[reporter 1] It's been six months since the boys were arrested
in the Central Park jogger case.
[reporter 2] Police believe the gang confronted her here,
then dragged her 200 feet into the woods, where the assault took place.
[reporter 3] ...a 28-year-old woman, hitting her with fists and rocks.
Four of them rape her and leave her there, unconscious.
[reporter 4] ...suffered two skull fractures, extreme blood loss,
and hypothermia.
-[reporter 5] ...pants were found near... -[reporter 6] She will not remember
that she was viciously attacked and raped...
[reporter 7] Doctors say the odds the patient will recover
are still stacked against her.
[man] "Details didn't matter because there was no script.
They were coming downtown from a world of crack,
welfare, guns, knives, indifference, and ignorance.
They were coming from a land of no fathers.
They were coming from the wild province of the poor,
and driven by a collective fury brimming with the rippling energies of youth,
their minds teeming with the violent images
of the streets in the movies.
They had only one goal:
to smash, hurt, rob, stomp, rape.
The enemies were rich."
And then...
I need another for emphasis.
Their enemies were white.
Go. Daily News has got a file on these already. Gotta move.
Go.
[reporter 1] Some of the young men who have been arrested in the attack,
so young as to be children, really,
told police they were just out "wilding,"
and that's why so many people are so amazed
-at the tragedy of this occurrence. -[laughter]
"Wilding." New York City police say
that's new teenage slang for rampaging in wolf packs,
attacking people just for the fun of it.
[reporter 2] Today, seven of those teenagers
were arraigned on a long list of charges,
including rape and attempted murder. The case made headlines...
[reporter 3 on TV] Simple and solemn, a makeshift memorial
sits by the side of a road in Central...
[reporter 4 on radio] The victim, a 28-year-old investment banker,
is out of a coma, but remains in serious...
[reporter 5] Some members of the black community charge
that the arrests are a racially motivated rush to judgment.
[man] He's saying that this is racist.
I'm saying, let them decide it in the courtroom before they come out to protest on the sidewalks.
[reporter 6] And then what happened?
[reporter 7] Only two of the suspects, Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam,
have posted bail.
The other suspects were denied bail today at a raucous hearing
that turned into a screaming match.
Korey Wise, the only 16-year-old of the pack,
will stay in holding at Rikers Island.
[reporter 8] From atop Trump Tower, New York's most flamboyant billionaire
-looks out over Central Park... -And a pack of Newports.
[reporter 8] ...where police say a pack of teenagers
attacked a 28-year-old jogger.
You better believe that I hate the people
that took this girl and raped her brutally.
You better believe it.
[reporter 8] Trump put his money where his mouth is
by taking out this full-page ad in four New York City newspapers.
"Bring Back the Death Penalty."
Trump spent $85,000 on the ad...
[cell door closes]
[distant siren wailing]
[key turns in lock]
[handcuffs rattling]
How you been, man?
[cell door closes]
[key turns in lock]
Holding it down.
[Kevin] Hey, Korey.
What's up, man?
You ready for today?
-What is it? -Some pretrial...
-something. I don't-- -All right.
That's okay. I done that.
Just a step to get you to the big trial.
Y'all together in juvie?
Uh-huh. Yeah.
Um, but I'm out soon, so...
My mom's...
almost got the bail...
the bail money from church, so...
[Kevin sniffs]
[poignant music playing]
I wish I was, uh...
I wish I was in there with y'all.
When you turn 16?
La... Last year.
Last year.
Where Kane? Yusef...
Um...
he got... he got bailed out...
a little while ago.
You know what he told me, though?
The only reason that you got...
you got caught up in all of this...
is 'cause you went down there to the station with him.
To help him out, man.
To be there for him.
He's my friend.
Yeah.
[vehicle horn blares]
Thanks for all your help, Reverend.
[Sharonne] Yeah, thank you so much, truly.
We wouldn't have made bail without you.
My pleasure, honor, and duty.
We put together a little fund for all the families.
There's a lot of folks supporting these boys, know that.
Yeah, well, we appreciate that, but...
Yusef's case is not like the other boys.
They talked themselves into they mess.
That's not fair.
[Sharonne laughs]
"Fair"?
[reporters shouting questions]
[reporter 1] Is there anything you would like to say?
[reporter 2] Are you glad your son is home?
[shouting continues]
[reporter 2] Ms. Salaam, are you worried about the verdict?
Have you been in touch with the parents of the other boys?
Do you have any response to Donald Trump calling for the death penalty
for your son?
[crowd chanting] No peace! No justice!
What did you say?
[reporter 2] Donald Trump is calling for the death penalty.
[reverend] Mr. Trump...
...is a real estate hustler...
[tearfully] What did she say? [sobbing]
[Sharonne] What did she say?
[inaudible speech]
You watch them grow.
You know?
And you start to think you did a good job.
You know?
[TV news report playing in background]
-Girl, no. -[Deloris] Listen,
if there was ever a time you gonna drink, you need to drink now.
[Donald Trump on TV] And I think sometimes a black may think
that they don't really have the advantage or this or that,
but in actuality, today, currently,
it's a great...
