Despite DNA Evidence and a Confession, Donald Trump Still Thinks Central Park Five Are Guilty

Trump Paid For Full-Page Ads Attacking Black and Hispanic Teens Wrongly Accused and Later Convicted in 1989 NYC Rape Case

In 1989 Donald Trump paid for full page ads in four different New York newspapers attacking the “Central Park Five” teenagers – four are Black and one is Hispanic – essentially insisting they receive the death penalty for the brutal rape of a 28-year old jogger. 

“BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY. BRING BACK OUR POLICE!” the ads, costing Trump $85,000, read.

“I want to hate these muggers and murderers,” Trump’s ad read. “They should be forced to suffer and, when they kill, they should be executed for their crimes. They must serve as examples so that others will think long and hard before committing a crime or an act of violence.”

The five teens, none older than 16 at the time, after no sleep and a 43-hour police interrogation, confessed.

They were innocent.

Each served their full sentence, but 12 years after the attack DNA evidence and a confession from serial rapist Matias Reyes overturned their conviction. New York City paid them $41 million.

Donald Trump on Thursday told CNN he still thinks they’re guilty. At least one of the five men would like an apology:

“They admitted they were guilty,” Trump said in a statement to CNN’s Miguel Marquez, CNN reported Thursday.

“The police doing the original investigation say they were guilty,” Trump insisted, despite DNA evidence, and a confession by a serial rapist. “The fact that that case was settled with so much evidence against them is outrageous. And the woman, so badly injured, will never be the same.”

Some responses via Twitter:

 

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license