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Charges Against Central Park Five Could Be Dismissed
Aired December 05, 2002 - 13:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a bit of breaking news: as you know, today was the deadline to dismiss convictions in the Central Park jogger case, a story we've been following for some time now.
Our Deborah Feyerick is live in New York with the latest information from there.
What can you tell us, Deborah?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, just a few moments ago the district attorney filed papers with the judge, the district attorney suggesting, recommending that the judge drop the charges against the Central Park Five. That means that the convictions would basically be dismissed.
All of those boys have served between seven and 13 years in prison, but this new move means that the judge can basically say the boys never should have been convicted.
Right now the lawyers are going to be coming out with the papers very soon. The district attorney not giving his reason so far as to why he decided to do that. We're waiting on the information right now.
This is pretty much of a bombshell here in New York City, and you can believe that for all those who think that the boys' conviction should be dropped, there are a number of law enforcement officials who think the convictions should stand, that perhaps they weren't involved in the actual rape of the Central Park jogger, but that they were involved in the assault of other people who were in the park that night, bikers and runners and people who were just enjoying the evening.
Right now, a big move, the district attorney recommending that the convictions be dismissed -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Deb, let's talk about the backgrounds here, because for those who maybe haven't been following the case, they remember a brutal rape and murder. We were just looking at videotape of the confessions. What has led up to this?
FEYERICK: Well, there was new evidence. Specifically, a man by the name of Matias Reyes (ph) was in the park that night. He confessed to raping the Central Park jogger, and it turns out that when forensic evidence was re-analyzed, it was his semen and it was his pubic hair that was found on the jogger that evening. The big question is, is that the confessions, how were those confessions obtained? Because all of those boys placed themselves in the park, some of them implicating themselves in the attack of the jogger. The lawyers say that those confessions have to be looked at very clearly and very carefully, because the lawyers feel that they were coerced.
So again, this investigation still has a bit of a ways to go.
PHILLIPS: And we'll continue to follow it with you. Deborah Feyerick, thank you so much for that breaking news from New York.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 5, 2002 - 13:14 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, a bit of breaking news: as you know, today was the deadline to dismiss convictions in the Central Park jogger case, a story we've been following for some time now.
Our Deborah Feyerick is live in New York with the latest information from there.
What can you tell us, Deborah?
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, just a few moments ago the district attorney filed papers with the judge, the district attorney suggesting, recommending that the judge drop the charges against the Central Park Five. That means that the convictions would basically be dismissed.
All of those boys have served between seven and 13 years in prison, but this new move means that the judge can basically say the boys never should have been convicted.
Right now the lawyers are going to be coming out with the papers very soon. The district attorney not giving his reason so far as to why he decided to do that. We're waiting on the information right now.
This is pretty much of a bombshell here in New York City, and you can believe that for all those who think that the boys' conviction should be dropped, there are a number of law enforcement officials who think the convictions should stand, that perhaps they weren't involved in the actual rape of the Central Park jogger, but that they were involved in the assault of other people who were in the park that night, bikers and runners and people who were just enjoying the evening.
Right now, a big move, the district attorney recommending that the convictions be dismissed -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Deb, let's talk about the backgrounds here, because for those who maybe haven't been following the case, they remember a brutal rape and murder. We were just looking at videotape of the confessions. What has led up to this?
FEYERICK: Well, there was new evidence. Specifically, a man by the name of Matias Reyes (ph) was in the park that night. He confessed to raping the Central Park jogger, and it turns out that when forensic evidence was re-analyzed, it was his semen and it was his pubic hair that was found on the jogger that evening. The big question is, is that the confessions, how were those confessions obtained? Because all of those boys placed themselves in the park, some of them implicating themselves in the attack of the jogger. The lawyers say that those confessions have to be looked at very clearly and very carefully, because the lawyers feel that they were coerced.
So again, this investigation still has a bit of a ways to go.
PHILLIPS: And we'll continue to follow it with you. Deborah Feyerick, thank you so much for that breaking news from New York.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