I've said on occasion,
even about myself, if I were starting off today,
I would love to be a well-educated black,
because I really believe they do have an actual advantage today.
[TV news report continuing in background]
What is a black?
[sighs] I don't know.
But, hell, maybe he's right.
Sometimes you gotta ask yourself,
when is the white man gonna get a break in this country?
[both chuckling]
Girl, don't make me laugh.
Huh!
[Sharonne] They need to keep that bigot off TV is what they need to do.
Don't worry about it.
His 15 minutes almost up.
They want to kill my son.
That devil...
wants to kill my son.
You gonna take an ad out
about killing my son.
They gonna have to come for me first.
Better yet, I'll come for him.
Ain't nobody going nowhere.
I think this will be what scholars call "a piece of cake."
Who are we dealing with?
[man] Robert Burns. He's a divorce lawyer in Harlem.
And when I tell you that's the full extent of his practice,
-that's the full extent of his practice. -[Burns] Yusef.
-Hey. -[Sharonne] Hi.
-[Burns] Good to see you, sister. -[Sharonne] You too.
[Burns] It's gonna be okay.
-You know I got your back, right? -You always have.
Always have.
[man] Burns has no record of criminal law,
and he's representing Yusef Salaam at the trial.
Next, we have Mickey Joseph,
a criminal defense lawyer for the Legal Aid Society.
He'll defend Antron McCray.
-[Lederer] I know him. -[man] Yeah?
He's stronger than you think.
-So, Mr. Joseph, what's gonna happen-- -Mickey, please.
How would you feel if I called you Mr. McCray? Like an old fogey, right?
-Yeah, I guess. -[Joseph laughs]
[man] For Korey Wise, there's some guy he's got named Colin Moore.
He's, I don't know, some kind of activist. He's working pro bono.
I can't imagine how you feel not having him by your side,
but I'm going to use everything I know how to get him back to you.
You ever hear of this guy Peter Rivera?
Uh, there was an ADA in the Bronx named Peter Rivera.
One and the same. He's also a former cop,
and I have it on good authority that he has political aspirations.
-[Lederer] And who is he representing? -[man] Santana.
[Santana] Mr. Rivera?
-[Rivera] Mr. Santana. -Nice to meet you.
[man] The last guy they got repping Kevin Richardson is Howard Diller.
You are such a good-looking family.
Maybe we should get you out there more,
show the public there's nothing to worry about here.
-Can I help you up the-- No? Okay. -No, I'm fine.
[man] I found something on him we can use if it comes to that.
Like I said...
piece of cake.
[Lederer] Okay.
So, you see a couple of bad suits and cheap haircuts
and you figure "game over"?
Let me tell you what I see.
Opportunity.
This is an opportunity for every one of those guys
to make a name for themselves,
to be the victor in something high-profile for once,
attention for once, respect for once.
So, don't underestimate how that drives a person.
They are coming at it with everything they got.
Well, we are too.
[Joseph] Okay, let's start with the biggest challenge:
the admissions of guilt that the boys made in the police station.
The judge ruled the confession tapes are admissible.
Now, we all know they should be interpreted as coercion and thrown out.
Unfortunately, that's not the case, but there is some good news.
The DNA evidence from the cervical swab is inconclusive,
which means that there wasn't enough semen present in the victim to test
and it cannot be matched to anybody else.
Reports are that the victim, Patricia Meili,
has no recollection of the incident.
So, there's no reason for the prosecution to call her as a witness.
So, no physical evidence,
no eyewitness.
The people's case is weak.
[whispering] That's some chickenshit. Like hers is the only one that's innocent.
-[Sharonne] I didn't say he was. -You didn't have to, Miss Thing,
'cause your shirt is saying it for you.
They said they found that woman's hair in Kevin's underpants.
But of course we don't believe it.
But how are they saying that?
I mean, how are they gonna prove something that didn't happen?
And can they say it in the news like it's real with no proof?
I mean, I know they can, but...
can we do something about it?
They're saying they found hair that looked like the victim's, ma'am.
Hair analysis is notoriously unreliable.
Hey, don't worry, we're gonna get an expert
to challenge the science for Kevin.
Not only is there no physical evidence, the confessions are riddled with conflict.
A jury will see that.
We'll show that your boys were coerced by law enforcement.
They will, 'cause my son, Ray, he didn't even eat for a day and a half.
You know, I went to work
and I came back and they were still going at him.
Okay?
And now, you know...
Well, he's in there still and I ain't even got money for bail
-and I don't know how much-- -[Rivera] Ray.
-It's fine. -Yeah, I'm sorry.
-[Rivera] It's okay. -They told us that Tron was coming home.
[Joseph] And promises for cooperation are illegal.
This whole thing is illegal.
[button clicks]
[Korey] That's when we came towards the rape.
[Lederer] Who is "we"?
-[Korey] Me... -[beep]
-[Korey] And... -[beep]
-[Korey] Yes. -[beep]
[Korey] ...ran in back of her and she turned around...
[beep]
Sounds like the damn Emergency Broadcasting System.
That's what it sounds like when you comply with the Bruton rule
during a five-defendant trial.
