Anyone who is accused of committing a crime should have a fair trial with an equivalent examination of all evidence, as well as being perceived as innocent until officially proven guilty. This is a joint statement that applies to almost everyone as many countries have these rights outlined in their legal documents. However, why was Adnan Syed not given these rights?

In 2000, a jury had found Adnan Syed, a 17-year-old boy at the time, guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee out of spite and jealousy. He was charged with first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison based on evidence shown at trial. Nonetheless, I believe Adnan Syed is innocent for the reasons listed below.

Based on “Serial,” my reasons begin with…

Asia McClain

While listening carefully to the first couple episodes of “Serial,” it was brought to my attention that a student named Asia McClain, had written a letter to Adnan explaining a significant fact. This letter fell into Adnan’s favour as it pointed towards his innocence. However, it was not processed as evidence. On January 13th, 1999, around 2:36 pm Hae Min Lee, Adnan’s ex-girlfriend was found dead. Adnan was arrested for her murder and sent to jail. However, according to Asia’s letter, it would’ve been highly unlikely for him to have murdered her as Asia saw him at the library around 2:30 pm. As she mentioned in her letters “I am not sure if you remember talking to me in the library on Jan 13th, but I remember chatting with you. Throughout your actions that day I believe in your innocence” (McClain). Not only did Asia see and talk to him at the library, but she also spoke about his character. According to her, he did not seem like a jealous, rage-filled person who wanted to kill Hae, but instead a person who wished her all the happiness. I don’t think it’s possible to kill someone and hide their body all within 6 minutes. Asia’s letter was very crucial to Adnan’s case but wasn’t used, making me believe that someone is screwing him over.

Jay’s Irregularity

Is it just me or does Jay’s story change a little every time he gets interviewed? While doing some research, I saw that Jay, one of Adnan’s many friends, had an inconsistent story. According to Jay, Adnan mentioned that “he was going to kill that bitch” because “Hae made him mad” (Serial episode 1). Based on this testimony the state built their case and illustrated Adnan as a crazy guy who became a murder over rage. However later on, Jay mentioned that Adnan jokingly said  “I think I’m going to kill her, yeah, I think I’m going to kill her” (Serial episode 2) contradicting what he said previously. On the night of Hae’s death, Jay mentioned that Adnan called Jenna’s landline whom he was with, around 3:21 pm asking for a ride. Then later on, Jay changed his story and says Adnan wasn’t the one who called, it was actually himself who called her landline. However, this doesn’t make any sense because why would Jay call her when they were already together at her house? This also doesn’t make sense because Jenna clearly stated that Adnan was the one who called and not Jay. To make things worse, when the call was traced back, it pinged a tower that was nowhere near Jenna’s house showing me that the phone call wasn’t from Jay. I believe there was no substantial evidence pointing towards Adnan’s guilt, but only loose ends created by Jay’s lies.

Adnan’s Personality

Almost everyone portrayed Adnan as an average guy who did whatever everyone else did. Nothing about him was out of the ordinary, weird or even creepy. According to many peers, he was the definition of a golden child. “He was an honour roll student, volunteer EMT. He was on the football team. He was a star runner on the track team. He was the homecoming king. He led prayers at the mosque. Everybody knew Adnan to be somebody who was going to do something really big” (Rabia Chaudry). Adnan excelled in many things and did not have any prior arrests or any run-in with the laws yet he was painted to be a rage filled monster. Although he had no recollection of what happened that night, I believe that this  type of personality would not have murdered someone.

Why choose this medium?

This medium allows me to express my own opinion, thoughts, and ideas in a way without having to be formal, which creates a conversational environment. Writing a blog is typically done in an informal tone and creates a platform where I can speak my mind and show my ideas in an insightful way. There is no right or wrong when it comes to blogging as there are no restrictions on what you can discuss. I can freehand a post and speak what’s on my mind without having to worry about what people say, as it’s an opinion based medium. Unlike a podcast or a video, I don’t have to create a script of what I want to say, nor do I have to edit the video or podcast to make sure no external sounds are being heard that can distract the reader. Blogs over other mediums allow me to show visual content as well. I can use pictures, videos and links in a post to enhance the understanding of my audience since some might be visual learners, whereas in a podcast I can’t do that. One thing blogs have that podcasts or videos don’t have is text. Some people may find it easier to understand concepts better when they’re written down because it allows the readers to go back and re-read what they don’t understand.  

Other external sources used

https://serialpodcast.org/

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2000-06-07-0006070134-story.html By: Caitlin Francke