Steven Lopez, Sixth Defendant in the “Central Park 5” Rape Case, to be Exonerated

Iesha July 25, 2022 News Leave a comment

Twenty years after the dismissal of his co-defendants, a sixth man charged in the historic Central Park Five rape case is anticipated to have his conviction overturned on Monday.

Steven Lopez will appear in court on Monday for a hearing to overturn his conviction. As a teenager, Lopez made a deal with Manhattan prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser crime of robbing a male jogger.

Lopez, now 48, was arrested alongside five other Black and Latino teens in 1989 for attacking white jogger Trisha Meili.

His co-defendants, the Central Park Five, were subsequently found guilty at trial and sentenced to six and thirteen years in prison before being released in 2002.

Following a nine-month review of the case, the convictions were overturned due to significant evidence not shown to the jury, including DNA that connected serial rapist Matias Reyes to the crime.

In 2003, the five sued the City for $250 million, claiming they had been wrongfully imprisoned and convicted.

During that time, Mayor Bloomberg opposed settling with the men, a stance later reversed by Mayor de Blasio. In 2014, the City paid $41 million to settle the lawsuit.

Despite pleading guilty to robbery in 1991 to avoid rape charges, Lopez has not received any settlements for his wrongful prosecution.