central park 5 who was their attorney

by Karson Herman 4 min read

Who Is Linda Fairstein? Everything We Know About the Central Park Five Prosecutor. The lawyer sued Netflix and director Ava Duvernay for her portrayal in When They See Us. Former prosecutor Linda Fairstein oversaw the interrogation and trial of the "Central Park Five," as depicted in Netflix series When They See Us.Mar 19, 2020

Did Trump play a role in the Central Park Five case?

Jun 03, 2019 · Elizabeth Lederer was the lead attorney on the prosecution team working to convict the Central Park Five in the Central Park Jogger case in 1989. Here's what you need to know about where she is now.

Were the Central Park five guilty or innocent?

Jun 13, 2019 · Elizabeth Lederer, Prosecutor of Central Park Five, Resigns From Columbia Law. Ms. Lederer was portrayed in the Netflix mini-series “When They See Us” as aggressively prosecuting five black ...

What happened in the Central Park jogger case?

Mar 19, 2020 · Central Park Five prosecutor Linda Fairstein is a lawyer turned crime novelist. Here's what we know about Linda Fairstein's books, 'When They See Us' character, and more.

Why is Jane Lederer still talking about Central Park five?

Jun 17, 2019 · The former prosecutor who handled the Central Park Five case led the Manhattan Sex Crimes Unit for over 25 years. New York City officials are …

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Who was Raymond Santana lawyer?

Linda Fairstein (born May 5, 1947) is an American author, attorney, and former New York City prosecutor focusing on crimes of violence against women and children. She was the head of the sex crimes unit of the Manhattan District Attorney's office from 1976 until 2002.

What happened to the district attorney in the Central Park 5 case?

Elizabeth Lederer, the lead prosecutor in the Central Park jogger case, which resulted in the wrongful conviction of five black and Latino boys, said on Wednesday that she would not return as a lecturer at Columbia Law School. Her decision was the latest fallout from a recent Netflix mini-series about the case.Jun 12, 2019

What happened to the prosecutor from When They See Us?

After the series debuted, Fairstein was dropped by her publishers in the U.S. and Britain, as well as her literary and film agency, ICM Partners. The moves followed public calls to boycott her books over her role in the case.Mar 18, 2020

Who was the prosecutor in When They See Us?

prosecutor Linda FairsteinThe former Manhattan prosecutor Linda Fairstein sued Netflix and the director Ava DuVernay on Wednesday, arguing that she was falsely portrayed as a “racist, unethical villain” pushing for the convictions of five black and Latino teenagers in “When They See Us,” a series about the Central Park Five case.Mar 18, 2020

Where is Elizabeth Lederer today?

(She continues to work in the Manhattan District Attorney's office as a prosecutor.) In the series, Lederer is played by Vera Farmiga.Jun 13, 2019

Did anything happen to Linda Fairstein?

Fairstein was dropped by her publisher and resigned from several organizations last year after the series inspired scrutiny over her role in the wrongful conviction and imprisonment of five teenagers of color in the 1990s.Mar 18, 2020

Did the Central Park Five sue?

In 2003, the five men sued the City of New York for malicious prosecution, racial discrimination, and emotional distress; they reached a $41 million settlement with the city government in 2013, and an additional $3.9 million in monetary compensation from the state in 2016.

Who was the Central Park jogger victim?

Trisha MeiliOn April 19, 1989, 28-year-old Trisha Meili was raped and viciously attacked while jogging in New York City's Central Park. Meili spent 12 days in a coma following the attack, and was so severely disfigured that a friend was able to identify her only by her ring.Sep 20, 2019

How much did each Central Park 5 get?

"It's a disgrace" After the city awarded the five men $41 million in a settlement, Trump maintained that the men — who were young teenagers when convicted — were still guilty. Trump in an op-ed published in the New York Daily News suggested that "settling doesn't mean innocence."Jun 19, 2019

Can you interrogate children as defendants?

“The key lesson here is that when you’re dealing with children as defendants, you can’t interrogate them them as you would adults. Young people will lie if they are afraid or forced. Prosecutors should know that.”—

Why was there a rush to find out who committed this crime?

There was a rush to find out who committed this crime because of the media attention, but the political climate always plays a significant role in how they choose to proceed with a case.

Why did Chicago police put public defenders in police precincts?

In Chicago, they started putting public defenders in police precincts for this very reason because that’s where violations of constitutional rights begins.

Why was the Central Park Five case exonerated?

