There was a 6th teen wrongfully accused in 'Central Park 5' case. He was finally exonerated as well on Monday
AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
- Steven Lopez was 15 in 1989 when a white woman was raped in Central Park.
- Lopez was initially among the "Central Park Five" who were wrongfully accused of the crime.
- Lopez, who took a plea deal to a lesser charge at the time, was exonerated Monday.
Steven Lopez — the lesser known 6th defendant in the infamous 1989 "Central Park Five" case — was exonerated Monday.
Lopez was initially among the group of teenagers of color who were wrongfully accused of raping a white woman in Central Park. While his five innocent co-defendants were ultimately convicted based on false confessions elicited by police, Lopez accepted a last-minute plea deal on an unrelated robbery in the park to avoid the more serious charge.
The six teenagers were sentenced to a collective 45 years in prison, according to the New York Times.
On Monday, New York Supreme Court Judge Ellen Biben agreed with District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Lopez' attorney Eric Renfroe that the DNA evidence and confession were not reliable.
"The people would not be able to sustain their burden at trial and therefore the indictment against Mr. Lopez is dismissed," Biben said in court. "Mr. Lopez, we wish you peace and healing."
The "Central Park Five" — Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Korey Wise — were exonerated in 2002 after the real rapist, Matias Reyes, was identified and confessed.
In 2014 that group settled a lawsuit with the City of New York for $41 million and became the subject of films and movies.
Lopez, 48, was not a part of that settlement and his story went relatively unknown.
The case of the "Central Park Five" continues to lead discussions around forced confessions and racism in the criminal justice system.