Korey Wise is a political activist and historical figure from the United States. His personal story was adapted as part of the Netflix original series When They See Us, which garnered him a lot of attention.
Korey Wise’s Biography
Korey Wise, a 47-year-old political activist, was born in New York City on July 26, 1972. Deloris Wise, Korey’s mother, has three children. After a long battle with cancer, his father died in 1996. Norman Wise, his brother, was a transgender woman who went by the name Marci Wise. Korey was serving a term for a crime he didn’t commit when she died. Vanity Wise, Korey’s other transgender sister, is also a transgender woman.
Korey, who stands about 5 feet and 7 inches (1.7 meters) tall, attended a local high school in New York. Because of his conviction, he was unable to continue his education in college.
Korey Wise’s Central Park Jogger Case
Korey Wise, along with four other Afro-American adolescents, was wrongfully convicted of raping and assaulting Trisha Meili, a white female runner. This incident, known as the Central Park Jogger Case, occurred on April 19, 1989 in Manhattan’s Central Park’s North Woods.
Raymond Santana Jr., Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, and Yusef Salaam, in addition to Korey, were falsely accused of attacking Trisha, a 28-year-old lady who was jogging in the park at the time. They were also charged with attacking eight other people on the same night.
Korey, who was 16 at the time, was the group’s eldest member and the only one who had spent his whole term in adult jail. He was initially not a suspect in any of the and accompanied his friend to the police station without hesitation. Despite his name not being on the list of suspects, detectives chose to question him as well and connected him to the rape of a woman jogging in the park that night.
Korey was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison, and by the time he was released, he had served 11.5 years, the longest of the five boys.
Korey Wise Estimated Net Worth
Korey and four other adolescents sued the city of New York for malicious prosecution, racial discrimination, and mental anguish in 2002, after they were released. In 2014, the dispute was finally settled for $41 million.
The award-winning campaigner is currently collaborating closely with The Innocence Project. Korey’s work advocates for the rights and restitution of people unfairly convicted, as well as criminal justice reform.
In 2019, his story was adapted for the Netflix original series When They See Us. The show went on to win a number of awards after that. The activist and motivational speaker’s net worth is reported to be $12 million.
Korey Wise Unknown Relation
Korey’s sister Marci wasn’t the first loved one he lost while serving a term for a falsely charged crime. Korey had to say his goodbyes to Lisa, his childhood sweetheart, who died before Korey’s conviction was overturned.
The incident was even more devastating because the two were never able to reconnect after his detention.