So, we got the tapes in, but we can't use them.
[Morgenthau] Because they're all implicating each other and not themselves.
You know what we have to do here?
We have to separate the trials.
It tanks the gang narrative, though.
Not five trials. Two, maybe three.
We just have to find the right combination of defendants
that requires the least amount of editing of the tapes.
Good. Let's dig into it.
They're not gonna separate themselves.
[indistinct conversation]
We want a separate trial.
Well...
we all want separate trials.
Look, if the jury sees all five of those boys together,
they're gonna think "wolf pack."
It's no good. I agree.
But the prosecution's never gonna agree to five separate trials.
Yusef never made a tape.
He never signed a statement.
I got him out of there before Fairstein and those cops could trap him.
So you're trying to say it's our fault our boys are on tape?
-I didn't say that. -No, don't say that.
-I didn't say that. I said... -[Deloris] What you saying?
...our situations differ.
One thing we need to do more of is control the narrative.
People like Al Sharpton can help with that.
Oh, I don't know. I think it's a mistake to make this about race.
-[Deloris] Sweet Jesus. -[Sharonne] What? Why?
Tell that to Trump.
-Exactly. -[Ray Sr.] Rivera.
Psst, Rivera, you wanna just jump in there?
The DA at some point is gonna want to talk about a deal.
I know you all want to believe that your sons are innocent, but--
-[Deloris] My-- -[Sharonne] They are!
We are innocent! We ain't touch that lady.
We're innocent! We didn't do this!
[Rivera] You need to understand, all of you,
that this case was assigned
to Part 59 of the New York State Supreme Court.
That's Galligan's court.
Why is that a big deal?
One, they didn't spin the wheel and...
Wait, what...
what type of law did you say you practice?
[inhales sharply]
I'm a divorce attorney.
I handled Sharonne's case.
Judge assignments are supposed to happen by spinning a wheel, so it's random.
They didn't do that with this case. They gave it to Galligan.
Rikers Island,
they call it Galligan's Island.
Ten times out of nine, he sides with the state.
They don't plan to lose this case.
Shit.
-Can they do that? -[Joseph] It's already done.
But we're not.
[Morgenthau] We have useless tape,
we've lost our gang narrative,
we can't find DNA.
We have a sock.
Those little bastards shot their wad into a sock, thinking we wouldn't find it,
but we found it.
We have DNA. Good.
The match will nail this thing down.
How did the NYPD miss this?
Who cares? We have it now.
And the kicker is none of the defense is aware yet.
So, we can test it right before the trial.
Surprise!
Surprise.
[reporter] ...the accused Harlem teenagers, most 14 or 15 years old.
Initial reports suggested they were quiet kids from stable homes,
but neighbors now say some of the boys
had been bad for a while.
One of the boys, Kevin Richardson, was an aspiring trumpet player.
Another boy, Antron McCray,
had dreams of becoming a professional baseball player.
-The trial will finally get underway... -[man] Bobby, time to go home.
-Go see that wife of yours. -[reporter] ...Yusef Salaam,
-Raymond Santana, and Antron McCray. -[Bobby] Okay, Dave. See you tomorrow.
[reporter] The jury selection took an unusual length of time,
as there were over 500 potential jurors.
[woman on news report] The violence and quality of life in this city
is getting worse and worse every day.
[coins clinking]
[phone ringing]
-Hello? -[Bobby] Hey.
-Hey. Everything okay? -[Bobby] Yeah, yeah.
Just calling to let you know I ain't gonna make it home tonight.
Dave got caught up with some mess.
So I'm gonna stay back and work the double.
Okay.
-You sure there's nobody else who can-- -[Bobby] No. I'm gonna stay and do it.
[Linda] Bobby, tomorrow's the first day of trial.
[laughs] Ain't like we don't need the extra money, right?
All right, yeah.
Okay.
Yeah, look, I gotta get back to work now.
I love you.
[Linda] I love you too.
Bye.
[replaces receiver]
[distant siren wailing]
[Antron] He's probably out there with a cab for us.
You know how he do sometimes. I'll bet he's there at the gate.
Just watch. I bet he's there.
[Antron] He ain't here.
He coming with us?
I don't know, baby. It's...
[sighs]
There's a lot going on right now, okay?
Everybody's just doing their best.
Come on.
[poignant music playing]
[reporter] In one of the most anticipated trials in New York State history,
three of the attackers from the Central Park jogger case
go before a Manhattan jury today.
Five teens are charged with multiple criminal counts,
including rape, sexual abuse, and assault.
All eyes are on District Attorney Elizabeth Lederer,
who's representing the victim in one of the most horrific crimes
this city has seen.
-[reporter 1] Ms. Lederer, a moment! -[reporter 2] Ms. Lederer!
One question!
[reporters shouting questions]
[crowd chanting] Protect the black youth! Protect the black youth!
I'm here with Elombe and Nomsa Brath,
two of Harlem's most prominent activists and community leaders.
We are here to assert the position for the families
and many in our community
that there is injustice happening here.
Injustice occurred in that precinct when young boys, underage boys,
were questioned without their parents,
and were coerced by police and prosecutors
to make false confessions, leading to where we are today.
