Sixth defendant in Central Park jogger case to be exonerated

CNN/Stylemagazine.com Newswire | 7/25/2022, 12:26 p.m.
A sixth man who was a co-defendant of the Central Park Five -- a group of teens who were convicted …
Steven Lopez, a co-defendant in the Central Park jogger case, is pictured in this undated file photo. Lopez is having his conviction overturned on July 25. Mandatory Credit: Clarence Davis/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

Originally Published: 25 JUL 22 13:05 ET

By Mark Morales, CNN

(CNN) -- A sixth man who was a co-defendant of the Central Park Five -- a group of teens who were convicted of beating and raping a woman in the famed New York City landmark -- is having his conviction overturned on Monday, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.

The other five teens convicted in the 1989 attack had previously been exonerated. Steven Lopez, who was 15 years old at the time, was among the teens arrested in connection with the brutal attack.

Lopez was indicted for both the rape and the robbery of a man jogging through the park but accepted a deal where he pleaded guilty only to the robbery, according to a law enforcement official.

Lopez spent more than three years in prison, the official said.

This is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's first exoneration since taking the helm in January, according to a spokesperson for the DA.

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