Because of the great publicity surrounding the case, the exoneration of the Central Park Five highlighted the issue of false confession. The issue of false confessions has become a major topic of study and efforts at criminal justice reform, particularly for juveniles. Juveniles have been found to make false confessions and guilty pleas at a much higher rate than adults.

What happened in Central Park?

The Central Park jogger case (events also referenced as the Central Park Five case) was a criminal case in the United States over the aggravated assault and rape of a white woman in Manhattan 's Central Park on April 19, 1989, occurring during a string of other attacks in the park the same night.

How long did the jury deliberate before the verdict?

The jury deliberated for 10 days before rendering its verdict on August 18. Each of the three youths was acquitted of attempted murder, but convicted of assault and rape of the female jogger, and convicted of assault and robbery of John Loughlin, a male jogger who was badly beaten that night in Central Park.

When was the Central Park rape?

Later after the Central Park rape, when public attention was on the theory of a gang of young suspects, a brutal attack took place in Brooklyn on May 3, 1989. A 30-year-old black woman was robbed, raped and thrown from the roof of a four-story building by three young men.

Who was the jogger who robbed John Loughlin?

Jermaine Robinson, 15, was indicted on multiple counts of robbery and assault in the attacks on Lewis and John Loughlin, another jogger near the reservoir. In a plea deal, he pleaded guilty on October 5, 1989, to the robbery of Loughlin and was sentenced to a year in a juvenile facility.

What happened on April 19, 1989?

on April 19, 1989, a group of an estimated 30–32 teenagers who lived in East Harlem entered Manhattan 's Central Park at an entrance in Harlem, near Central Park North. Some of the group committed several attacks, assaults, and robberies against people who were either walking, biking, or jogging in the northernmost part of the park and near the reservoir, and victims began to report the incidents to police.

How long did the second trial of Kevin Richardson last?

The second trial, of Kevin Richardson and Korey Wise, began October 22, 1990 and also lasted about two months, ending in December. Kevin Richardson, 14 years old at the time of the crime, had been free on $25,000 bail before the trial.

Who is Linda Fairstein?

Nancy R. SchiffGetty Images. Former prosecutor Linda Fairstein oversaw the interrogation and trial of the " Central Park Five ," as depicted in Netflix series When They See Us. In the wake of the series, she's become the subject of great backlash. Now, Linda has sued Netflix for defamation. Thirty years might have passed since Linda Fairstein led ...

Who was the Central Park Jogger?

The "Central Park Jogger," as she would become known, had been brutally beaten, raped, and left for dead. The jogger, who we now know was Trisha Meili, would ultimately survive her attack, but the city of New York was hungry for justice to be served.

Did the Central Park Five go to jail?

Still, they were found guilty in their 1990 trials and went on to serve years-long sentences in prison.

Netflix series spurs calls for action

Williams noted the recent release of the Netflix miniseries “When They See Us” in his letter to Vance, calling it a “new opportunity to seek justice.”

Widespread backlash for Fairstein and Lederer

The release of “When They See Us” has sparked widespread backlash against both Fairstein and Lederer.

Discussion Questions

1. Do you see instances of cognitive dissonance in this case study? Explain.

Bibliography

Sarah Burns, The Central Park Five: A Chronicle of a City Wilding (2011).

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The Crime

The Flimsy Case Against The Central Park Five

  • In the immediate aftermath of the crime, officers from the New York City Police Department (NYPD) put the focus on six African American and Hispanic American teenagers: Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise. It was these five who allegedly confessed to the crime under pressure from the NYPD. The supposed “confessions” w…
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The Wrongful Convictions

  • Despite the unreliability of the confessions, the overwhelming scientific research that shows that false confessions are common, and the total lack of physical evidence tying any of the boys to the brutal attack, they were convicted of a number of different crimes, including rape and assault in 1991.
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The Exoneration

  • In 2001, the case received new attention. Matias Reyes, a serial rapist and convicted murder who was serving life in prison in New York, confessed to the crime. His DNA was tested and compared to a sample that was recovered near the scene of the brutal attack — it matched. There was also additional evidence that confirmed that Reyes, not the Central Park Five, committed the attack. …
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The Civil Settlement

  • Following their clear exoneration, the Central Park Five filed a civil lawsuit against the City of New York for, among other things, malicious and wrongful prosecution. For more than a decade, the New York officials refused to settle the claim. However, in 2014, following the election of New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, the city finally relented and agreed to settle the Civil Rights lawsuit for …
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Who Wields The Power?

