The case of Adnan Syed, a man convicted of murdering Hae Min Lee in 1999, has become a hot-button issue recently thanks to the popularity of a podcast called “Serial”. This podcast followed investigative reporter Sarah Koenig as she went over clues, witnesses, and evidence from the nearly 20-year-old case. While Koenig left the conclusion open-ended, many listeners developed staunch views on both ends of the spectrum. Although it’s not likely that the truth will ever be revealed, one thing is certain, Adnan Syed should never have been convicted. Despite the woefully inept lawyer, there was still a massive amount of doubt surrounding the case and Adnan's guilt. That doubt is created by a single, unreliable witness, an alibi who was never called
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Jay’s testimony is an integral part of the case and should be held to the highest standard, yet the holes in his story and numerous character flaws were simply glossed over. While his knowledge of the location of Hae's car does add to his credibility, his repeatedly changing story should cause some doubt. In one version, Adnan gives Jay the phone to contact him when Hae is dead, yet in other versions, Adnan simply leaves it in the car and Jay decides to use it. Another common variation is whether or not Jay helps with the burial. Initially, Jay says he helps somewhat, other times he says he watches but doesn’t help, and finally, he says he has to get rid of his clothes because they got dirty when he was doing most of the digging. (Koenig, Episode 4: Inconsistencies) There are countless variations to Jay’s story, but one thing remains certain, they can’t ALL be true. In addition to his unreliable story, Jay’s character should raise some eyebrows as well. In fact, Jay admitted on tape that he was the “criminal element of Woodlawn”. Many people saw this as a reason that Adnan might have come to Jay for help, however, they choose to ignore Jay’s past and the risks that come with trusting him. Jay, in his own eyes and in the eyes of the court system, is a criminal, so it would be foolish to solely rely on him for all the facts. Due to Jay’s …show more content…
To start, the prosecution could produce virtually no physical evidence that actually connected Adnan to the murder. They had no camera footage, shovels, fingerprints, etc. The only piece of evidence they could bring forward were cell phone tower pings from the day Hae was killed. However, the cell tower expert collected 14 pings from different locations, yet the prosecution only presented four at court. Why? Those four pings were the only ones that matched up perfectly with Jay’s ever-changing story; all the other pings would have placed them in different areas at different
Jay’s testimony is an integral part of the case and should be held to the highest standard, yet the holes in his story and numerous character flaws were simply glossed over. While his knowledge of the location of Hae's car does add to his credibility, his repeatedly changing story should cause some doubt. In one version, Adnan gives Jay the phone to contact him when Hae is dead, yet in other versions, Adnan simply leaves it in the car and Jay decides to use it. Another common variation is whether or not Jay helps with the burial. Initially, Jay says he helps somewhat, other times he says he watches but doesn’t help, and finally, he says he has to get rid of his clothes because they got dirty when he was doing most of the digging. (Koenig, Episode 4: Inconsistencies) There are countless variations to Jay’s story, but one thing remains certain, they can’t ALL be true. In addition to his unreliable story, Jay’s character should raise some eyebrows as well. In fact, Jay admitted on tape that he was the “criminal element of Woodlawn”. Many people saw this as a reason that Adnan might have come to Jay for help, however, they choose to ignore Jay’s past and the risks that come with trusting him. Jay, in his own eyes and in the eyes of the court system, is a criminal, so it would be foolish to solely rely on him for all the facts. Due to Jay’s …show more content…
To start, the prosecution could produce virtually no physical evidence that actually connected Adnan to the murder. They had no camera footage, shovels, fingerprints, etc. The only piece of evidence they could bring forward were cell phone tower pings from the day Hae was killed. However, the cell tower expert collected 14 pings from different locations, yet the prosecution only presented four at court. Why? Those four pings were the only ones that matched up perfectly with Jay’s ever-changing story; all the other pings would have placed them in different areas at different