All language subtitles for When.They.See.Us.S01E02.720p.WEBRip.X264-METCON[eztv]

[reporter 1] It's been six months
since the boys were arrested

in the Central Park jogger case.

[reporter 2] Police believe the gang
confronted her here,

then dragged her 200 feet into the woods,
where the assault took place.

[reporter 3] ...a 28-year-old woman,
hitting her with fists and rocks.

Four of them rape her
and leave her there, unconscious.

[reporter 4] ...suffered two
skull fractures, extreme blood loss,

and hypothermia.

-[reporter 5] ...pants were found near...
-[reporter 6] She will not remember

that she was viciously attacked
and raped...

[reporter 7] Doctors say the odds
the patient will recover

are still stacked against her.

[man] "Details didn't matter
because there was no script.

They were coming downtown
from a world of crack,

welfare, guns, knives, indifference,
and ignorance.

They were coming from a land
of no fathers.

They were coming
from the wild province of the poor,

and driven by a collective fury brimming
with the rippling energies of youth,

their minds teeming
with the violent images

of the streets in the movies.

They had only one goal:

to smash, hurt, rob, stomp, rape.

The enemies were rich."

And then...

I need another for emphasis.

Their enemies were white.

Go. Daily News has got a file
on these already. Gotta move.

Go.

[reporter 1] Some of the young men
who have been arrested in the attack,

so young as to be children, really,

told police they were just out "wilding,"

and that's why so many people
are so amazed

-at the tragedy of this occurrence.
-[laughter]

"Wilding." New York City police say

that's new teenage slang
for rampaging in wolf packs,

attacking people just for the fun of it.

[reporter 2] Today,
seven of those teenagers

were arraigned on a long list of charges,

including rape and attempted murder.
The case made headlines...

[reporter 3 on TV] Simple and solemn,
a makeshift memorial

sits by the side of a road in Central...

[reporter 4 on radio] The victim,
a 28-year-old investment banker,

is out of a coma,
but remains in serious...

[reporter 5] Some members
of the black community charge

that the arrests are a racially motivated
rush to judgment.

[man] He's saying that this is racist.

I'm saying, let them decide it
in the courtroom

before they come out to protest
on the sidewalks.

[reporter 6] And then what happened?

[reporter 7] Only two of the suspects,
Antron McCray and Yusef Salaam,

have posted bail.

The other suspects were denied bail today
at a raucous hearing

that turned into a screaming match.

Korey Wise,
the only 16-year-old of the pack,

will stay in holding at Rikers Island.

[reporter 8] From atop Trump Tower,
New York's most flamboyant billionaire

-looks out over Central Park...
-And a pack of Newports.

[reporter 8] ...where police say
a pack of teenagers

attacked a 28-year-old jogger.

You better believe that I hate the people

that took this girl
and raped her brutally.

You better believe it.

[reporter 8] Trump put his money
where his mouth is

by taking out this full-page ad
in four New York City newspapers.

"Bring Back the Death Penalty."

Trump spent $85,000 on the ad...

[cell door closes]

[distant siren wailing]

[key turns in lock]

[handcuffs rattling]

How you been, man?

[cell door closes]

[key turns in lock]

Holding it down.

[Kevin] Hey, Korey.

What's up, man?

You ready for today?

-What is it?
-Some pretrial...

-something. I don't--
-All right.

That's okay. I done that.

Just a step to get you to the big trial.

Y'all together in juvie?

Uh-huh. Yeah.

Um, but I'm out soon, so...

My mom's...

almost got the bail...

the bail money from church, so...

[Kevin sniffs]

[poignant music playing]

I wish I was, uh...

I wish I was in there with y'all.

When you turn 16?

La... Last year.

Last year.

Where Kane?

Yusef...

Um...

he got... he got bailed out...

a little while ago.

You know what he told me, though?

The only reason that you got...

you got caught up in all of this...

is 'cause you went down there
to the station with him.

To help him out, man.

To be there for him.

He's my friend.

Yeah.

[vehicle horn blares]

Thanks for all your help, Reverend.

[Sharonne] Yeah, thank you so much, truly.

We wouldn't have made bail without you.

My pleasure, honor, and duty.

We put together a little fund
for all the families.

There's a lot of folks
supporting these boys, know that.

Yeah, well, we appreciate that, but...

Yusef's case is not like the other boys.

They talked themselves into they mess.

That's not fair.

[Sharonne laughs]

"Fair"?

[reporters shouting questions]

[reporter 1] Is there anything
you would like to say?

[reporter 2]
Are you glad your son is home?

[shouting continues]

[reporter 2] Ms. Salaam,
are you worried about the verdict?

Have you been in touch with the parents
of the other boys?

Do you have any response to Donald Trump
calling for the death penalty

for your son?

[crowd chanting] No peace! No justice!

What did you say?

[reporter 2] Donald Trump is calling
for the death penalty.

[reverend] Mr. Trump...

...is a real estate hustler...

[tearfully] What did she say?
[sobbing]

[Sharonne] What did she say?

[inaudible speech]

You watch them grow.

You know?

And you start to think
you did a good job.

You know?

[TV news report playing in background]

-Girl, no.
-[Deloris] Listen,

if there was ever a time you gonna drink,
you need to drink now.

[Donald Trump on TV]
And I think sometimes a black may think

that they don't really have the advantage
or this or that,

but in actuality, today, currently,

it's a great...

