Kriti Mehrotra
When 28-year-old investment banker Patricia “Trisha” Meili was brutally attacked in New York City’s Central Park on the evening of April 19, 1989, what followed was pure chaos. That’s because five teenagers of color ended up being not only wrongfully accused but wrongfully convicted for the crime, as chronicled in Netflix ‘s ‘Homicide: New York: Your Eyes or Your Life.’ It was DNA evidence that exonerated them in 2002, finally giving them their lives back by lifting the dark cloud of suspicion from their heads. All five later sued the city for emotional distress, malicious prosecution, and racial discrimination, which was settled in 2014 for $41 million.
Raymond Santana is a Man of Many Talents Trying to Live His Best Life Today
Raymond Santana was merely 14 years old when he was arrested in connection with the Central Park jogger case despite his maintaining his innocence, so he was tried as a minor in 1990. He was found guilty on charges of assault, rape, riot, and robbery, as a result of which he lost 5 years of his life behind bars before he was granted parole. Unfortunately, his transition into society wasn’t as smooth as he had expected, and he ended up back in prison for selling drugs (cocaine) a few years later. His prior felony conviction resulted in him being sentenced to a mandatory extended term of 3½-7 years, but he was free in the city again by the time the news of his exoneration came in 2002.
Since then, Raymond has turned over a new leaf and found his calling in advocacy, entertainment, entrepreneurship, and politics, all the while being a proud father to a now-adult daughter named Melia Symone. He reportedly raised her in Atlanta, Georgia, but it appears as if the 51-year-old author of ‘Pushing Hope’ has now returned to his hometown for good. The criminal justice reform advocate affiliated with the Innocence Project ran as a Democrat in 2025 to represent his native areas of East Harlem and the Bronx on the City Council, but he sadly lost the general election. So, he is now focusing on his passions for advocacy and fashion design by continuing his work at Park Madison NYC, an apparel brand he founded in 2018.
Kevin Richardson is a Dedicated Family Man and a Rising Public Speaker
Kevin Richardson was also merely 14 years old when he was taken into custody, where he claims police officials took advantage of his youth and violated his civil rights in more ways than one. According to reports, he was able to step away from the mess for a little while as his family posted the $25,000 bail imposed by the court following his formal indictment, but it didn’t help in the end. In late 1990, only he out of the five accused was convicted of Trisha Meili’s attempted murder, in addition to counts of assault, riot, robbery, and sodomy, resulting in his sentence of 5–10 years in a juvenile facility.
From what we can tell, despite the circumstances, Kevin not only earned his GED while incarcerated but also completed an Associate Degree before his release in 1997 at the age of 23. He has since even been awarded an honorary Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts by Syracuse University (2020), a recognition he is immensely grateful for. On a professional level, today, the 51-year-old Innocence Project affiliate is a rising public speaker dedicated to teaching youths about their civil rights and how to navigate life in times of adversity. He does so with examples from his personal experiences, and that’s how he recently became the Keynote Speaker for the 35th Black Law Students Association Canada Conference (in January 2026). Coming to his personal life, Kevin has found love in Johansy Richardson, with whom he has been romantically involved for over 15 years, and is happily raising two daughters: 17-year-old Jaslynne and 8-year-old Jayla.
Antron McCray Prefers to Lead a Quiet Life Today
When the Central Park Five were formally indicted on May 10, 1989, Antron McCray was merely 15 years old, so he was held in a juvenile facility until his trial in the summer of 1990. He was ultimately found guilty of assault, rape, riot, and robbery, for which he was handed down 5 to 10 years, only to be released on parole after serving a total of 6 years in 1996. Since then, from what we can tell, he has preferred to lead a quiet life well away from the limelight, so all we know for certain is that he is a family man who likely resides in the South today. It has previously been reported that he is a happily married father of 6 who is currently proudly working blue-collar jobs in Georgia.
We should mention that since all 5 co-defendants had sued the city of New York following their exoneration in 2002, Antron received $7.1 million when the case was finally settled in 2014. This sum was the same as the others got, except Korey Wise, who was awarded $12.2 million because he had served six additional years in prison after being tried as an adult despite just being 16 at the time. It’s also imperative to note that on October 21, 2024, the five also sued President Donald Trump for defamation in a federal court in Philadelphia, over remarks he made in a presidential debate and to the media. It appears as if the matter remains ongoing to this day.
Yusef Salaam is a Public Servant Dedicated to Uplifting His Community
Although Yusef Salaam was merely 15 years old when he was taken into custody in April 1989, he told officials he was 16 and was thus questioned without a guardian or a parent present. He has since claimed that while his mother soon arrived at the station to stop everything, saving him from giving a taped statement or signing a written testimony, he was terrified as he felt coerced. Unfortunately, others’ alleged forced implications were enough to convict him in the Central Park jogger case in 1990, as a result of which he spent nearly 7 years in prison before being released in 1997. Like Raymond and Kevin, he earned his GED and an Associate Degree while serving his time in a juvenile facility.
Therefore, once free, Yusef began fighting for his exoneration while maintaining his innocence, all the while becoming an international criminal justice reform advocate and public speaker. When he regained his freedom in every sense in 2002, he seemingly only doubled down on his advocacy efforts, leading him to even earn a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama in 2016. Since then, he has not just continued to serve as an activist but also published his original creative works, such as the poems he penned while incarcerated in a book titled ‘Words of a Man: My Right to Be’ (2017).
As if that’s not enough, Yusef has written ‘The Devil & Elijah Muhammad’ (2016), co-penned an adult novel alongside Ibi Zoboi titled ‘Punching the Air’ (2020), and written a memoir titled ‘ Better, Not Bitter: Living on Purpose in the Pursuit of Racial Justice’ (2021). He has even spread his wings into the political side of his hometown, having been a member of the New York City Council since January 2024, after being publicly elected to represent Harlem. On a personal level, the honorary doctorate recipient is happily married to Sanovia Guillory, with whom he shares 7 daughters.
Korey Wise is Proud to be Able to Efficiently Juggle Advocacy Work With Family Life
As the only 16-year-old among the 5 accused in the harrowing April 1989 Central Park Jogger case, Korey Wise was tried as an adult for the charges against him and thus convicted as such, too. In October 1990, while he was acquitted of rape and attempted murder, he was found guilty of assault, sexual abuse, and riot, so he was handed down 5–15 years in adult state prison. According to his own accounts, so much violence was directed towards him during his incarceration that he either asked to stay in solitary confinement for extended periods or requested transfers. In the end, he was released only in August 2002, after the real culprit confessed and DNA evidence corroborated the admission.
Korey’s transition into society was not easy, but he still managed to get on his own two feet quickly by dedicating himself to any odd job he could find, whether as a cleaner or in construction. However, by the mid-2010s, he had found his calling in criminal justice reform advocacy and public speaking. In fact, in 2015, he donated $190,000 from the settlement he received from the city to the University of Colorado Law School’s Innocence Project chapter to help them continue their work. The chapter was subsequently renamed the Korey Wise Innocence Project, further igniting the spark inside the exoneree and the happily married father of one to help others like him. Since then, the 53-year-old New York City resident has been advocating for the rights of the wrongly convicted, focusing on criminal justice reform, and serving as a public speaker to inspire others through his own experiences.
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