We are here to point the finger at the white press who have failed.
You have failed to properly investigate this.
You have failed to ask the right questions.
[in Spanish] How do you feel about people calling your son a rapist?
Why are you repeating this shit?
You don't know how we are suffering. My son is innocent.
You don't know him. Don't make presumptions about him.
[in English] You've been spoon-fed a story and you've eaten it up.
-But we're not here for stories. -[woman] That's right!
-[Elombe] We're here for the facts. -[man] That's right!
-[Elombe] For the truth. -[man] That's right!
[Elombe] And the facts are that these boys are not a wolf pack.
[crowd chanting]
[Elombe] They're not animals.
[woman yelling indistinctly]
[Elombe] They're not thugs.
[Nomsa] These boys, they are ours...
and we will fight for them.
["Love & Hate" by Michael Kiwanuka playing]
[elevator bell pings]
[Joseph] Neat trick getting Galligan assigned.
Real magical.
[Lederer] And congratulations to you on getting the trials separated.
[Joseph] Oh, do we get credit for that?
I'm sure it didn't have anything to do with cutting those videos down
into nothing more than a dog whistle, right?
We all knew you were the smart one.
[chuckling]
You've done well for yourself. You're starting in the lead.
Please...
do those kids you're so eager to put into jail a favor.
Just give them a fair fight.
From now on, just fight fair. That's all we ask.
♪ Standing now ♪
♪ Calling all the people Here to see the show ♪
♪ Calling for my demons Now to let me go ♪
♪ I need something ♪
♪ Give me something wonderful ♪
♪ You can't take me down ♪
♪ You can't break me down ♪
-[inaudible speech] -♪ You can't take me down ♪
[Lederer] Judge Galligan, thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
during this trial, you will learn that the three defendants,
Yusef Salaam,
Antron McCray,
and Raymond Santana,
were among a group of 30 young men
who went into Central Park
to rob, beat, and attack innocent New Yorkers.
[Joseph] I want to highlight something that Ms. Lederer did not say this morning.
None of the victims,
including Ms. Meili,
has identified my client
as a perpetrator in these crimes.
These defendants are charged with the rape,
sodomy,
attempted murder,
assault,
and sexual abuse of Patricia Meili.
You will see video statements from Antron McCray and Raymond Santana,
where they describe in detail how they participated
in the rape and attempted murder of Ms. Meili.
And these tapes,
these written testaments, these...
are not as clean as the state would have you believe.
And you will find out what went into making those tapes.
These defendants told detectives
that Kevin Richardson grabbed the jogger,
and while Kevin and the jogger struggled,
Yusef stepped up and hit her with a pipe.
The police decided to solve this case,
no matter what it meant to the rights of a scared 14-year-old child.
Carefully collected evidence in a thorough investigation by NYPD
will be presented to you that will prove the guilt of this group
beyond a reasonable doubt.
During this NYPD investigation that Ms. Lederer has described today,
where they scoured Central Park
for bodily fluids,
for blood, for rocks, for a pipe,
anything that might have my client's fingerprints on it,
and they did not find one.
The only just verdict in this case is a verdict of not guilty on all counts.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen,
the evidence in chief against Raymond Santana
is a statement he made.
And I submit to you that that statement was coerced.
And after you hear it,
I'm sure you'll see that the people have failed to prove their case
against my client, Mr. Santana.
Thank you.
[woman whispering] Is he serious?
[Galligan] Mr. Burns.
[Burns] Thank you, Your Honor.
Uh...
Ladies and gentlemen,
[sighs]
the evidence...
Uh...
The evidence...
is going to show that...
until the body of the female jogger was discovered,
the crimes which had been committed and reported to the police that night,
[stammering] they weren't treated with the same degree of seriousness, of, uh...
of intensity
as the crime related to the white...
female jogger.
A lot of police became involved.
Sergeants, captains.
Brass.
And on the sidelines, you had the media,
which learned of the female rape victim
and that the suspects were all black or Hispanic.
Conclusions were made.
Quickly.
And pursued in a vacuum.
There was a...
strong motivation to solve and close this case as soon as possible.
So, in comes my client, okay?
Fifteen years old at the time.
Never been in a precinct before under any circumstances.
And they work him.
And work him.
Until his mother comes down and puts a stop to the interrogation.
It was neither a voluntary statement nor a truthful one.
And the evidence to support it...
it isn't there.
Which leaves us room for...
reasonable doubt.
Thank you.
[Galligan] Ms. Lederer, first witness.
[woman] Oh, my God...
[man] She was critically ill and just barely alive.
What specific injuries did you discover, Dr. Kurtz?
Many. She was suffering from severe hypothermia
and she was bleeding actively when she entered the emergency room.
[Lederer] Bleeding from what part of her body, Doctor?
[Kurtz] Her scalp.
The blood was from scalp lacerations, for the most part.
[murmuring]
[Lederer] Ms. Dean, what do you remember about that night of April 19th, 1989?
[Dean] Um...
I don't remember much, but I...
I do remember a...
group of boys.
And they were making these...
these animal sounds, like...
-grunting-- -Objection.