I've said on occasion,

even about myself,
if I were starting off today,

I would love to be a well-educated black,

because I really believe they do have
an actual advantage today.

[TV news report continuing in background]

What is a black?

[sighs]

I don't know.

But, hell, maybe he's right.

Sometimes you gotta ask yourself,

when is the white man gonna get a break
in this country?

[both chuckling]

Girl, don't make me laugh.

Huh!

[Sharonne] They need to keep that bigot
off TV is what they need to do.

Don't worry about it.

His 15 minutes almost up.

They want to kill my son.

That devil...

That devil...

wants to kill my son.

You gonna take an ad out

about killing my son.

They gonna have to come for me first.

Better yet, I'll come for him.

Ain't nobody going nowhere.

I think this will be what scholars call
"a piece of cake."

Who are we dealing with?

[man] Robert Burns.
He's a divorce lawyer in Harlem.

And when I tell you
that's the full extent of his practice,

-that's the full extent of his practice.
-[Burns] Yusef.

-Hey.
-[Sharonne] Hi.

-[Burns] Good to see you, sister.
-[Sharonne] You too.

[Burns] It's gonna be okay.

-You know I got your back, right?
-You always have.

Always have.

[man] Burns has no record of criminal law,

and he's representing Yusef Salaam
at the trial.

Next, we have Mickey Joseph,

a criminal defense lawyer
for the Legal Aid Society.

He'll defend Antron McCray.

-[Lederer] I know him.
-[man] Yeah?

He's stronger than you think.

-So, Mr. Joseph, what's gonna happen--
-Mickey, please.

How would you feel if I called you
Mr. McCray? Like an old fogey, right?

-Yeah, I guess.
-[Joseph laughs]

[man] For Korey Wise, there's some guy
he's got named Colin Moore.

He's, I don't know, some kind of activist.
He's working pro bono.

I can't imagine how you feel
not having him by your side,

but I'm going to use everything I know how
to get him back to you.

You ever hear of this guy Peter Rivera?

Uh, there was an ADA in the Bronx
named Peter Rivera.

One and the same.
He's also a former cop,

and I have it on good authority
that he has political aspirations.

-[Lederer] And who is he representing?
-[man] Santana.

[Santana] Mr. Rivera?

-[Rivera] Mr. Santana.
-Nice to meet you.

[man] The last guy they got repping
Kevin Richardson is Howard Diller.

You are such a good-looking family.

Maybe we should get you out there more,

show the public there's nothing
to worry about here.

-Can I help you up the-- No? Okay.
-No, I'm fine.

[man] I found something on him we can use
if it comes to that.

Like I said...

piece of cake.

[Lederer] Okay.

So, you see a couple of bad suits
and cheap haircuts

and you figure "game over"?

Let me tell you what I see.

Opportunity.

This is an opportunity
for every one of those guys

to make a name for themselves,

to be the victor
in something high-profile for once,

attention for once, respect for once.

So, don't underestimate
how that drives a person.

They are coming at it
with everything they got.

Well, we are too.

[Joseph] Okay, let's start
with the biggest challenge:

the admissions of guilt that
the boys made in the police station.

The judge ruled the confession tapes
are admissible.

Now, we all know they should be
interpreted as coercion and thrown out.

Unfortunately, that's not the case,
but there is some good news.

The DNA evidence from the cervical swab
is inconclusive,

which means that there wasn't enough semen
present in the victim to test

and it cannot be matched
to anybody else.

Reports are that the victim,
Patricia Meili,

has no recollection of the incident.

So, there's no reason for the prosecution
to call her as a witness.

So, no physical evidence,

no eyewitness.

The people's case is weak.

[whispering] That's some chickenshit.
Like hers is the only one that's innocent.

-[Sharonne] I didn't say he was.
-You didn't have to, Miss Thing,

'cause your shirt is saying it for you.

They said they found that woman's hair
in Kevin's underpants.

But of course we don't believe it.

But how are they saying that?

I mean, how are they gonna prove something
that didn't happen?

And can they say it in the news
like it's real with no proof?

I mean, I know they can, but...

can we do something about it?

They're saying they found hair
that looked like the victim's, ma'am.

Hair analysis is notoriously unreliable.

Hey, don't worry,
we're gonna get an expert

to challenge the science for Kevin.

Not only is there no physical evidence,
the confessions are riddled with conflict.

A jury will see that.

We'll show that your boys were coerced
by law enforcement.

They will, 'cause my son, Ray,
he didn't even eat for a day and a half.

You know, I went to work

and I came back
and they were still going at him.

Okay?

And now, you know...

Well, he's in there still
and I ain't even got money for bail

-and I don't know how much--
-[Rivera] Ray.

-It's fine.
-Yeah, I'm sorry.

-[Rivera] It's okay.
-They told us that Tron was coming home.

[Joseph]
And promises for cooperation are illegal.

This whole thing is illegal.

[button clicks]

[Korey] That's when
we came towards the rape.

[Lederer] Who is "we"?

-[Korey] Me...
-[beep]

-[Korey] And...
-[beep]

-[Korey] Yes.
-[beep]

[Korey] ...ran in back of her
and she turned around...

[beep]

Sounds like the damn
Emergency Broadcasting System.

