According to reports, the 6th man in the 1989 Central Park Five rape case—Steven Lopez, is set to be exonerated this Monday. This news comes over 30 years after Lopez pleaded guilty to a lesser crime.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office made the announcement. It was noted that Lopez pled guilty to robbing a male jogger that same night to avoid a rape conviction. Lopez was sentenced to one and a half to four years in state prison. The man served over three years of the sentence and didn’t appeal the conviction. Lopez was 14 years old when he was arrested alongside Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, and Yusef Salaam. The latter five were charged and convicted of raping a white woman who was jogging in the park.
The Central Park Five had their convictions overturned and received a $41 million settlement from New York City in 2014. Lopez received nothing after being released.
Source: Nytimes.com