-[Galligan] Overruled. -[Lederer] You were saying "grunting"?
So, my fiancé and I were riding our bike
and this entire group of kids just started heckling us,
and, I mean, I...
We were completely terrified.
[Joseph] Mr. Loughlin,
you reviewed a lineup with the intention of identifying your assailant.
-Did you identify him? -I did.
[Joseph] And that was number... four in the lineup.
Is that correct?
I believe that is correct.
Is the person that you identified in this courtroom today?
No.
[Joseph] Could you repeat that a little louder?
[louder] No.
[murmuring]
[Joseph] Thank you, Mr. Loughlin. No more questions, Your Honor.
[Lederer] I needed this DNA and the sock to nail all this down.
It doesn't match.
So, five defendants, clean.
Their DNA isn't there. It's not anywhere.
So, there must have been another attacker. One must have gotten away.
You honestly believe that?
I do if it helps a jury believe what we know is true.
Okay, but our case is built on the assertion
that these boys are the rapists, not some sixth unknown boy.
So, we have semen in a sock and it isn't theirs, any of them.
So, what are we doing here?
I'm the one who has to sell this to a jury
and the whole city is watching, hell, the country.
So, do you understand what is happening here?
We've still got the cervical DNA.
Which was inconclusive.
Which means the five can't be ruled out.
Deal with the sock DNA results, you know, play up the cervical DNA--
[Lederer] Are you listening to yourself? You sound delusional.
You want me to pretend that the sock never existed?
This is crossing a line.
What line, Elizabeth?
Where's the line for Patricia, huh?
I'm sick of this shit. Where's the line for her?
Left for dead in the cold in a pool of her own blood,
running out of her body minute by minute in the fucking bushes.
She feels herself draining away.
-[poignant music playing] -Where's the line?
Huh?
Fucking city!
We hear something gruesome, we grimace and we move on.
Well, not this time.
But these boys, Linda...
They were in the park beating people up
the same night that she's getting beat up
and you're telling me they had nothing to do with it?
Bullshit.
They said it themselves.
They told us what happened.
They were told.
Come on.
The eye sees, but it cannot see itself.
They couldn't see the whole picture of how their one part fit
into the whole. That is all we did.
[inhales deeply]
It's too late for this.
Like you said, the whole country is watching.
They are watching you.
This is your opportunity.
Remember her.
The people call Patricia Meili. [murmuring]
[murmuring continues]
[door opens]
[murmuring dies down]
[woman whispering] Oh, Lord...
Oh, man...
What are you doing?
Praying she got her memory back.
[inhales deeply]
Ms. Meili,
will you tell us what you remember
about April 19th, 1989?
[ominous music playing]
I remember being at work.
And we had a meeting at lunch
with the entire
corporate finance department.
And I remember I had a phone call at five o'clock
to cancel a dinner with a friend.
[Lederer] Do you recall what time you left work on April 19th, 1989?
No, I do not.
[Lederer] Do you remember jogging in Central Park?
No.
[Lederer] Do you have any memory whatsoever
about what happened to you in the park
on April 19th, 1989?
No, I do not.
Ms. Meili, do you recognize People's 33 in evidence?
That's my shirt.
Prior to April 19th, 1989,
what color was this shirt?
It was white.
[murmuring]
And do you recognize People's 13?
[Meili] Those are my running shoes.
[Lederer] Ms. Meili, as you sit here today,
do you suffer any lingering injuries from your attack?
A few. Um...
I have trouble walking,
as you could see.
I have trouble with steps or stairs.
I have...
double vision.
And I have lost my sense of smell.
I can't smell anything.
Nothing further, Your Honor.
She didn't say it wasn't them.
[distant siren wailing]
[siren wailing continues]
How you doing, boy? Looking good.
You a'ight?
I'm okay.
Why aren't you home?
Trial's almost half over, and...
I ain't seen you once.
[sighs] I mean, uh...
I'm just, you know...
I'm working on some things.
Taking care of some things for, you know, for all of us.
Trust me?
[poignant music playing]
Go on.
Here's some money for the cab ride back and forth.
[Antron] Wait... I thought...
You're not coming, huh?
Not today.
I love you.
We suggested, myself and Detective Hildebrandt,
that maybe the mother...
It might be better off if the mother could leave and Mr. McCray could stay inside the room.
And once Mrs. McCray left the room, did Antron say anything?
Yeah, he admitted about the female jogger, about who was holding her down,
and about him getting on top of her and penetrating her.
[murmuring]
I never said that.
And what was Antron's demeanor at this point?
His voice was low,
he was fidgeting, and, uh, his eyes were tearing up.
He was crying.
No, he wasn't crying.
Your colleague Detective Gonzalez testified that he was crying.
I didn't see that.
[Joseph] Hmm.
You testified that it was Linda McCray's idea
to remove herself from the interrogation room.
That's right.
But isn't it the fact that...
that was your idea?
Yours and Detective Gonzalez'?
We all decided together.
Detective Gonzalez testified that Antron told him
that he had penetrated the jogger,
but you just told the DA that Antron was very clear with you
that he did not penetrate her.
