When They See Us director Ava DuVernay reveals what happened to Korey Wise's girlfriend Lisa

31 July 2019, 16:14

By Nicky Idika

What happened to Korey Wise's girlfriend Lisa? Ava DuVernay revealed the heartbreaking update about what happened to Lisa, who we meet in episode one of When They See Us.

Netflix's When They See Us tells the tragic story of a group of teenagers who were falsely accused and convicted of assaulting a jogger in Central Park, Trisha Meili, in 1989. Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, Korey Wise and Raymond Santana were implicated in the crime, spending between six to 13 years in prison.

In 2002, another man named Matias Reyes, was connected to the crime through DNA evidence, which led to the exoneration of the Central Park Five.

When They See Us became one of Netflix's most watched shows when it dropped on the platform and now director Ava DuVernay has revealed the heartbreaking fate of Lisa, Korey Wise's childhood girlfriend.

READ MORE: Where are the Central Park Five now? The real story behind When They See Us on Netflix

Lisa (played by Storm Reid) is Korey Wise's girlfriend, who we see on a date with him in episode one. Instead of staying on the date with Lisa, Korey decides to go to Central Park with his friends, which makes the situation even more devastating.

Lisa and Korey fell out of touch during his time in prison and Ava DuVernay has revealed what happened to Lisa in real life.

A fan tweeted the director saying that they were curious about what happened to Lisa and her response was truly heartbreaking.

"I’m sorry. Korey never reconnected with his girlfriend from the time of his arrest," Ava tweeted.

"Sadly, she passed away before he was released from prison 13 years later. Whenever Korey mentions Lisa to this day, he always adds 'Rest in Peace' I truly hope she is."

Korey Wise's story was especially tragic. In the mini-series, we see that Korey's confession was heavily coerced and he was even placed in solitary confinement during his time in prison. Not only was Korey incarcerated the longest out of the Central Park Five, he also lost his sister Marci Wise while serving out the unjust sentence.

The real Korey Wise was released from prison in 2002 and has since been an advocate for criminal justice reform.