What to know about the ‘Central Park Five,’ who spoke at the DNC

Speaking at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago Thursday are “The Central Park Five,” later known as the “Exonerated Five.”

The group of Black and Latino men were just teenagers over 30 years ago when they were convicted of the brutal assault and rape of white female jogger at Central Park in Manhattan, New York City.

The high-profile case received national attention as New York officials were criticized as being “soft on crime” and for allowing lawlessness to unfold at the park after police made multiple arrests for assaults in the park that evening.

A little over a week after the jogger was attacked, Donald Trump, at the time a real estate magnate in New York, called for the return of the death penalty for murder in full-page advertisements in New York newspapers. Although the jogger barely survived the attack, Trump said he was motivated to run the ad following the attack.

“I want to hate these muggers and murderers,” Trump wrote. “They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes.”

After a serial rapist confessed to attacking the jogger, the convictions for the Central Park Five were vacated in 2002. The case then became an example of racial profiling, discrimination and inequality in the justice system and media.

Who are the ‘Central Park Five?’

Originally six teenagers were indicted for the assault, but charges against Steven Lopez were dropped after Lopez pleaded guilty to a different assault.

The remaining five — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana and Korey Wise — were convicted of the offenses and spent between 7 and 13 years in prison.

Once exonerated, most of the men became activists. All of them, except McCray, spoke at the DNC on Thursday along longtime activist and Rev. Al Sharpton. Salaam was elected to the New York City Council last year.

What happened the night of the attack?

On April 19, 1989, at about 9 p.m., dozens of teenagers committed several attacks, assaults and robberies against people patronizing the park.

While jogging, a 28-year-old woman was knocked down and dragged nearly 100 yards off the road and violently assaulted and raped. At about 1:30 a.m., the woman was found tied up in a shallow ravine.

The first police officer who saw her said: “She was beaten as badly as anybody I’ve ever seen beaten. She looked like she was tortured.”

Who was arrested and confessed?

Police arrested six teens in connection to the attack despite none of their DNA matching the DNA from the crime scene, instead police said the results were “inconclusive.”

Lopez denied any knowledge of the jogger but named the other five as possibly being involved.

The boys, between ages 14 and 16, confessed to being accomplices in the attack but all denied having anything to do with the sexual assault. Within two weeks, each of the boys recanted their confessions, saying they were coerced by police who promised they’d be going home.

In 2014, the Exonerated Five settled a federal lawsuit with New York City for $41 million.

Trials lead to convictions

One trial was held for McCray, Salaam and Santana, while a second trial was held for Richardson and Wise.

McCray, Salaam and Santana were acquitted of attempted murder, but convicted of assault and rape of the female jogger, and convicted of assault and robbery of a male jogger.

Richardson was the only one convicted of the attempted murder of the female jogger, in addition to sodomy and assault of her. Wise was acquitted of rape and attempted murder, but convicted of less charges in the attack after saying he restrained and fondled the jogger. Similarly, they were convicted to charges related to a second male jogger.

“I look upon this legal lynching as a test by my God Allah,” Salaam said at his sentencing hearing. “I and many others know I told the truth. I would never disrespect my own religion by lying,” and he told the judge to “give me the max,” as “sooner or later the truth will come out.”

After the verdict was read at his trial, Wise shouted at the prosecutor: “You’re going to pay for this. Jesus is going to get you. You made this up.”

During their time incarcerated, the five maintained their innocence. Santana was released in 1995; McCray in 1996; and Salaam and Richardson in 1997. Wise was released in 2002.

How was the real attacker caught?

While being held at a prison in upstate New York, Wise met Matias Reyes, who confessed to raping the female jogger. Wise informed a corrections officer.

Reyes, who was 17 at the time of the attack, confessed in 2002 to the assault and rape of the female jogger. He said he acted alone and his DNA matched, according to authorities. He further admitted to raping four women, killing one, and was interrupted after robbing a fifth during the summer of 1989. He was sentenced to 33½ years to life.

When did the ‘Central Park Five’ become the ‘Exonerated Five?’

Due to statute of limitations in New York, Reyes was not charged, but it led to the exoneration of the Central Park Five.

The New York Supreme Court vacated the convictions on Dec. 19, 2002. They were also removed from the state’s sex offender registry and no longer required to check-in with authorities in-person every three months.

What has Trump said since?

A defense attorney from the case would later say he felt the juries were influenced by Trump’s ads in 1989. Trump commented on the 2014 settlement in an opinion article for New York Daily News.

He said the settlement was “a disgrace,” and that the men were likely guilty. “Settling doesn’t mean innocence,” Trump said. “Speak to the detectives on the case and try listening to the facts. These young men do not exactly have the pasts of angels.”

During his 2016 presidential campaign, Trump said the Exonerated Five were still guilty. U.S. Sen. John McCain was critical of Trump at the time. He said that Trump’s responses were “outrageous statements about the innocent men in the case.” He cited this as among his reasons to retract his endorsement of Trump.

In 2019, Trump said he would not apologize, saying the Exonerated Five “admitted their guilt.”