That's what it sounds like when you comply
with the Bruton rule

during a five-defendant trial.

So, we got the tapes in,
but we can't use them.

[Morgenthau] Because they're all
implicating each other and not themselves.

You know what we have to do here?

We have to separate the trials.

It tanks the gang narrative, though.

Not five trials. Two, maybe three.

We just have to find the right combination
of defendants

that requires the least amount of editing
of the tapes.

Good. Let's dig into it.

They're not gonna separate themselves.

[indistinct conversation]

We want a separate trial.

Well...

we all want separate trials.

Look, if the jury sees
all five of those boys together,

they're gonna think "wolf pack."

It's no good. I agree.

But the prosecution's never gonna agree
to five separate trials.

Yusef never made a tape.

He never signed a statement.

I got him out of there before Fairstein
and those cops could trap him.

So you're trying to say it's our fault
our boys are on tape?

-I didn't say that.
-No, don't say that.

-I didn't say that. I said...
-[Deloris] What you saying?

...our situations differ.

One thing we need to do more of
is control the narrative.

People like Al Sharpton can help
with that.

Oh, I don't know. I think it's a mistake
to make this about race.

-[Deloris] Sweet Jesus.
-[Sharonne] What? Why?

Tell that to Trump.

-Exactly.
-[Ray Sr.] Rivera.

Psst, Rivera,
you wanna just jump in there?

The DA at some point
is gonna want to talk about a deal.

I know you all want to believe
that your sons are innocent, but--

-[Deloris] My--
-[Sharonne] They are!

We are innocent! We ain't touch that lady.

We're innocent! We didn't do this!

[Rivera] You need to understand,
all of you,

that this case was assigned

to Part 59
of the New York State Supreme Court.

That's Galligan's court.

Why is that a big deal?

One, they didn't spin the wheel and...

Wait, what...

what type of law
did you say you practice?

[inhales sharply]

I'm a divorce attorney.

I handled Sharonne's case.

Judge assignments are supposed to happen
by spinning a wheel, so it's random.

They didn't do that with this case.
They gave it to Galligan.

Rikers Island,

they call it Galligan's Island.

Ten times out of nine,
he sides with the state.

They don't plan to lose this case.

Shit.

-Can they do that?
-[Joseph] It's already done.

But we're not.

[Morgenthau] We have useless tape,

we've lost our gang narrative,

we can't find DNA.

We have a sock.

Those little bastards shot their wad
into a sock, thinking we wouldn't find it,

but we found it.

We have DNA. Good.

The match will nail this thing down.

How did the NYPD miss this?

Who cares? We have it now.

And the kicker is none of the defense
is aware yet.

So, we can test it right before the trial.

Surprise!

Surprise.

[reporter] ...the accused
Harlem teenagers, most 14 or 15 years old.

Initial reports suggested
they were quiet kids from stable homes,

but neighbors now say some of the boys

had been bad for a while.

One of the boys, Kevin Richardson,
was an aspiring trumpet player.

Another boy, Antron McCray,

had dreams of becoming
a professional baseball player.

-The trial will finally get underway...
-[man] Bobby, time to go home.

-Go see that wife of yours.
-[reporter] ...Yusef Salaam,

-Raymond Santana, and Antron McCray.
-[Bobby] Okay, Dave. See you tomorrow.

[reporter] The jury selection
took an unusual length of time,

as there were over 500 potential jurors.

[woman on news report] The violence
and quality of life in this city

is getting worse and worse every day.

[coins clinking]

[phone ringing]

-Hello?
-[Bobby] Hey.

-Hey. Everything okay?
-[Bobby] Yeah, yeah.

Just calling to let you know
I ain't gonna make it home tonight.

Dave got caught up with some mess.

So I'm gonna stay back
and work the double.

Okay.

-You sure there's nobody else who can--
-[Bobby] No. I'm gonna stay and do it.

[Linda]
Bobby, tomorrow's the first day of trial.

[laughs] Ain't like we don't need
the extra money, right?

All right, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, look, I gotta get back to work now.

I love you.

[Linda] I love you too.

Bye.

[replaces receiver]

[distant siren wailing]

[Antron] He's probably out there
with a cab for us.

You know how he do sometimes.
I'll bet he's there at the gate.

Just watch. I bet he's there.

[Antron] He ain't here.

He coming with us?

I don't know, baby. It's...

[sighs]

There's a lot going on right now, okay?

Everybody's just doing their best.

Come on.

[poignant music playing]

[reporter] In one of the most anticipated
trials in New York State history,

three of the attackers
from the Central Park jogger case

go before a Manhattan jury today.

Five teens are charged
with multiple criminal counts,

including rape, sexual abuse, and assault.

All eyes are on
District Attorney Elizabeth Lederer,

who's representing the victim
in one of the most horrific crimes

this city has seen.

-[reporter 1] Ms. Lederer, a moment!
-[reporter 2] Ms. Lederer!

One question!

[reporters shouting questions]

[crowd chanting] Protect the black youth!
Protect the black youth!

I'm here with Elombe and Nomsa Brath,

two of Harlem's most prominent activists
and community leaders.

We are here to assert the position
for the families

and many in our community

that there is injustice happening here.

Injustice occurred in that precinct
when young boys, underage boys,

were questioned without their parents,

and were coerced by police and prosecutors

to make false confessions,
leading to where we are today.

