Central Park Jogger Case
Crimes in the case
There are different crimes established under the Central Park Jogger Case citing the different suspects. The case involved the rape and brutal assault of Trisha Meili a 28-year-old investment banker. The case resulted in public outcry, quick arrests, and subsequent conviction of five back and Latino teens Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam, and Antron McCray.
The teens were charged differently in the case. Korey, Salaam, and McCray were charged as juveniles with second-degree assault and unlawful assembly while Richard and Santana were charged with unlawful assembly (Stratton, 2015). Additionally, upon the confession of a serial rapist and murderer Matias Reyes other crimes of malicious prosecution, emotional distress, and racial discrimination were established against New York City by the Central Park Five.
Case Summary
Trisha Meili’s body was discovered lying in New York City Central Park on the morning of April 20, 1989. Trisha had been beaten and raped and she remained in a coma for two weeks and lost memory of the attack. Trisha had visited the park for a night jog before the brutal attack (Killebrew, 2019). The attack resulted in a widespread public outcry that resulted in the quick arrest and subsequent conviction of five black and Latino Lorey wise, Raymond Santana, Yusef Salaam, Kevin Richardson, and Antron McCray commonly referred to as the Central Park Five.
Richardson and Santana were arrested on April 19 for unlawful assembly before the police learned of the jogger attack thus they were linked to the brutal attack. Soon after Korey, McCray and Salaam were brought for questioning (Killebrew, 2019). The five were arrested before 11 pm at the park and they were linked to the rape and brutal attack of the jogger.
The three (Korey, McCray, and Salam) were charged with second-degree assault and unlawful assembly. Richard and Santana were both charged with unlawful assembly. Subsequently, the five teens confessed on a videotape following hours of interrogation of their different charges. The five were convicted in two trials in 1990. However, they later recanted their confessions citing that they were coerced during the interrogation (Killebrew, 2019). This was after shocking confessions by a serial rapist and murderer Matias Reyes that he was involved in the Trisha attack. The DNA results of Matias matched with those found on the crime scene that made him guilty of the assault and rape of Trisha.
Ruling in the case
In the two trials of 1990, the five men were convicted. Korey was found guilty of assault, sexual abuse, and riot. Richardson was found guilty of attempted murder, rape, robbery, assault, and riot. Additionally, Salaam, Santana, and McCray were found guilty of rape, assault, robbery, and riot (Bearsley and Teresa, 2017). They spent between six to thirteen years behind the bars. Korey was to serve a 13years sentence while the other four were to serve seven years each.
Upon the shocking confession of Matias in the involvement in the assault and death of Trisha Meili and the positive matching of DNA linking Matias to the crime, the New York Supreme Court Justice vacated the convictions of five previously accused men.
In 2003 the Central Park Five filed a lawsuit against New York City for racial discrimination, malicious prosecution, and emotional distress. The final ruling was that the five men would be compensated for 41 million dollars. The decision was that the payout equaled to about $1 million for every imprisonment rear where four of the men were serving seven years while Korey was serving 13years. Therefore, the court established that the five teens were wrongfully convicted of the assault and rape crimes
Korey`s elements in the case
Korey Wise’s individual elements indicate the personal and natural attributes that link him to the crime of rape and assault of Trisha Meili. At the time of the rape and assault of Trisha, Korey was 16 ears and this aspect would be linked him to the commission of rape and assault (Chang, 2012). At the age is 16 one is considered a minor and not able to make rational decisions thus he was likely to be influenced by emotions to engage in rape and assault for bodily satisfaction. Therefore, failure to make stable and informed decisions and influence by emotion would link Korey to the assault and rape crime.
Korey was the oldest among the Central Five thus he would be considered to be the ring leader of the purported criminal group. In this case, as a leader, he would lead to the function and implementation of the organization’s operations. The teenagers were accused of unlawful assembly meaning that they gathered to plan malicious activities leading to the rape and assault of Trisha (Chang, 2012). Korey`s age played a vital role in the case since he would be legally questioned by detectives without the supervision of a guardian or a parent. Therefore, the fact that Korey is the oldest among the group he would be considered to be involved in the planning and execution of rape and assault thus placing him at the center of the crime.
Korey had hearing issues and a learning disability an issue that would be used to link him with the crime of rape and assault. Korey`s conditions would be used to indicate that he is mentally unstable thus unable to make a rational and reasonable decision thus he would potentially engage in the crime (Chang, 2012). Hearing issues and learning disability is considered to be a personality disorder that makes him vulnerable to pressure and emotion thus he could potentially engage in crime.
Korey`s defense elements
There are different personal elements linked to Korey that would be used to defend his innocence. This case is New York City vs. Korey wise and the defense needs to establish the different elements to prove the innocence of Korey. In this regard, Korey was a law-abiding citizen and thus he does not have a criminal record or history that would be used to support or link him with the current case of rape and assault (Koen, 2018). The fact that at the age of 16 Korey had not being involved in crime or violation of the law provides evidence to delink him with the rape and assault crime.
It is important, that Korey freely accompanied his friend Yusef Salaam to the police department for questioning on the rape and assault of Trish but was not involved in any way in the said crime. The fact that Korey would freely visit and accompany his friend to the police department proves his innocence indicating that he had nothing to do with the crime (Koen, 2018). In the case, that Korey was involved in the rape and assault of Trisha, then would avoid law enforcers and law enforcement agencies as any suspect would do. The confidence and willingness to accompany Salaam show that he is innocent and cannot be linked to the crime.
The defense would not that Korey was maliciously and wrongfully linked to the rape and assault crimes since his name was not originally on the suspect lists. Korey was foreign to the suspect lists and he was merely introduced to it since he was a friend of one of the suspects (Koen, 2018). Therefore, the fact that he was not on the original suspect list indicates his innocence and that he was unfairly and maliciously included in the suspect list.
Possible crimes committed and possible defenses
Korey was convicted of different crimes that included sexual or rape, riot, and assault that could be effectively defended. In this regard, the sexual assault or rape, assault, and riots crime would be defended by the fact that Korey had no criminal history thus he could not engage in any of the said crimes. Consequently, the riot crime would be defended through proofing of the whereabouts of Korey on the night Trisha was raped and assaulted. It is clear that Korey was not together with Salaam or the other suspects thus he could not be linked to rioting. Additionally, on the assault, there was no forensic or otherwise evidence linking Korey to the assault of Trisha.
Additionally, different crime elements can be demonstrated in past cases and how they were established. In this case, the sexual assault crime can be demonstrated as in the case of Bowen v. Cheuvront where the case was proved through the presentation of forensic evidence linking the criminal to the crime. Additionally, assault cases can be proofed through the presentation or medical evidence or report as in the case of Martin v. Yeoham. The defense on the assault can be based on taking action in self-defense.
References
Beardsley, K., & Teresa, C. (2017). The Journey from” Just Us” to Some” Justice”: Ideology and Advocacy, the New York Amsterdam News, and the Central Park Jogger Story. American Periodicals: A Journal of History & Criticism, 27(2), 165-179.
Chang, C. (2012). The Central Park Five. Film Comment, 48(6), 69.
Killebrew, M. (2019). Why They Ignored Us: Ideology and Hypermediation in the Central Park Jogger Case.
Koen, W. J. (2018). Case Study: The Central Park five. The Psychology and Sociology of Wrongful Convictions: Forensic Science Reform, 152.
Stratton, G. (2015). Transforming the Central Park jogger into the Central Park Five: Shifting narratives of innocence and changing media discourse in the attack on the Central Park jogger, 1989–2014. Crime, Media, Culture, 11(3), 281-297.
