What is Netflix's When They See Us all about? Exploring the true story behind the miniseries

When They See Us is an award-winning crime drama miniseries directed, created, and co-written by Ava DuVernay. The series is executive produced by Robert De Niro, Oprah Winfrey, Ava DuVernay, Jonathan King, Jeff Skoll, Jane Rosenthal, and Berry Welsh.

It chronicles the real-life tragic events of the 1989 Central Park jogger case that led to the wrongful conviction of five African American and Hispanic teenagers. The limited series stars Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Jharrel Jerome, and Marquis Rodriguez in lead roles. The four-part series premiered on Netflix on May 31, 2019.

Its official synopsis, as per Netflix, reads:

"Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story."

When They See Us documents the real-life story of five teenage boys who were wrongfully convicted of assaulting and ra*ing Trisha Meili in Central Park in 1989.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for When They See Us. Reader discretion is advised.

The true story behind When They See Us explained in detail

An image from When They See Us (Image via Facebook/@When They See Us)

On the evening of April 19, 1989, a 28-year-old woman named Patricia 'Trisha' Meili was attacked while jogging in New York City's Central Park. She was hit on the head, dragged nearly 300 feet to a nearby ravine, se*ually assaulted, and left for dead. Trisha was found in a brutal condition, having lost almost 80% of her blood, at 1:30 am the following day.

Four African-American teenage boys named Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise, Antron McCray, and Yusef Salaam, and one Hispanic boy named Raymond Santana became prime suspects in the case. They were all aged between 14 to 16 years and became known as the 'Central Park Five'. Their arrest was seen as being racially charged and incited the city infamous for racial tensions between minorities and the police.

The young men initially denied any involvement in Trisha's attack. The police also found no physical evidence linking them to the attack. Nonetheless, they were coerced into confessing the crime after relentless hours of interrogation. They later recanted their confessions, stating that they were taken under duress.

The Central Park Five was wrongfully convicted of assault, robbery, riot, r*pe, se*ual abuse, and attempted murder in 1990. Richardson, McCray, Salaam, and Santana were sentenced to 5-10 years in juvenile detention, while Wise (the only one tried as an adult) was sentenced to 15 years in prison and was released after 13 years.

In 2002, the serial r*pist Matias Reyes, who was behind bars at the time, confessed to attacking Meili. DNA evidence also confirmed that he acted alone. In December of that year, the Central Park Five was exonerated and was awarded a $41 million settlement in 2014.

Where are the Central Park Five now?

Marquis Rodriguez seen playing Raymond Santana in When They See Us (Image via Facebook/@When They See Us)

As of 2024, Yusef Salaam is a political activist, poet, and motivational speaker. He published his book, Words of a Man, My Right to Be, in 2017. Antron McCray lives with his wife and children in Georgia. Kevin Richardson actively campaigns for legal reform to prevent wrongful convictions. Raymond Santana works as an activist and entrepreneur.

Lastly, Korey Wise is a criminal justice activist and is the only member of the group who still resides in New York City.

When They See Us plot summary

When They See Us recounts the harrowing story of five Harlem teenagers who were falsely accused of r*ping and assaulting Trisha Meili in 1989. It takes a deep dive into the Central Park Five's highly publicized trial, wrongful conviction, and eventual exoneration. The limited series chronicles their journey over 25 years through four episodes of more than 60 minutes each.

Ava DuVernay highlights the systemic racial injustice and fraught legal system that destroyed the lives of these five young men. The acclaimed series is one of the most shocking examples of miscarriage of justice in modern American history.