So, which is it, Detective? Because both of you can't be telling the truth.
-Objection, argumentative. -He ain't did nothing!
-[gavel banging] -Thank you.
-[clamoring] -Order! Order! Sustained.
[Joseph] And because neither you nor Detective Gonzalez
kept any notes of the interview,
I guess we'll just never know why a 14-year-old
went from saying that he had never heard of a rape in the park
to allegedly confessing to it.
Is that a question?
Isn't it true that you promised Antron McCray that he could go home
if he would just give you a statement?
All we did was ask Mr. McCray what happened, and he told us.
But you have no notes of the many times that he told you
he had nothing to do with it.
No.
[Joseph] Just to be clear...
he told you multiple times that he didn't do it.
He may have.
-[Joseph] Multiple times? -Multiple times.
Yes.
Mr. McCray claimed to be innocent.
Thank you, Your Honor.
Is it okay if I sit with Raymond before they take him into Holding?
[Joseph] Sure.
A'ight, here's the plan: you take out the guards, I steal us a car,
we'd be in Mexico in a few days.
I mean, you speak Spanish, right?
I can say "tacos."
That count?
Man...
I want to sleep in my own bed so bad.
I want to go home.
My dad don't even come to court no more.
He say he knows what's gonna happen, he's sorry.
That's what everybody's saying, man.
It ain't looking good for us.
Don't think like that.
If we don't believe, man, we already lost.
And as for the cervical swab,
the semen sample recovered from the body,
were you able to recover a DNA sample?
That's the pattern I informed the district attorney was very faint.
And based on your visual observation of those two bands,
would you agree that the DNA pattern is different than that of Antron McCray's?
Yes.
[murmuring]
And did you find any trace of Antron McCray's DNA
anywhere on the scene?
No, but we only tested the cervical swab and the sock.
[murmuring]
[hopeful music playing]
Agent, were you asked to test a sample
on a sock recovered at the scene?
Yes, sir.
And what kind of sample was present?
There was a semen on the sock.
A semen, singular?
Yes.
And would you say that your findings are conclusive?
Yes.
Based on your analysis of that sock,
does the DNA present match that of Antron McCray?
-No. It was not his. -[gasps]
[excited murmuring]
Does the DNA from that sample match any of the DNA patterns of the defendants?
No.
[excited chattering]
-[man] I told you! -[gavel banging]
-[Galligan] Order! -[man] They didn't touch her!
[gavel banging]
[Galligan] Order!
[excited chatter continuing]
[Galligan] Order!
[Antron laughs]
[Galligan] Order!
-Elizabeth. -Michael.
Did you call me here to apologize?
Apologize for what?
[sighs] You saying that the DNA evidence was inconclusive. That's not playing fair.
Fair?
-What's that word mean, anyway? -[Joseph chuckles]
I don't know, something to do with justice, I think.
It's no longer about justice, Counselor.
It's about politics.
And politics is about survival.
And there's nothing fair about survival. Survival at what cost?
Those boys don't deserve to pay the price--
-I'm not interested in a philosophical-- -Then why am I here?
I asked you here to talk about a deal.
[door opens]
[optimistic music playing]
The prosecution has a huge problem with its physical case, and they know it.
It's the only reason they're willing to talk about a plea deal, but...
it has to be all three of you.
If we all plead guilty now, you will do time,
but it is a fraction of the time you'll do if we see this thing through to the end
and it doesn't go our way. It's something we have to consider.
-This is good news. -[Joseph] Wait.
We gotta be careful. It's all gonna come down to those tapes.
If the tapes clearly show our boys being coerced,
it's a huge advantage to us.
This case could still go either way.
[both whispering indistinctly]
[inaudible speech]
[indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter continuing]
We didn't do this.
[chatter stops]
No.
I don't think we should admit to something that we didn't do.
Yusef is right.
Not gonna do this.
Okay.
So...
we keep fighting.
[inaudible speech]
When Raymond said "I was kneeling" when he was feeling her breasts,
did you look to see if there was any mud on his pants?
No.
Did you make any notations about there being mud on the pants?
No. [Rivera] Oh.
One more thing.
Raymond placed the rape in the wrong part of the park. Am I correct?
Objection, leading.
You'll answer.
Santana put the rape elsewhere.
Where?
Where "elsewhere," Detective?
There's a lot at stake for this boy and I want you to be specific.
We don't need the commentary, Mr. Rivera. You'll answer.
He put the rape down there.
[hopeful music playing]
[murmuring]
Not...
where it took place.
No.
No further questions, Your Honor.
Glad you could join us.
[Galligan] Ms. Lederer.
[Lederer] The people rest, Your Honor.
She was raped and beaten so severely,
she lost all memory of the attack.
It's been a back-and-forth trial
and so much is riding on these taped statements.
If what we're hearing is true about those tapes,
those boys will need a miracle to convince a jury.
[disheartening music playing]
[door opens]
[Bobby] Hey.
[crowd chanting] Protect black youth! Protect black youth!
Protect black youth! Protect black youth!
[chanting continues]
[crowd chanting] No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!
-No justice, no peace! -[woman] We love you, Tron!
[crowd chanting] No justice, no peace!