We are here to point the finger
at the white press who have failed.

You have failed
to properly investigate this.

You have failed
to ask the right questions.

[in Spanish] How do you feel about people
calling your son a rapist?

Why are you repeating this shit?

You don't know how we are suffering.
My son is innocent.

You don't know him.
Don't make presumptions about him.

[in English] You've been spoon-fed a story
and you've eaten it up.

-But we're not here for stories.
-[woman] That's right!

-[Elombe] We're here for the facts.
-[man] That's right!

-[Elombe] For the truth.
-[man] That's right!

[Elombe] And the facts are
that these boys are not a wolf pack.

[crowd chanting]

[Elombe] They're not animals.

[woman yelling indistinctly]

[Elombe] They're not thugs.

[Nomsa] These boys, they are ours...

and we will fight for them.

["Love & Hate"
by Michael Kiwanuka playing]

[elevator bell pings]

[Joseph]
Neat trick getting Galligan assigned.

Real magical.

[Lederer] And congratulations to you
on getting the trials separated.

[Joseph] Oh, do we get credit for that?

I'm sure it didn't have anything to do
with cutting those videos down

into nothing more than a dog whistle,
right?

We all knew you were the smart one.

[chuckling]

You've done well for yourself.
You're starting in the lead.

Please...

do those kids you're so eager
to put into jail a favor.

Just give them a fair fight.

From now on, just fight fair.
That's all we ask.

♪ Standing now ♪

♪ Calling all the people
Here to see the show ♪

♪ Calling for my demons
Now to let me go ♪

♪ I need something ♪

♪ Give me something wonderful ♪

♪ You can't take me down ♪

♪ You can't break me down ♪

-[inaudible speech]
-♪ You can't take me down ♪

[Lederer] Judge Galligan, thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

during this trial,
you will learn that the three defendants,

Yusef Salaam,

Antron McCray,

and Raymond Santana,

were among a group of 30 young men

who went into Central Park

to rob, beat,
and attack innocent New Yorkers.

[Joseph] I want to highlight something
that Ms. Lederer did not say this morning.

None of the victims,

including Ms. Meili,

has identified my client

as a perpetrator in these crimes.

These defendants are charged
with the rape,

sodomy,

attempted murder,

assault,

and sexual abuse of Patricia Meili.

You will see video statements
from Antron McCray and Raymond Santana,

where they describe in detail
how they participated

in the rape and attempted murder
of Ms. Meili.

And these tapes,

these written testaments, these...

are not as clean as the state
would have you believe.

And you will find out
what went into making those tapes.

These defendants told detectives

that Kevin Richardson grabbed the jogger,

and while Kevin and the jogger struggled,

Yusef stepped up and hit her with a pipe.

The police decided to solve this case,

no matter what it meant to the rights
of a scared 14-year-old child.

Carefully collected evidence
in a thorough investigation by NYPD

will be presented to you
that will prove the guilt of this group

beyond a reasonable doubt.

During this NYPD investigation
that Ms. Lederer has described today,

where they scoured Central Park

for bodily fluids,

for blood, for rocks, for a pipe,

anything that might have
my client's fingerprints on it,

and they did not find one.

The only just verdict in this case
is a verdict of not guilty on all counts.

Thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

the evidence in chief
against Raymond Santana

is a statement he made.

And I submit to you that
that statement was coerced.

And after you hear it,

I'm sure you'll see that
the people have failed to prove their case

against my client, Mr. Santana.

Thank you.

[woman whispering] Is he serious?

[Galligan] Mr. Burns.

[Burns] Thank you, Your Honor.

Uh...

Ladies and gentlemen,

[sighs]

the evidence...

Uh...

The evidence...

is going to show that...

until the body of the female jogger
was discovered,

the crimes which had been committed
and reported to the police that night,

[stammering] they weren't treated with
the same degree of seriousness, of, uh...

of intensity

as the crime related to the white...

female jogger.

A lot of police became involved.

Sergeants, captains.

Brass.

And on the sidelines, you had the media,

which learned of the female rape victim

and that the suspects
were all black or Hispanic.

Conclusions were made.

Quickly.

And pursued in a vacuum.

There was a...

strong motivation to solve
and close this case as soon as possible.

So, in comes my client, okay?

Fifteen years old at the time.

Never been in a precinct before
under any circumstances.

And they work him.

And work him.

Until his mother comes down
and puts a stop to the interrogation.

It was neither a voluntary statement
nor a truthful one.

And the evidence to support it...

it isn't there.

Which leaves us room for...

reasonable doubt.

Thank you.

[Galligan] Ms. Lederer, first witness.

[woman] Oh, my God...

[man] She was critically ill
and just barely alive.

What specific injuries did you discover,
Dr. Kurtz?

Many. She was suffering
from severe hypothermia

and she was bleeding actively
when she entered the emergency room.

[Lederer] Bleeding from what part
of her body, Doctor?

[Kurtz] Her scalp.

The blood was from scalp lacerations,
for the most part.

[murmuring]

[Lederer] Ms. Dean, what do you remember
about that night of April 19th, 1989?

[Dean] Um...

I don't remember much, but I...

I do remember a...

group of boys.

And they were making these...

these animal sounds, like...

-grunting--
-Objection.

-[Galligan] Overruled.
-[Lederer] You were saying "grunting"?

