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Wrongly
Convicted Database
Record
|
Years
Imprisoned:
|
6.5 |
Charge: |
Rape, Robbery and Sodomy |
Sentence: |
5-10 yrs |
Year Convicted: |
1990 |
Year
Cleared:
|
2002 |
Location
of Trial:
|
New York |
Result:
|
Judicially Exonerated (either after completion of sentence or while released on appeal) |
Summary
of Case:
|
"One of 5 NY Wilding defendants wrongly convicted of raping a 28 year old women in NY's Central Park on April 19, 1989. It was referred to in the media at the time as a brutal "wilding" by out of control youth. All five youths were arraigned on April 23, 1989 after falsely confessed under the pressure of police coercion. All five were convicted in 1990 in two separate trials, based on nothing except their false confessions. In January 2002 a man confessed to the rape, and said no one else participated. The available physical evidence, including the attackers sperm and two of the attackers hairs were tested and matched the confessors DNA. Two blond hairs found on one of the youths and portrayed by prosecutors as belonging to the victim, were found after DNA testing in 2002 to not be from the victim. The victim was knocked unconscious and never identified any of the five innocent youths as her attacker. They were simply seen in Central Park around the time of her attack. However, it was established they were in another part of the park and could not have gotten to where she was attacked in time to have attacked her. Conviction vacated on December 19, 2002." |
Conviction
Caused By:
|
False confession coerced by police pressure. The confessions were obviously fake because the details given by the youths didn't match what was known about the crime scene and the victim. No physical evidence implicated any of the youths in the crime. |
Innocence
Proved By:
|
Confession by the actual attacker in January 2002, and his guilt was established by his DNA matching sperm and hairs found on the victim and that was tested after his confession.
|
Defendant
Aided By:
|
Innocence Project at Cardozo SL |
Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Found? |
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Age
When Imprisoned:
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14 |
Age
When Released:
|
21 |
Information Source 1: |
"It's Time' New Confession Casts Doubt on Convictions in 1989 Central Park Attack," ABC News, September 26, 2002" |
Information
Location 1:
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http://abcnews.go.com/sections/primetime/DailyNews/centralpark_rape_020926.html |
Information
Source 2:
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Prosecutor Seeks the Reversal of Convictions in Jogger Case, Robert D. McFadden and Susan Saulny, NY Times, 12-6-02 |
Information
Location 2:
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http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/06/nyregion/06JOGG.html?pagewanted=1 |
Information
Source 3:
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Information
Location 3:
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Information
Source 4:
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Information
Location 4:
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Information
Source 5:
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Information
Location 5:
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Ethnicity/Skin:
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Black |
Book
About
Case:
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Book
Information:
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Book About Case (2): |
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Book Information (2): |
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Movie About Case: |
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Comments About Case: |
Falsely confessed |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org