No justice, no peace!
[chanting continues]
[chanting] They were framed!
They were framed! They were framed!
[door opens]
Hey.
"Hey"?
[poignant music playing]
'Cause you didn't wanna show up!
You didn't wanna show up for half of my trial!
Now you're trying to come here and play the hero?
I can make this right, Tron--
Have you ever thought about what would happen
if you went up there and say the wrong thing?
[Antron breathing heavily]
This is my life.
I know what's happening.
I know why you're leaving us.
Ain't nobody ever blamed you for any of this.
I blame myself.
[door opens and closes]
[Joseph] Did there come a time when you left the room with the police?
Uh, yeah. Yes.
[Joseph] And what did they say then?
[Bobby] They said, um...
if my son didn't cooperate that he was going to go to jail,
and then they said I should go back in the room
and talk to him alone,
without my wife.
And what did you say to Antron?
I told him that I knew he was telling the truth...
but he gonna need to say what they wanna hear
so that we can get outta here and go home.
I was trying to protect him.
Help him.
Trying to save him.
[Joseph] And what did Antron say?
[inhales deeply]
He said, "Dad,
I wasn't there.
I'm not gonna lie."
What happened then, Mr. McCray?
-[ominous music playing] -I lost it.
Threw a chair.
I was trying to get him to lie.
And then the police came back in the room and I looked at my son,
I told him to tell them what they want to hear.
I thought, I'm trying to keep him out of jail.
Know what I'm saying? It's hard to come back from that. I--
Thank you, Mr. McCray.
No further questions, Your Honor.
You threw a chair?
Must have been pretty angry.
Out of control.
I was trying to get my son to lie.
But when the taping began, you didn't say anything like,
"This is nonsense. I'm not gonna let my kid answer these questions."
They had told us
if we cooperate,
he would be a witness.
They told us we could go home.
[Lederer] Do you honestly expect us to believe
that after your son signed a statement
admitting that he had beaten people in a park,
that he had been on top of a woman,
that he had held her down while people raped her,
did you honestly believe that he was gonna be allowed to go home?
Yeah.
Yes, I did.
After we received that promise from the police.
Do you believe, Mr. McCray, that...
it's okay to lie to protect your family?
Is that something that you would teach your son?
[Bobby] Yeah.
Look, he didn't do this.
But you weren't in the park on April 19th,
so you have no way of knowing that.
I know my son, all right?
Antron ain't no liar.
That's right.
If he say he ain't touched that woman, he ain't touched that woman.
So we can trust his words?
Yeah. Yes, you can.
Well, fortunately, we have his words.
On tape.
Saying that he did.
[whispering]
Nothing further, Your Honor.
Thank you, Mr. Joseph.
I know you did your best.
This is not over yet, Antron.
[reporter] There was no solid evidence linking the defendants to the crime,
no fingerprints, no blood matches.
The prosecution's strongest weapon will come from the teenagers themselves
in written and taped confessions.
Defense lawyers argued the teenagers were pressured into confessing,
that they were victims of a biased legal system
anxious to solve a crime against a white woman.
That debate could go on,
as two other teenagers also charged with the rape
prepare for trial.
[Lederer] So on the night of April 19th, when you entered the park...
did you see [bleep] hit her in the head?
[Antron] Nah.
I heard it.
Actually, uh...
I, uh...
[stammering] I seen it.
[Lederer] Who else had sex with her besides Kevin Richardson?
[Raymond] Uh...
I didn't see anybody else on top, uh...
have sex.
Just him.
[Lederer] Then you got on top of her?
But my penis wasn't in her.
I just... I got on top of her.
For show. You know?
[Lederer] And when he was on top of her having sex,
how were you able to put your hands on her breasts?
I was kneeling
to...
[poignant music playing]
[Korey] Me, Kevin,
and... I don't know the other ones.
The only ones who did it different was me and Yusef.
Me and Yusef.
Me and Yusef was just playing with her.
I felt bad.
This is my... This is my first extreme...
I did to any...
any kind of female.
Or...
[exhales]
This is my first rape.
This is my first experience, this will be my last.
[Lederer] Were you trying to touch her?
Not... Not really.
[Lederer] Didn't you tell police earlier today
that you had tried to grab her
-and that's when you got scratched? -[Kevin] Um...
No, no, not like...
Like, not, like, feeling her up.
[Lederer] Okay, not like that.
No, like, um...
I was trying to stop it.
[Lederer] But you tried. You--
Like, I tried to grab her arm.
-[Lederer] You tried to grab her arms. -[Kevin] Uh...
I was, uh...
I was trying to stop them.
[sobbing quietly]
And how many times did he slap you?
Uh, three times.
And what did you do?
I just took him serious.
I had no choice but to take him serious 'cause...
Hartigan said I could go home if I said I was at the rape.
[Moore] You didn't want to say it,
but you did.
Why did you say something that wasn't true, Korey?
They said... They said if I was there,
and if I went along with it, that I could go home.
And that's all I wanted.
That's all I wanted, was to go home.
That's all I still want.
No further questions, Your Honor.
