NEW YORK (AP) — A co-defendant of the so-called Central Park Five has had his conviction on a related charge overturned. Steven Lopez was exonerated Monday in response to requests by his attorney and prosecutors. He had been arrested along with five other Black and Latino teenagers in the notorious 1989 rape and assault on Central Park jogger Trisha Meili. He then reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a lesser charge of robbing a male jogger. He served more than three years behind bars. A review found that Lopez had pleaded guilty involuntarily and under pressure. The 48-year-old Lopez was in court Monday but didn’t speak.
Co-defendant in Central Park jogger case is exonerated
