Convictions quashed in Central Park jogger rape
The courtroom, filled with the family and friends of the defendants, burst into cheers and applause as state Justice Charles Tejada announced his ruling.
"Justice was done," said City Councilman Bill Perkins, a supporter of the five. "Unfortunately, it took 13 years of tribulations for the Central Park Five, not to mention the years of suffering for their families."
The five men weren't in the courtroom to hear yesterday's ruling. All have finished their sentences, though one was reincarcerated for an unrelated crime.
Sharonne Salaam, mother of defendant Yusef Salaam, said her son was now "beyond anger and he's beyond joy. ... We have to improve this system so that only the guilty suffer".
Mr Perkins and defence attorney Michael Warren called for an investigation to determine who was responsible for what the councilman called "this miscarriage of justice."
A year ago, authorities began investigating claims by a serial rapist who said he alone attacked the 28-year-old woman as she jogged in Central Park on April 19, 1989. DNA testing showed semen samples from the scene belonged to Matias Reyes and new forensic tests, more precise than those used a decade ago, failed to link the five convicted men to the rape.
Two weeks ago, District Attorney Robert Morgenthau cited that evidence in recommending all convictions in the case be dropped.
Prosecutors have said they have no plans to retry any of the five.
Lawyers from the police detectives' union tried unsuccessfully to block Judge Tejada's ruling by requesting an evidentiary hearing first.
The primary evidence in the case had been confessions that the five, all black and Hispanic boys ranging in age from 14 to 16 at the time, had made to detectives. Supporters argued the statements were co-erced. Prosecutors also had no forensic evidence to link any of them to the crime scene.
The five, now ages 28 to 30, completed prison sentences ranging from five-and-a-half to 13 years on their convictions. Their lawyers have said they are considering lawsuits.
At the time of the attack, authorities said a roaming gang of youths was in the park for a night of "wilding" randomly attacking anyone who came into their path.
The jogger, a white investment banker, was found near death in a puddle of mud and blood in the north end of the park. She was in a coma for 12 days but eventually recovered. She now lives in Connecticut and works for a non-profit organisation. She is expected to publish a book in April.