So, my fiancé and I were riding our bike

and this entire group of kids
just started heckling us,

and, I mean, I...

We were completely terrified.

[Joseph] Mr. Loughlin,

you reviewed a lineup with the intention
of identifying your assailant.

-Did you identify him?
-I did.

[Joseph] And that was number...
four in the lineup.

Is that correct?

I believe that is correct.

Is the person that you identified
in this courtroom today?

No.

[Joseph] Could you repeat that
a little louder?

[louder] No.

[murmuring]

[Joseph] Thank you, Mr. Loughlin.
No more questions, Your Honor.

[Lederer] I needed this DNA and the sock
to nail all this down.

It doesn't match.

So, five defendants, clean.

Their DNA isn't there. It's not anywhere.

So, there must have been another attacker.
One must have gotten away.

You honestly believe that?

I do if it helps a jury believe
what we know is true.

Okay, but our case is built
on the assertion

that these boys are the rapists,
not some sixth unknown boy.

So, we have semen in a sock
and it isn't theirs, any of them.

So, what are we doing here?

I'm the one who has to sell this to a jury

and the whole city is watching,
hell, the country.

So, do you understand
what is happening here?

We've still got the cervical DNA.

Which was inconclusive.

Which means the five can't be ruled out.

Deal with the sock DNA results, you know,
play up the cervical DNA--

[Lederer] Are you listening to yourself?
You sound delusional.

You want me to pretend
that the sock never existed?

This is crossing a line.

What line, Elizabeth?

Where's the line for Patricia, huh?

I'm sick of this shit.
Where's the line for her?

Left for dead in the cold
in a pool of her own blood,

running out of her body minute by minute
in the fucking bushes.

She feels herself draining away.

-[poignant music playing]
-Where's the line?

Huh?

Fucking city!

We hear something gruesome,
we grimace and we move on.

Well, not this time.

But these boys, Linda...

They were in the park beating people up

the same night that she's getting beat up

and you're telling me
they had nothing to do with it?

Bullshit.

They said it themselves.

They told us what happened.

They were told.

Come on.

The eye sees, but it cannot see itself.

They couldn't see the whole picture
of how their one part fit

into the whole. That is all we did.

[inhales deeply]

It's too late for this.

Like you said,
the whole country is watching.

They are watching you.

This is your opportunity.

Remember her.

The people call Patricia Meili.

[murmuring]

[murmuring continues]

[door opens]

[murmuring dies down]

[woman whispering] Oh, Lord...

Oh, man...

What are you doing?

Praying she got her memory back.

[inhales deeply]

Ms. Meili,

will you tell us what you remember

about April 19th, 1989?

[ominous music playing]

I remember being at work.

And we had a meeting at lunch

with the entire

corporate finance department.

And I remember I had a phone call
at five o'clock

to cancel a dinner with a friend.

[Lederer] Do you recall what time
you left work on April 19th, 1989?

No, I do not.

[Lederer]
Do you remember jogging in Central Park?

No.

[Lederer]
Do you have any memory whatsoever

about what happened to you in the park

on April 19th, 1989?

No, I do not.

Ms. Meili, do you recognize
People's 33 in evidence?

That's my shirt.

Prior to April 19th, 1989,

what color was this shirt?

It was white.

[murmuring]

And do you recognize People's 13?

[Meili] Those are my running shoes.

[Lederer]
Ms. Meili, as you sit here today,

do you suffer any lingering injuries
from your attack?

A few. Um...

I have trouble walking,

as you could see.

I have trouble with steps or stairs.

I have...

double vision.

And I have lost my sense of smell.

I can't smell anything.

Nothing further, Your Honor.

She didn't say it wasn't them.

[distant siren wailing]

[siren wailing continues]

How you doing, boy? Looking good.

You a'ight?

I'm okay.

Why aren't you home?

Trial's almost half over, and...

I ain't seen you once.

[sighs] I mean, uh...

I'm just, you know...

I'm working on some things.

Taking care of some things for,
you know, for all of us.

Trust me?

[poignant music playing]

Go on.

Here's some money for the cab ride
back and forth.

[Antron] Wait... I thought...

You're not coming, huh?

Not today.

I love you.

We suggested,
myself and Detective Hildebrandt,

that maybe the mother...

It might be better off
if the mother could leave

and Mr. McCray could stay inside the room.

And once Mrs. McCray left the room,
did Antron say anything?

Yeah, he admitted about the female jogger,
about who was holding her down,

and about him getting on top of her
and penetrating her.

[murmuring]

I never said that.

And what was Antron's demeanor
at this point?

His voice was low,

he was fidgeting,
and, uh, his eyes were tearing up.

He was crying.

No, he wasn't crying.

Your colleague Detective Gonzalez
testified that he was crying.

I didn't see that.

[Joseph] Hmm.

You testified that it was
Linda McCray's idea

to remove herself
from the interrogation room.

That's right.

But isn't it the fact that...

that was your idea?

Yours and Detective Gonzalez'?

We all decided together.

Detective Gonzalez testified
that Antron told him

that he had penetrated the jogger,

but you just told the DA that Antron
was very clear with you

that he did not penetrate her.

So, which is it, Detective? Because
both of you can't be telling the truth.

-Objection, argumentative.
-He ain't did nothing!

-[gavel banging]
-Thank you.

