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The Central Park Jogger Case: A Miscarriage of Justice That Shook America
How five innocent teens were unfairly convicted, and what does their exoneration expose about structural problems with the legal system
About thirty youths arrived in Manhattan’s Central Park late on April 19, 1989. Originally a night of young mischief, allegations of assaults, robberies, and harassment within the park turned the evening into catastrophe.
Among these incidents was one of the most heinous crimes in New York City history: the vicious beating and rape of 28-year-old investment banker Trisha Meili, who had gone jogging that evening.
The case would enthrall the country, aggravate racial tensions, and reveal fundamental flaws in American criminal justice system. For the crime five Black and Latino teenagers — Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, and Korey Wise — were arrested, prosecuted, and found guilty.
Together referred to as the “Central Park Five,” they spent six to thirteen years behind bars until being cleared in 2002. Their narrative tells of endurance, atonement, and reform as well as of injustice.
Examining how the Central Park jogger case developed, why it went so horrifically…
