who was the attorney in the centeral park five case

by Jan Boyle 10 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

Who are the prosecutors in the Central Park Five case?

Jun 13, 2019 · Nancy Siesel/The New York Times. 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...

What happened to the Central Park Five after they were convicted?

Oct 21, 2002 · “The Central Park Five: About the Case,” by Ken Burns, November 23, 2012, PBS “The Central Park Five, Criminal Justice, and Donald Trump,” by …

What happened in the Central Park jogger case?

Jul 22, 2019 · Robert Mogenthau, New York's longest-serving district attorney who was involved in the notorious "Central Park Five" case, died at the age of 99 on Sunday after a short illness. After working as U...

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

The Central Park Five. In 1989, a young woman jogging in New York’s Central Park was raped and beaten nearly to death. This high-profile attack upon a white investment banker in the heart of the city was quickly called the “crime of the century.”. There was intense public pressure to solve the case and, indeed, the police quickly arrested ...

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Who was the prosecutor in Central Park 5?

prosecutor Linda FairsteinNEW YORK -- Former Manhattan prosecutor Linda Fairstein has sued Netflix and film director Ava DuVernay over her portrayal in the streaming service's miniseries about the Central Park Five case, which sent five black and Latino teenagers to prison for a crime they were later absolved of committing.Mar 19, 2020

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 were the defense attorneys for the Central Park Five?

During the first trial, Robert Burns represented Salaam, while Michael Joseph represented McCray and Peter Rivera represented Santana. Then in the second trial, Howard Diller was Richardson's defense attorney and Colin Moore was Wise's.May 31, 2019

What happened to Da Lederer?

Elizabeth Lederer, who was the lead prosecutor on the case, will not be returning to Columbia Law School as a part-time lecturer this fall, following the fallout from the miniseries. ... (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

What happened to the woman who prosecuted the Central Park 5?

In 1996, while the majority of the Central Park Five were still in prison, Linda began a second career as an author of crime novels. She was still working at the Manhattan D.A.'s office when she published her first novel, Final Jeopardy, which follows fictional New York prosecutor Alexandra Cooper.Mar 19, 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 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 female detective in When They See Us?

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

How old is Antron McCray now?

Antron McCray, 46 Antron leads a relatively quiet life today in Georgia, where he lives with his wife and their six children.Apr 7, 2021

What role did Elizabeth Lederer play in the trials?

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 and Latino boys for rape despite doubts about their guilt.Jun 12, 2019

How old was the Central Park jogger?

On April 19, 1989, 28-year-old Trisha Meili was raped and viciously attacked while jogging in New York City's Central Park.Sep 20, 2019

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 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.

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 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.

Who was the NYPD commissioner who investigated the Central Park jogger case?

Following these events, in 2002, New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly commissioned a panel to review the case, "To determine whether the new evidence [from the Reyes affidavit and related evidence, and Morgenthau's investigation] indicated that police supervisors or officers acted improperly or incorrectly, and to determine whether police policy or procedures needed to be changed as a result of the Central Park jogger case." The panel was chaired by attorney Michael F. Armstrong, the former chief counsel to the Knapp Commission, which in 1972 had documented widespread corruption in the NYPD. Two other attorneys were included: Jules Martin, a former police officer and now New York University Vice President; and Stephen Hammerman, deputy police commissioner for legal affairs. The panel issued a 43-page report in January 2003.

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.

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.

Why did the Central Park Five go to jail?

When the five former teens convicted in the case were finally exonerated, many community leaders decried the miscarriage of justice that sent the Central Park Five to prison. The case became a flashpoint for illustrating racial disparities in sentencing and the inequities at the heart of the criminal justice system.

Why were Richardson and Santana arrested?

Richardson and Santana, both part of the alleged “wolf pack,” were arrested for “unlawful assembly” on April 19, before police learned of the jogger’s attack. They were detained for hours before their parents were eventually called.

When was Trisha Meili's body found?

When Trisha Meili’s body was discovered in New York City’s Central Park early in the morning on April 20, 1989, she had been so badly beaten and repeatedly raped that she remained in a coma for nearly two weeks and retained no memory of the attack.

Where does Richardson live?

Richardson lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters. He works as an advocate for criminal justice reform. McCray lives in Georgia with his wife and six children. Santana also lives in Georgia with his teenage daughter and, in 2018, Santana started his own clothing company called Park Madison NYC.

What happens if you blow your head?

There is extreme swelling of the brain caused by the blows to the head. The probable result is intellectual, physical, and emotional incapacity, if not death. Permanent brain damage seems inevitable.”.

What happened on April 21, 1989?

An April 21, 1989 story in the New York Daily News reported that on the night of the crime, a 30-person gang, or so-called “wolf pack” of teens launched a series of attacks nearby, including assaults on a man carrying groceries, a couple on a tandem bike, another male jogger and a taxi driver.

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).

Who is Eric Reynolds?

Eric Reynolds, NYPD Central Park Precinct. WHAT HE DID: Back in 1989, Officer Eric Reynolds was a 29-year-old cop, raised in the Bronx and was already an eight-year NYPD veteran when the arrests were made in connection with the youths believed to be linked to Meili’s rape.

When do they see us?

Director Ava DuVernay center with the central park 5 Raymond Santana left, Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise, Anthony McCray and Yuesf Salaam attend the world premiere of “When They See Us” at the Apollo Theater on Monday, May 20, 2019, in New York.

Did Michael Sheehan believe the investigation was handled correctly?

WHAT HE DID: No surprise here that former NYPD Det. Michael Sheehan believes the investigation was handled correctly by experienced detectives. However, he also agrees with the others that Reyes’ confession turned the entire case on its head despite the work done by the department to place the five teens at the scene of the crime and that their own words should have prevented their full exoneration.

What happened in 1989?

Back in 1989, the Big Apple was an open, bubbly pot of hell …. April 19, 1989 was the height of the crack epidemic and the city was a hotbed of violence. In the first half of the year, 837 murders were reported, as were 1,600 rapes, more than 43,000 robberies and 34,000 assaults, according to The New York Times.

Did Central Park Five get convicted?

The Central Park Five case has been mostly seen through the eyes of the wrongly convicted, but it took the operatives of the criminal justice system to incarcerate them. They still maintain their stance, despite being proven wrong.

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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 …

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…

Sentencing and appeals

After the guilty verdicts, the judge sentenced the defendants to the maximum for the charges and their ages. The four youths under 16 were sentenced to 5–10 years each. They had been held in a juvenile facility since their arrest. Wise at 16 was tried and sentenced as an adult because of the nature of the violent felony charges against him, under the Juvenile Offender Law of 1978. He was sentenced to 5–15 years.