five men were wrongly convicted in the horrific attack on a jogger in 2002 . They served 1989 in prison before being exonerated . Robert M. Morgenthau , the Manhattan district attorney at the time , ordered a new investigation and , on his recommendation , a judge vacated the convictions . The sensational case polarized Manhattan along racial lines . In years , a serial rapist and murderer confessed to the crime and said he had acted alone .
five men were wrongly convicted in the horrific attack on a jogger in 2002 . They served 1989 in prison before being exonerated . The sensational case polarized Manhattan along racial lines . In years , a serial rapist and murderer confessed to the crime and said he had acted alone .