|
|
| Convictions Overturned in N.Y. Jogger Assault |
| By Reuters |
| Published: 12/20/2002 |
|
A judge on Thursday overturned the convictions of five men who went to prison for the highly publicized rape of a female jogger in Central Park 13 years ago, prompting roars of relief and rage in a courtroom packed with the men's families and supporters. Evidence that came to light only this year -- the confession of a serial rapist that he alone attacked the 28-year-old jogger, backed up by DNA tests -- would likely have led to more 'favorable' verdicts for the five men, state Supreme Court Judge Charles Tejada wrote in a 21-page ruling. The five men served seven to 12 years in prison after their convictions in 1990. At the time, all were teenagers. None of the five was in court to hear their names cleared, but family and friends erupted with cheers, applause and hugs that showed a mix of relief, joy and bitterness. 'I'm very angry,' said Delores Wise, mother of one of the men, Kharey Wise. 'They took a 16-year-old kid and put him in a system like Attica (prison). He didn't get a chance. You can't give me back what you have taken from me.' Now, she said, her son is looking for a job, 'and everybody looks at him like he's a freak.' Wise, then 16, Yusef Salaam, then 15, Antron McCray, then 15, Kevin Richardson, then 14 and Raymond Santana, then 14, were convicted of rape, assault, robbery and riot for attacking the jogger as well as a couple on a tandem bicycle, two male joggers and a homeless man. The collapse of one of the city's most wrenching, racially charged criminal cases -- the jogger is white; the five men are black -- began in January when convicted rapist Matias Reyes told authorities he raped the woman, an investment banker who worked at Salomon Bros. Not only did new DNA evidence link Reyes to the crime, but his was the only DNA found at the scene. Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau recommended dismissal of the convictions earlier this month. The five men were convicted largely on the basis of confessions made to police after the April 19, 1989, attack. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think