So that punching gesture that you're making in the video,
right, demonstrating how the boys punched the jogger,
did the police make you do that on tape?
Punching with both your fists?
[stammering] Somehow.
They tell you that you were supposed to do that?
W... They was yelling at me.
They was screaming at me and hitting on me, so I...
I figured I'd tell them what they wanted.
If I tell them what they wanted, I could go home. So that's what I did.
[Lederer] In your statement, did the police make you say
that you hit her in the head with a pipe?
Is that... That's what it says?
Is that your signature on the page?
Permission to approach the witness, Your Honor?
Is that your signature on your page?
Yeah. Yeah.
[Lederer] And above that, what does the statement say?
Read the statement.
What does the statement say?
-Read what the sentence says. -I can't read well.
-I can't read very well. -Can you try to read it?
-I said I can't read very well. -Just read what the sentence says.
What's wrong with this woman? I said I can't read well. She pushing on me.
[Galligan] Can you read any of the words?
[Korey] Uh, maybe.
Maybe. I don't know. I can't--
Above your name, does it say, "This statement is true"?
I don't know what it says 'cause I ain't write it.
So I don't know what it says. I ain't write it.
Did you skip school
on April 19th, 1989?
-Yeah. -[Lederer] And isn't it true that
you were truant from school before this date, April 19th, 1989?
"Truant"?
That means you skipped school.
-I had a reason. -[Lederer] You skipped a lot of school?
Objection.
Asked and answered.
Overruled. You can answer.
I had a reason. I was threatened in school.
That's why.
What's that... What's that have to do my case?
And is that the reason that you skipped school for all of April 1989?
[panicked] What does that have to do with my case?
You're here to answer questions.
I don't want to answer her questions anymore,
answering a question's what got me here in the first place. So I...
-I don't want to answer her questions. -Answer the question.
-[clamoring] -Why I gotta answer?
-[man] He already answered! -What does that have to do with my case?
-[gavel banging] -[Galligan] Get them out of here!
What does that have to do with my case?
[cries]
[Lederer] Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...
these boys...
they had their fun in Central Park on April 19th, 1989.
Today, they have no one to blame but themselves.
[ominous music playing]
[Lederer] They were acting in concert with one another and others in the park.
They committed the vicious attack on Patricia Meili
and the brutal beating of Loughlin and Lewis.
Not one person has walked into this courtroom
and said that Antron McCray attacked Patricia Meili.
Or anyone, for that matter.
There is not one shred of physical or scientific evidence that proves
that Antron McCray committed these crimes or any crimes whatsoever.
All the police had to do
was make one and one equal two.
So detectives, they start talking,
asking questions.
To kids.
Who have not had any food,
who've not been allowed to sleep.
And they questioned them for hours
and hours
and hours.
Then even more hours.
You seemed to have a hard time watching the confession tapes.
But if you watch closely and watch for yourself, you will see the truth, and you did.
The evidence...
is so conflicting.
Emotions have run so high.
And...
there are racial overtones
that even the blind Lady Justice can see.
Acting with an entire group of more than 30 people,
they went wild in the park,
beating, kicking,
using bricks and stones,
striking anybody they could find.
They admitted all of this in their written and taped statements to police.
You saw Patricia Meili's shirt soaked in blood,
but there is not one drop of blood on Antron's clothes, not one drop.
Why?
Because Antron is innocent of these crimes.
Why was there no blood on the defendant's clothing?
Because Patricia lost most of her blood from head wounds.
They didn't come in contact with her head.
They were on top of her pelvic area and her torso.
Imagine the frenzy of these teenagers as they were gathering around her,
reaching hands to grab her, ripping off her clothes.
In the chaos, are you surprised that the defendants,
when they were questioned, don't remember the exact details?
And just because there is DNA evidence
that someone else was present at the scene,
that doesn't mean that these defendants are innocent.
They can still be guilty of rape under the law.
If they were present,
if they did nothing to stop her agony,
then they are guilty.
[poignant music playing]
[Sharonne] You watch them grow.
And you start to think you did a good job.
And then one night...
you look away.
One night.
[inaudible speech]
[man] Kevin Richardson...
please stand.
Antron McCray, please stand.
Yusef Salaam, please stand.
Raymond Santana, Jr., please stand.
Korey Wise, please stand.
In the matter of the State of New York...
as to the count of rape in the first degree...
[court clerk] As to the count of assault in the first degree... As to the count of assault in the second degree...
[court clerk] As to the count of riot in the first degree...
As to the count of rape in the first degree...
Count of robbery... Count of attempted murder
in the second degree... Count of sodomy... Count of sexual abuse in the first degree...
And to the count of attempted murder of Patricia Meili...
the jury finds the defendant...
guilty.
[cries of anguish and outrage in courtroom slowly fading]
[ominous music playing]
-[inaudible speech] -[court clerk] ...guilty.
On the count of assault in the second degree,
-the verdict is guilty. -[cries of anguish and outrage continuing]
[court clerk] ...the verdict is guilty.
...is guilty.
[woman] That's my baby!
[court clerk] ...the verdict is guilty.
[inaudible speech]
[plays plaintive note]
[plaintive trumpet playing continuing]