Five Men Get $40m Compensation For Wrongful Conviction In Rape Case

A highly controversial rape case ended in a triumph of justice in New York, the U.S.A. It took 25 years for five African-American and Hispanic men to prove their innocence. 

* 'Central Park Five'. Photo credit - TheIndependent

They paid a high price of convictions, long jail terms and a highly publicized court case, for a crime they did not commit. Even the settlement of $40 million will not bring their time back to them. The decision has been made in the late evening of June 19, 2014, Thursday.
It all began in summer 1989, when a 28-year-old white lady, Trisha Meili was brutally beaten, raped and left to die in the Central Park, New York. The victim, who worked as a Wall Street analyst, was assaulted while jogging in the park.
The rape and murder sparked a racial frenzy in the largest multinational American megapolis. Five African-American and Hispanic teenagers, Anton McCray (15), Kevin Richardson (14), Korey Wise (16), Raymond Santana (14) and Yusef Salaam (15), were convicted under controversial circumstances.
The men, who are now in their middle ages, have been fighting for their rights since 2002, the year of their exoneration, when a real rapist and murderer, Matias Reyes, confessed to the crime.
The DNA evidence showed that the five innocent men were sent behind bars. But back in 1989, DNA testing was not sophisticated enough to make or break the case.

* New York City reaches a $40m settlement with 'Central Park Five'. Photo credit - AP 
The five men and their lawyers have been repeating for over 24 years that they did not attack and did not rape the white lady. However, the case was racially charged and they had no chances to be heard. Some public figures openly declared that all of them deserved the capital punishment.
However, times change and the city has finally agreed that the conviction and the accusations were wrong and that the five men deserve $40m in compensation. At the same time the deal still needs the approval of the city comptroller and a federal judge.
The former convicts served different terms in jail, from 6 to 13 years.
After regaining freedom, about 10 years ago, they brought a $250 million civil rights lawsuit against police and prosecutors. The case that stood as symbol of urban lawlessness became instead an example of a colossal breakdown in the legal system.