Matias Reyes later confessed to the rape of Trisha Meili. Reyes's confession, plus DNA evidence confirming his participation in the rape, led the District Attorney's office to recommend vacating the convictions of the defendants originally found guilty. Supporters of the five defendants again claimed that their confessions had been coerced by