-[clamoring]
-Order! Order! Sustained.

[Joseph] And because neither you
nor Detective Gonzalez

kept any notes of the interview,

I guess we'll just never know
why a 14-year-old

went from saying that he had
never heard of a rape in the park

to allegedly confessing to it.

Is that a question?

Isn't it true that you promised
Antron McCray that he could go home

if he would just give you a statement?

All we did was ask Mr. McCray
what happened, and he told us.

But you have no notes of the many times
that he told you

he had nothing to do with it.

No.

[Joseph] Just to be clear...

he told you multiple times
that he didn't do it.

He may have.

-[Joseph] Multiple times?
-Multiple times.

Yes.

Mr. McCray claimed to be innocent.

Thank you, Your Honor.

Is it okay if I sit with Raymond
before they take him into Holding?

[Joseph] Sure.

A'ight, here's the plan:
you take out the guards, I steal us a car,

we'd be in Mexico in a few days.

I mean, you speak Spanish, right?

I can say "tacos."

That count?

Man...

I want to sleep in my own bed so bad.

I want to go home.

My dad don't even come to court no more.

He say he knows what's gonna happen,
he's sorry.

That's what everybody's saying, man.

It ain't looking good for us.

Don't think like that.

If we don't believe, man, we already lost.

And as for the cervical swab,

the semen sample recovered from the body,

were you able to recover a DNA sample?

That's the pattern I informed
the district attorney was very faint.

And based on your visual observation
of those two bands,

would you agree that the DNA pattern
is different than that of Antron McCray's?

Yes.

[murmuring]

And did you find any trace
of Antron McCray's DNA

anywhere on the scene?

No, but we only tested the cervical swab
and the sock.

[murmuring]

[hopeful music playing]

Agent, were you asked to test a sample

on a sock recovered at the scene?

Yes, sir.

And what kind of sample was present?

There was a semen on the sock.

A semen, singular?

Yes.

And would you say that your findings
are conclusive?

Yes.

Based on your analysis of that sock,

does the DNA present match that
of Antron McCray?

-No. It was not his.
-[gasps]

[excited murmuring]

Does the DNA from that sample match
any of the DNA patterns of the defendants?

No.

[excited chattering]

-[man] I told you!
-[gavel banging]

-[Galligan] Order!
-[man] They didn't touch her!

[gavel banging]

[Galligan] Order!

[excited chatter continuing]

[Galligan] Order!

[Antron laughs]

[Galligan] Order!

-Elizabeth.
-Michael.

Did you call me here to apologize?

Apologize for what?

[sighs] You saying that the DNA evidence
was inconclusive. That's not playing fair.

Fair?

-What's that word mean, anyway?
-[Joseph chuckles]

I don't know,
something to do with justice, I think.

It's no longer about justice, Counselor.

It's about politics.

And politics is about survival.

And there's nothing fair about survival.

Survival at what cost?

Those boys don't deserve
to pay the price--

-I'm not interested in a philosophical--
-Then why am I here?

I asked you here to talk about a deal.

[door opens]

[optimistic music playing]

The prosecution has a huge problem
with its physical case, and they know it.

It's the only reason they're willing
to talk about a plea deal, but...

it has to be all three of you.

If we all plead guilty now,
you will do time,

but it is a fraction of the time you'll do
if we see this thing through to the end

and it doesn't go our way.
It's something we have to consider.

-This is good news.
-[Joseph] Wait.

We gotta be careful.
It's all gonna come down to those tapes.

If the tapes clearly show our boys
being coerced,

it's a huge advantage to us.

This case could still go either way.

[both whispering indistinctly]

[inaudible speech]

[inaudible speech]

[indistinct chatter]

[indistinct chatter continuing]

We didn't do this.

[chatter stops]

No.

I don't think we should admit to something
that we didn't do.

Yusef is right.

Not gonna do this.

Okay.

So...

we keep fighting.

[inaudible speech]

When Raymond said "I was kneeling"
when he was feeling her breasts,

did you look to see if there was any mud
on his pants?

No.

Did you make any notations
about there being mud on the pants?

No.

[Rivera] Oh.

One more thing.

Raymond placed the rape in the wrong part
of the park. Am I correct?

Objection, leading.

You'll answer.

Santana put the rape elsewhere.

Where?

Where "elsewhere," Detective?

There's a lot at stake for this boy
and I want you to be specific.

We don't need the commentary,
Mr. Rivera. You'll answer.

He put the rape down there.

[hopeful music playing]

[murmuring]

Not...

where it took place.

No.

No further questions, Your Honor.

Glad you could join us.

[Galligan] Ms. Lederer.

[Lederer] The people rest, Your Honor.

She was raped and beaten so severely,

she lost all memory of the attack.

It's been a back-and-forth trial

and so much is riding
on these taped statements.

If what we're hearing is true
about those tapes,

those boys will need a miracle
to convince a jury.

[disheartening music playing]

[door opens]

[Bobby] Hey.

[crowd chanting] Protect black youth!
Protect black youth!

Protect black youth!
Protect black youth! Protect black youth!

[chanting continues]

[crowd chanting] No justice, no peace!

No justice, no peace!

-No justice, no peace!
-[woman] We love you, Tron!

[crowd chanting] No justice, no peace!

No justice, no peace!

No justice, no peace!

No justice, no peace!

No justice, no peace!

