April 1989: Assault and arrest of five teenagers

On a cold April night in 1989, New York City's Central Park became the scene of a brutal crime that not only shocked a city but also exposed deep cracks in the American justice system and society. Trisha Meili, a 28-year-old investment banker, was found lifeless in a ditch, brutally assaulted and viciously raped, her skull fractured, and she had lost 75% of her blood. That same night, New York police had arrested several young men in the park in connection with incidents of what the media quickly dubbed "wilding." Among them were five teenagers – Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise – later known as the Central Park Five. Their lives were about to turn into a protracted nightmare of a gross miscarriage of justice.

Pressured interrogations: False confessions coerced

In the hours following their arrest, the five young men, aged just 14 to 16, were subjected to intense and lengthy interrogations. Without lawyers or parents present, they faced immense psychological pressure; Korey Wise, the eldest, was detained for over 30 hours. Raymond Santana later described hearing screams from other rooms and being threatened with the same fate if they did not confess to the violent assault. This pressure resulted in false confessions and self-incriminating statements, which were nonetheless filled with conflicting details about the alleged rape and brutal attack. Only Yusef Salaam consistently refused to sign a confession, despite massive pressure from investigators.

Media verdict: "Wolf Pack's Prey" and Trump's death call

The media seized upon the case with tremendous force, and coverage was often marked by sensationalism and prejudice. Newspapers like the New York Post ran front-page headlines such as "WOLF PACK'S PREY," which dehumanized the young Black and Latino men, portraying them as an inhuman pack – an image that contributed to the widespread racism in the perception of the case. Racist stereotypes flourished, and prominent businessman Donald Trump took out full-page ads in New York newspapers demanding the death penalty for the five teenagers. As historian and author Sarah Burns later noted, they were convicted in the court of public opinion long before the trial even began. One newspaper even warned that gangs of crack-addicted Black youths would soon be assaulting whites in wealthier neighborhoods, further inflaming fears.

1990 trial: Dubious confessions and ignored DNA evidence

When the trial of the Central Park Five took place in 1990, the prosecution relied primarily on the dubious and coerced confessions. Despite the presence of semen traces from the perpetrator on the victim, Trisha Meili, the court declined to allow DNA evidence to be analyzed at that time – a fatal decision with far-reaching consequences. Medical examiners testified about Meili's severe injuries, which they believed supported the theory of a gang rape, a central part of the prosecution's case against the young men. Based on this flimsy and erroneous foundation, the five young men were convicted of assault and rape. Korey Wise, the eldest, was tried as an adult and received a 13-year prison sentence, while the other four were sentenced to terms of 6 to 13 years.

Prison years: Wise's nightmare and families' hidden struggle

In prison, the young men tried to find ways to survive the harsh conditions. Yusef Salaam found strength in Muslim spirituality, and Kevin Richardson immersed himself in music. Korey Wise spent much of his sentence in the notorious Sing Sing prison in the USA, where he experienced extreme loneliness and repeated assaults from other inmates who recognized him from the intense media coverage of the Central Park Five case. Their families struggled privately with the devastating injustice and the consequences of a flawed justice system; Antron McCray's father broke down crying during a court hearing, shouting that they were destroying his son's life.

Turning point 2001: Reyes's confession and DNA revelation

The unexpected and decisive turn in the case came in 2001 when Matias Reyes, a serial rapist and murderer already serving a life sentence for other crimes, confessed to a fellow inmate that he alone was responsible for the brutal assault and rape of Trisha Meili in Central Park. His confession included details about the crime that only the perpetrator could have known, and his DNA matched the semen sample secured from the crime scene – crucial DNA evidence that had previously been ignored. This overwhelming new evidence led to the convictions of the five men – the Central Park Five – being vacated in 2002. This was a late but vital acknowledgment of the miscarriage of justice they had suffered. Nevertheless, both the New York police and the prosecution long maintained their original theory of a gang rape, despite clear contradictory evidence.

Aftermath: Compensation, activism, and legacy impacts

After losing their youth behind bars due to false confessions and a failing justice system, the five men faced the difficult task of rebuilding their lives in freedom. Korey Wise aptly put it: "I went in as a 16-year-old teenager and came out as a 30-year-old man who had lost his youth." In 2014, they reached a settlement with New York City and received $41 million in compensation, but the city still withheld a full official apology or acknowledgment of the systemic failures that led to their wrongful convictions. Today, Yusef Salaam, among others, works as an activist, public speaker, and politically engaged voice fighting against injustice. The Central Park Five case has gained renewed global attention through Ava DuVernay's critically acclaimed 2019 miniseries *When They See Us*, which has brought the harrowing story of racism and miscarriage of justice to a new generation. The story stands as a landmark and painful reminder of how fear, racism, media pressure, and the pursuit of swift justice can lead to catastrophic errors in the legal system. It underscores the vital importance of DNA evidence, protection against coerced confessions, and a fair trial for all, regardless of background. As documentarian Ken Burns, who also made a film about the case, has said, the case is essentially a story about race – the "uncomfortable core of American history" in the USA, which unfortunately continues to manifest and affect the justice system.

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