Central Park jogger case

The Central Park jogger case was a criminal case in the United States based on the assault and rape of Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old white woman who was jogging in the park, and attacks on eight other people, in areas ranging from the North Woods to the Reservoir of Manhattan's Central Park, on the night of April 19, 1989. 

Three of the victims were black or Latino. Meili was so badly injured that she was in a coma for 12 days. 

The New York Times in 1990 described the attack on her as "one of the most widely publicized crimes of the 1980s".

This case is also called the Central Park Five case because of the five suspects accused of rape. The Central Park jogger case famous because it reflects how racial minorities are treated unfairly in the American legal system.

Attacks 
At 9 p.m. on April 19, 1989, a group of teenagers entered Central Park. They began to attack and rob other people in the park.

Victims 
Patricia Eileen Meili was working at an investment bank at the time of the attack. She was living in the Upper East Side of New York City.

Arrests and investigation
Six people were indicted with rape, attempted murder, robbery, and causing a riot:

 Steve Lopez, 14,
 Antron McCray, 15,
 Kevin Richardson, 14,
 Yusef Salaam, 15,
 Raymond Santana, 14, and
 Korey Wise, 16.

Raymond Santana and Kevin Richardson were among the first suspects to be arrested.

On May 1, 1989, Donald Trump took out ads in New York City newspapers. In these ads, he said that the death penalty should be used again and called for the five suspects to be executed. Back then, the state of New York had stopped executing people. 

The Supreme Court said in 1977 during the Coker v. Georgia case that people cannot be executed for committing rape. They knew that false rape accusations were used to kill black men or put them in jail.


Vacated convictions
The convictions of the five suspects were vacated after it was revealed that they were forced to confess.

Also, another man was identified as the rapist. His name was Matias Reyes.

The five men who were convicted sued the city. They got $40 million dollars in all, $1 million for each year they were behind bars. Trump said that the city should not have given them money and that the men didn't have "the pasts of angels."

Aftermath
Trisha Meili
Trisha Meili wrote a book about her experiences. It is called I Am the Central Park Jogger. She is now an inspirational speaker. She talks about sexual assault and brain injury.

Suspects
Antron McCray now lives in Georgia. He is married and has six kids.

Kevin Richardson lives in New Jersey. He is an activist who focuses on reforms in the criminal justice system.

Yusef Salaam lives in Georgia. He is an activist who focuses on reforms in the criminal justice system.

Raymond Santana also lives in Georgia. He is an activist who focuses on reforms in the criminal justice system.

Korey Wise lives in New York City. He changed his name from Karey. He is an activist who focuses on reforms in the criminal justice system.

Donald Trump
It has been claimed that the newspaper ads made Trump look racist. Trump is white, while the suspects were Black and Latino.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump said that the suspects were guilty. 

Trump was later elected as the 45th President of the United States. He was president from 2017 to 2021. As of July 2020, he has never apologized for the newspaper ads.

References

Category:1980s crimes in the United States
Category:1989 in New York (state)
Category:20th century in Manhattan
Category:1989 events
Category:Crime in New York (state)
Category:Rape in the United States
Category:Violence in the United States
Category:April events