[chanting continues]

[chanting] They were framed!

They were framed! They were framed!

They were framed! They were framed!

They were framed! They were framed!

[door opens]

Hey.

"Hey"?

[poignant music playing]

'Cause you didn't wanna show up!

You didn't wanna show up
for half of my trial!

Now you're trying to come here
and play the hero?

I can make this right, Tron--

Have you ever thought about
what would happen

if you went up there
and say the wrong thing?

[Antron breathing heavily]

This is my life.

This is my life.

I know what's happening.

I know why you're leaving us.

Ain't nobody ever blamed you
for any of this.

I blame myself.

[door opens and closes]

[Joseph] Did there come a time
when you left the room with the police?

Uh, yeah. Yes.

[Joseph] And what did they say then?

[Bobby] They said, um...

if my son didn't cooperate
that he was going to go to jail,

and then they said I should go back
in the room

and talk to him alone,

without my wife.

And what did you say to Antron?

I told him that I knew
he was telling the truth...

but he gonna need to say
what they wanna hear

so that we can get outta here
and go home.

I was trying to protect him.

Help him.

Trying to save him.

[Joseph] And what did Antron say?

[inhales deeply]

He said, "Dad,

I wasn't there.

I'm not gonna lie."

What happened then, Mr. McCray?

-[ominous music playing]
-I lost it.

Threw a chair.

I was trying to get him to lie.

And then the police came back in the room
and I looked at my son,

I told him to tell them
what they want to hear.

I thought,
I'm trying to keep him out of jail.

Know what I'm saying?
It's hard to come back from that. I--

Thank you, Mr. McCray.

No further questions, Your Honor.

You threw a chair?

Must have been pretty angry.

Out of control.

I was trying to get my son to lie.

But when the taping began,
you didn't say anything like,

"This is nonsense. I'm not gonna
let my kid answer these questions."

They had told us

if we cooperate,

he would be a witness.

They told us we could go home.

[Lederer] Do you honestly expect us
to believe

that after your son signed a statement

admitting that he had beaten people
in a park,

that he had been on top of a woman,

that he had held her down
while people raped her,

did you honestly believe that
he was gonna be allowed to go home?

Yeah.

Yes, I did.

After we received that promise
from the police.

Do you believe, Mr. McCray, that...

it's okay to lie to protect your family?

Is that something
that you would teach your son?

[Bobby] Yeah.

Look, he didn't do this.

But you weren't in the park
on April 19th,

so you have no way of knowing that.

I know my son, all right?

Antron ain't no liar.

That's right.

If he say he ain't touched that woman,
he ain't touched that woman.

So we can trust his words?

Yeah. Yes, you can.

Well, fortunately, we have his words.

On tape.

Saying that he did.

[whispering]

Nothing further, Your Honor.

Thank you, Mr. Joseph.

I know you did your best.

This is not over yet, Antron.

[reporter] There was no solid evidence
linking the defendants to the crime,

no fingerprints, no blood matches.

The prosecution's strongest weapon
will come from the teenagers themselves

in written and taped confessions.

Defense lawyers argued the teenagers
were pressured into confessing,

that they were victims
of a biased legal system

anxious to solve a crime
against a white woman.

That debate could go on,

as two other teenagers
also charged with the rape

prepare for trial.

[Lederer] So on the night of April 19th,
when you entered the park...

did you see [bleep] hit her in the head?

[Antron] Nah.

I heard it.

Actually, uh...

I, uh...

[stammering] I seen it.

[Lederer] Who else had sex with her
besides Kevin Richardson?

[Raymond] Uh...

I didn't see anybody else on top, uh...

have sex.

Just him.

[Lederer] Then you got on top of her?

But my penis wasn't in her.

I just... I got on top of her.

For show. You know?

[Lederer] And when he was on top of her
having sex,

how were you able to put your hands
on her breasts?

I was kneeling

to...

[poignant music playing]

[Korey] Me, Kevin,

and...

I don't know the other ones.

The only ones who did it different
was me and Yusef.

Me and Yusef.

Me and Yusef was just playing with her.

I felt bad.

I felt bad.

This is my... This is my first extreme...

I did to any...

any kind of female.

Or...

[exhales]

This is my first rape.

This is my first experience,
this will be my last.

[Lederer] Were you trying to touch her?

Not... Not really.

[Lederer] Didn't you tell police
earlier today

that you had tried to grab her

-and that's when you got scratched?
-[Kevin] Um...

No, no, not like...

Like, not, like, feeling her up.

[Lederer] Okay, not like that.

No, like, um...

I was trying to stop it.

[Lederer] But you tried. You--

Like, I tried to grab her arm.

-[Lederer] You tried to grab her arms.
-[Kevin] Uh...

I was, uh...

I was trying to stop them.

[sobbing quietly]

And how many times did he slap you?

Uh, three times.

And what did you do?

I just took him serious.

I had no choice
but to take him serious 'cause...

Hartigan said I could go home
if I said I was at the rape.

[Moore] You didn't want to say it,

but you did.

Why did you say something
that wasn't true, Korey?

They said... They said if I was there,

and if I went along with it,
that I could go home.

And that's all I wanted.

That's all I wanted, was to go home.

That's all I still want.

No further questions, Your Honor.

So that punching gesture
that you're making in the video,

right, demonstrating how the boys
punched the jogger,

did the police make you do that on tape?