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“One of the central pieces of our work is trying to shed some light on the tremendous authority prosecutors have in the criminal justice system. This is an egregious example of prosecutorial misconduct, but this also illustrates that prosecutors hold the keys, who gets charged, and how to evaluate evidence. The t…
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Children as Defendants

  • “Before I went to law school, I was a paralegal on that case, sitting at the trial table representing Yusuf Salaam, so I remember this case well. From my perspective, from where I was on the case, there was an interesting dirty trick played by the prosecution, but it wasn’t unlawful or unethical. It’s just the way the law works. When they showed the [defendants] confessions to the jury, the n…
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Know Your Rights

  • “Obviously the movie has dug up some really intense emotions for a lot of people, myself included. However, from a legal aspect, there were lines crossed and ethical rules that were completely ignored. I do believe the prosecutors failed those boys, and if the story is correct, the way it’s been portrayed I think they violated ethics as attorneysespecially by coercing confession…
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The Larger Message

  • “I would go as far to say that the prosecutor and the police in this case set out to respond to the press and sort of bargained away justice in the lives of young, Black men. The drive to solve the crime, to manipulate the timeline, to even create the timeline, the way in which the children and their families were handled to get the confessions, those all undermined and undercut justice. Y…
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A Broken System of Inequality

  • “It’s interesting to see the interrogation process those children were put through without access to counsel. In Chicago, they started putting public defenders in police precincts for this very reason because that’s where violations of constitutional rights begins. READ MORE: When They See Us’ sparking calls for Linda Fairstein book boycott Another issue is with prosecutorial misconduct a…
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Overview

The Central Park jogger case (events also referenced as the Central Park Five case) was a criminal case in the United States over the aggravated assault and rape of a woman in Manhattan's Central Park on April 19, 1989, occurring at the same time as an unrelated string of other attacks in the park the same night. Five black and Latino youths were convicted of assaulting the woman, and served sentences ranging from six to twelve years. All later had their charges vacatedafter a …

Aftermath

Lawyers for the five defendants repeated their assessment that Trump's advertisements in 1989 had inflamed public opinion about the case. After Reyes confessed to the crime and said he acted alone, defense counselor Michael W. Warren said, "I think Donald Trump at the very least owes a real apology to this community and to the young men and their families." Protests were held outside Trump …

Attacks

At 9 p.m. on April 19, 1989, a group of an estimated 30 to 32 teenagers who lived in East Harlem entered Manhattan's Central Park at an entrance in Harlem, near Central Park North. Some of the group committed several attacks, assaults, and robberies against people who were either walking, biking, or jogging in the northernmost part of the park and near the reservoir, and victim…

Trisha Meili

Patricia Ellen Meili was born on June 24, 1960 in Paramus, New Jersey, and raised in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh. She is the daughter and youngest of three children of John Meili, a Westinghouse senior manager, and his wife Jean, a school board member. She attended Upper St. Clair High School, graduating in 1978.
Meili was a Phi Beta Kappa economics major at Wellesley College, where she received a B.A.in 19…

Arrests and investigation

The police were dispatched at 9:30 pm and responded with scooters and unmarked cars. Through the night, they apprehended about 20 teenagers. They took custody of Raymond Santana, 14; and Kevin Richardson, 14; along with three other teenagers at approximately 10:15 pm on Central Park Westand 102nd Street. Steven Lopez, 14, was arrested with this group within an hour of …

Indictments

• Michael Briscoe, 17, was initially arrested for the rape of the female jogger, but his indictment was for riot and assault related to the attack of David Lewis, one of the four male joggers near the reservoir. In a plea deal arranged in June 1990, he pleaded guilty to assault and was immediately sentenced to a year in prison, with credit for time served.
• Jermaine Robinson, 15, was indicted on multiple counts of robbery and assault in the attacks on Lewis and John Loughlin, another jogge…

Pretrial evidence

Four of the five had confessedto police about other attacks in the park in other areas on the night of April 19, including the assault and robbery of John Loughlin, to which they said they were witnesses or participants. Salaam's unsigned statement also covered the range of actions and crimes. According to The New York Times, their accounts of these other attacks were accurate, unlike their confessions to the assault on the jogger. Only Wise made any statement about the d…

Trials

In 1990 the six suspects (including Steve Lopez) indicted in the attack on the female jogger and other crimes were scheduled for trial. The prosecution arranged to try the six defendants in the Meili case in two separate groups. This enabled them to control the order in which certain evidence would be introduced to the court.
Lopez was scheduled to be tried in January 1991, after the two other groups of defendants in th…