There’s so much history behind the ‘Exonerated Five’ members at the DNC

In 1989, then-influential businessman Donald Trump took out full-page ads following a horrific attack on a woman jogging in Central Park, essentially calling for the death penalty for the alleged culprits, subsequently known as the Central Park Five.

Content warning for discussion of rape.

At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this past Thursday night, four of the five men now going as the “Exonerated Five” were present and offered their collective endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris and running mate/Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. They also explained how the actions of the eventual president irreparably harmed them and their communities.

Even following their 2002 exoneration, cleared by a confession and DNA evidence, and after years served, Donald Trump has declined to apologize for the damage caused.

Who are these men, and what are the facts of the case?

The Central Park jogger case concerned the assault and rape of a 28-year-old female runner Trisha Meile, who was attacked on the evening of April 19, 1989. She was later found 300 feet off her usual roadway, in a ravine, naked, gagged, and tied. She had suffered a severe skull fracture, blood loss, and hypothermia. It was stated that it appeared she had been tortured and was in a coma for 12 days.

There had been multiple reports of assaults and muggings on that night. Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise (all age 16 and under) were eventually arrested and charged for the attack, but only following alleged coercion and gross malfeasance for the New York Police Department. For example, Wise had only come to the station with Salaam out of support because they were friends, and wound up in their crosshairs.

The group told the police they had been in a larger group of 30 young people, in which some committed crimes. But they all claimed that they had been intimidated into various confessions—four of which were videotaped—though each was recanted. It was found the kids were interrogated by police for hours leading up to their coerced confessions, without lawyers or their parents.

Salaam wrote in a 2016 Washington Post editorial that “the police deprived [the boys] of food, drink or sleep for more than 24 hours.”

Media and trials

In the ensuing racially-charged media frenzy, Donald Trump spent an estimated $85,000 ($215,000 in 2024 dollars) for full-page ads in the city’s four major newspapers, calling for the return of the death penalty for murder. Though generally condemned, the ads and Trump’s continued public pressure struck chords with the, we’ll say, “tough on crime” crowd. The attention figured heavily into coming trials.

All five, and Steven Lopez, were indicted for attempted murder and charges for the physical and sexual assault of Meili. Lopez’s charges were later dropped as he pleaded guilty to robbing a male jogger. In the first trial in August 1990, McCray, Salaam, and Santana were convicted of the rape and assault of Meili, and also assault and robbery of another male jogger. In December, Richardson was convicted of attempted murder, rape, assault, and robbery, while Wise was convicted of sexual abuse and assault.

There was no physical evidence linking the boys to Meili’s rape and assault; the evidence used was the recanted confessions. Because the entire case essentially hinged on the admissions, Salaam, in his case, sought to have the court suppress his statement, since it was made without parental presence, as state law requires for minors aged 15 and under. The highly problematic Judge Thomas B. Galligan deemed the boys’ statements admissible, ruling they were voluntary. In a bit of an unusually spiteful action, especially given age is readily verifiable, the judge said that Salaam had lied to the police about his age—Salaam told them he was 16—and that he should not benefit from his deception.

Four boys were sentenced to 5–10 years in a juvenile facility, including Salaam, in an instance for which age suddenly could be considered. However, Wise, who had only been at the police station to support his friend, would end up in the worst situation of the kids, if in a relative sense. He had already been held at Rikers Island because he was 16 years old (considered an adult by New York statute), and received 5–15 years. He was subjected to traumatic abuses and violence, requiring multiple prison moves and extended stretches in solitary confinement.

“One of the things that really struck me was when Korey said to me, ‘There is no Central Park Five. It was four plus one. And no one has told that story,'” When They See Us director Ava Duvernay told Town & Country. “I think it’s important for people to understand the depths of what it means to be incarcerated in adult prisons in this country.”

Santana was first released from the correctional system in 1995, and then McCray a year later. Both Salaam and Richardson left prison in 1997. Wise remained in prison until 2002.

Exonerations

Despite the glaring lack of evidence, all the appeals for each were unsuccessful. But in 2002, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office conducted a reinvestigation based on the confession of convicted murderer and serial rapist Matias Reyes, with DNA evidence confirming his involvement in the crime. Reyes encountered Wise in 2001 at the Auburn Correctional Facility in upstate New York by happenstance. Shortly after, he told a corrections officer that he raped Meili and had committed the crime by himself. The NYPD did not have a DNA database until five years after the crimes were committed, so the police had no avenue to match DNA with potential suspects, which likely would have prevented the Central Park Five’s cases from even reaching court. Reyes had raped four women in 1989 alone, including Meili. He had killed one woman and was sentenced to over 33 years after pleading guilty.

The New York Supreme Court vacated the convictions of all five, with their names also removed from the state’s sex offender registry. In 2022, Lopez’s conviction was also overturned and vacated.

The five exonerees filed civil lawsuits against New York City, and the city eventually settled for $41 million in 2014 and gained additional settlements in 2016, totaling $3.9 million from the State of New York.

Media representation and impact

The stories would lead to books, podcasts, and other media reflections on the case—even a well-received opera by famed composer Anthony Davis. Of particular note is the well-watched Ken Burns 2012 documentary, which explored systemic issues in New York City’s criminal justice system. Ava DuVernay’s aforementioned tragic four-part Netflix series When They See Us (2019) pushed the story back into the national zeitgeist. It features a spectacular performance by Jharrel Jerome, who claimed an Emmy for his portrayal of Wise.

Where are they now?

Trisha Meili was given her last rites while in a coma and awakened, unable to talk or walk. She underwent extensive therapy at an acute care facility in Connecticut and mostly recovered physically—less ongoing balance and vision disabilities. She would return to work at an investment bank, wrote a memoir, and became a noted public speaker. She does not recall the hour before the attack nor any events until six weeks after—weeks after she had awakened from her coma.

Yusef Salaam became a board member of the Innocence Project and a motivational speaker. He also proposed requiring police interrogations to be recorded from start to finish and training to protect against misidentification. Salaam went on to win the open 9th District (Central Harlem) seat on the New York City Council.

Antron McCray moved to Maryland after his release and now lives and works in Georgia. In a talk with Oprah during the release of the Netflix series, he admitted to still suffering trauma: “I’m damaged. I need help. I know it, but I just try to keep myself busy.”

Raymond Santana was incarcerated again for possession of crack cocaine in 1998 and released in 2002, after the vacated sentence in the previous case lowered the possession sentence. He later started a clothing brand, Park Madison NYC.

Kevin Richardson lives in New Jersey and has advocated for criminal justice reform.

Korey Wise is also an advocate for reform and is a public speaker. In 2015, Wise gave $190,000 to the Innocence Project at the University of Colorado Law School. In turn, the institution renamed the student-led program the Korey Wise Innocence Project at Colorado Law.

Donald Trump, using the same dog whistle he learned to blow in taking out the disgusting ads in 1989, would go on to become the 45th president of the United States.