Punching with both your fists?

[stammering] Somehow.

They tell you that you were supposed
to do that?

W... They was yelling at me.

They was screaming at me
and hitting on me, so I...

I figured I'd tell them what they wanted.

If I tell them what they wanted,
I could go home. So that's what I did.

[Lederer] In your statement,
did the police make you say

that you hit her in the head with a pipe?

Is that... That's what it says?

Is that your signature on the page?

Permission to approach the witness,
Your Honor?

Is that your signature on your page?

Yeah. Yeah.

[Lederer] And above that,
what does the statement say?

Read the statement.

What does the statement say?

-Read what the sentence says.
-I can't read well.

-I can't read very well.
-Can you try to read it?

-I said I can't read very well.
-Just read what the sentence says.

What's wrong with this woman? I said
I can't read well. She pushing on me.

[Galligan] Can you read any of the words?

[Korey] Uh, maybe.

Maybe. I don't know. I can't--

Above your name,
does it say, "This statement is true"?

I don't know what it says
'cause I ain't write it.

So I don't know what it says.
I ain't write it.

Did you skip school

on April 19th, 1989?

-Yeah.
-[Lederer] And isn't it true that

you were truant from school
before this date, April 19th, 1989?

"Truant"?

That means you skipped school.

-I had a reason.
-[Lederer] You skipped a lot of school?

Objection.

Asked and answered.

Overruled. You can answer.

I had a reason.
I was threatened in school.

That's why.

What's that...
What's that have to do my case?

And is that the reason that
you skipped school for all of April 1989?

[panicked] What does that
have to do with my case?

You're here to answer questions.

I don't want to answer
her questions anymore,

answering a question's what
got me here in the first place. So I...

-I don't want to answer her questions.
-Answer the question.

-[clamoring]
-Why I gotta answer?

-[man] He already answered!
-What does that have to do with my case?

-[gavel banging]
-[Galligan] Get them out of here!

What does that have to do with my case?

[cries]

[Lederer]
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

these boys...

they had their fun in Central Park
on April 19th, 1989.

Today, they have no one to blame
but themselves.

[ominous music playing]

[Lederer] They were acting in concert
with one another and others in the park.

They committed the vicious attack
on Patricia Meili

and the brutal beating
of Loughlin and Lewis.

Not one person
has walked into this courtroom

and said that Antron McCray
attacked Patricia Meili.

Or anyone, for that matter.

There is not one shred of physical
or scientific evidence that proves

that Antron McCray committed these crimes
or any crimes whatsoever.

All the police had to do

was make one and one equal two.

So detectives, they start talking,

asking questions.

To kids.

Who have not had any food,

who've not been allowed to sleep.

And they questioned them for hours

and hours

and hours.

Then even more hours.

You seemed to have a hard time
watching the confession tapes.

But if you watch closely
and watch for yourself,

you will see the truth, and you did.

The evidence...

is so conflicting.

Emotions have run so high.

And...

there are racial overtones

that even the blind Lady Justice can see.

Acting with an entire group
of more than 30 people,

they went wild in the park,

beating, kicking,

using bricks and stones,

striking anybody they could find.

They admitted all of this in their written
and taped statements to police.

You saw Patricia Meili's shirt
soaked in blood,

but there is not one drop of blood
on Antron's clothes, not one drop.

Why?

Because Antron is innocent
of these crimes.

Why was there no blood
on the defendant's clothing?

Because Patricia lost most of her blood
from head wounds.

They didn't come in contact
with her head.

They were on top of her pelvic area
and her torso.

Imagine the frenzy of these teenagers
as they were gathering around her,

reaching hands to grab her,
ripping off her clothes.

In the chaos, are you surprised
that the defendants,

when they were questioned,
don't remember the exact details?

And just because there is DNA evidence

that someone else was present
at the scene,

that doesn't mean that these defendants
are innocent.

They can still be guilty of rape
under the law.

If they were present,

if they did nothing to stop her agony,

then they are guilty.

[poignant music playing]

[Sharonne] You watch them grow.

And you start to think
you did a good job.

And then one night...

you look away.

One night.

[inaudible speech]

[man] Kevin Richardson...

please stand.

Antron McCray, please stand.

Yusef Salaam, please stand.

Raymond Santana, Jr., please stand.

Korey Wise, please stand.

In the matter of the State of New York...

as to the count of rape
in the first degree...

[court clerk] As to the count of assault
in the first degree...

As to the count of assault
in the second degree...

[court clerk] As to the count of riot
in the first degree...

As to the count of rape
in the first degree...

Count of robbery...
Count of attempted murder

in the second degree...
Count of sodomy...

Count of sexual abuse
in the first degree...

And to the count of attempted murder
of Patricia Meili...

the jury finds the defendant...

guilty.

[cries of anguish and outrage in courtroom
slowly fading]

[ominous music playing]

-[inaudible speech]
-[court clerk] ...guilty.

On the count of assault
in the second degree,

-the verdict is guilty.
-[cries of anguish and outrage continuing]

[court clerk] ...the verdict is guilty.

...is guilty.

[woman] That's my baby!

[court clerk] ...the verdict is guilty.

[inaudible speech]

[plays plaintive note]

[plaintive trumpet playing continuing]

[court clerk] ...the verdict is guilty.