Adnan Syed is a convicted murderer and sentenced to life at the Baltimore Corrections Facility. The woman he murdered was a senior at Woodlawn High School, Hae Min Lee, who was also his ex-girlfriend. Hae Min Lee went missing after school on Friday, January 13, 1999. On February 9, 1999, her body was found in Leakin Park, a victim of manual strangulation. Fifteen years later her story was brought to Sarah Koenig by Adnan’s close family friend Rabia Chaudry, who thinks Adnan Syed was wrongfully convicted of the murder.
Sarah began researching this case with her team and started a podcast called Serial, a twelve episode long series. In this series, Sarah addresses the background of the case, Adnan’s alibi and other information they had gathered along the way. Additionally, they discuss the discrepancies and strengths in both sides of the case. At the end of the twelve part journey, they end this podcast with the evidence of both sides. My reasoning behind my decision goes as followed Adnan stating it was normal day when considerable important events happened, though believing that he would remember everything is a pretty high standard.
Though he doesn’t remember a single memory that is not invalidated by the phone records. The day of the murder Nisha was also called at 3:32pm which would weaken Adnan’s alibi. Though the call could have been a butt dial with all the evidence it’s highly unlikely. Adnan throughout the case has shown multiple signs of sociopathic traits including lying to people about Hae, though the testimony should be taken lightly, however a considerable amount of evidence shows sociopathic behaviors in Adnan. As the evidence stands Adnan Syed is guilty to murdering Hae Min Lee on January 13th, 1999.
Claim 1/ Topic Sentence 1: The fact that Adnan states it was a normal day on January 13th, 1999 the day of Hae Min Lee’s murder, would be suspicious considering the irregular events that happened. One of his best friends 18th birthday was January 13. It was his first entire day of having a cell phone and bringing it to class. Adnan was an honors student that was a very responsible person so he being 40 minutes late to a class would spark something. He also gets called from a cop inquiring as to whether he knows where his latest ex is because she might be missing.
Even if he didn’t remember the rest just remembering the police call could make the brain remember other events from that day. For Adnan, a normal day was a school to track to home to a mosque. He wouldn’t have asked for a ride since he had his own car. It’s a day he wasn’t at school throughout the day, he didn’t have his car that evening, and he didn’t go home after track, and where he hung out with Jay both in the morning and the night, someone who Adnan wouldn’t usually be hanging with.
Counterclaim 1/ Topic Sentence 1:] believe you’re holding him to a really high standard he recalls the general details of his day yet, not everything about, which is justifiable. Reply 1/Topic Sentence 1: He recalls the general details however not a single specific memory that is not negated by the phone records. He can’t recollect what he and Jay did in the morning (we know “we went to the shopping center” isn’t valid from the phone records). He can’t recollect where he got the Adcock call.
He can’t remember what he did right after the Adcock call. He can’t recollect what he did right after school despite the fact that he talked to the police about it that same day. He can’t remember asking for a ride. He can’t remember telling Adcock he requested a ride. He obviously can’t recall when he went to the mosque that night. Claim 2/ Topic Sentence 2: The day of the murder Adnan supposedly had given his phone to Jay, at 2:36pm Nisha was called, a friend of Adnan who Jay would not be calling diminishing Adnan’s alibi.
My theory on the matter is that the call was a mishap by Adnan around the time of the homicide. He understands this is a potential issue for him, thus weeks after the fact has Jay talk with Nisha from his phone to substantiate that Jay and Nisha once talked from Adnan’s phone. I don’t think he thought this through clearly yet actually it DOES tangle things; it doesn’t need to exonerate him in order to help him. Counterclaim 2/ Topic Sentence 2: Old Nokia block style telephone without num lock.
In the event that Nisha was a speed dial contact, It wouldn’t be shocking if it was a butt-dial. The fact that Adnan’s phone was able for making a pocket dial, demonstrates to us just that it was *possible* for the Nisha Call to have been a pocket dial, and not that it was liable to have been one. In any case, a pocket dial becomes a considerably more plausible clarification where, as here, there is no solid proof to bolster the decision that a call had been made purposefully.
Furthermore, the greater part of the existing evidence for this situation has been predictable with (and better clarified by the Nisha Call being a pocket dial, as there is not a solitary witness who has affirmed that Adnan could have had the ownership of the telephone at 3:32 p. m. that day. Reply 2/Topic Sentence 2: The Butt dial Defense is maybe the strongest case of how far supporters of Adnan will bend around backward. It’s workable for a butt dial to happen, beyond any doubt, yet we know it didn’t, on account of individuals on both sides of the discussion vouching for the conversation occurring.
Besides, both vouched for Adnan having talked in the call. Supporters say the discussion happened later because of the fact that they couldn’t have been at a video store if Jay later accepted a job at a video store, yet in the event that you stop and think for a brief moment this argument has neither rhyme nor reason. In addition, the story is verified by Cathy who also says Jay told her they were at a video store that day. So, your safeguard of Adnan comes down to this, Jay lied. Adnan’s teacher lied. His school nurse lied. The investigators lied. The medical expert lied. Chris lied.
The individuals who said he requested a ride were wrong. The young lady who said he called her wasn’t right. Everyone is either lying or mixed up with the exception of the defendant. Claim 3/ Topic Sentence 3: Throughout Adnan’s trial, he has had multiple instances where he lied, showed many signs of manipulation, and sociopathic capabilities. Adnan was formally interviewed much sooner than six weeks after the fact. Lying about Hae needing to get back together with him is maybe the most chilling. This was a falsehood Adnan told the school nurse on the day the news broke that Hae’s body had been found.
He claimed to have addressed Hae the prior night she vanished and told the nurse that Hae “had wanted to get back together with him, that she still loved him, but that he didn’t want to get back into the relationship in that manner, that they would always be friends. ” (Source trial testimony of the nurse: http:// postimg. org/picture/wz59tmc2p/) Given what we know of the telephone log from the night prior to the homicide, and the short discussion that Adnan had that AM with Hae, this does not seem to be accurate by any means.
What is frightening is that it sounds all that much like what Hae likely let him know in the car just before he strangled her. There are obviously other accusing lies. Lying about requesting Hae for a ride on the day of the homicide (saw by two separate tenable witnesses and confirmed by Adnan to a cop that day). Lying about his car being occupied when requesting the ride. Lying about how he wasn’t troubled by their breakup. Lying about where he was and it was not coordinating up with cell tower evidence, and taking from the group Mosque gifts.
Counterclaim 3/ Topic Sentence 3:1 take the nurses testimony with a grain of salt. In any case, regardless of the possibility that Adnan did say that Hae wanted to get back together, he might have been recalling a discussion from an alternate day. He might likewise have been thinking about an different day when he lied about approaching Hae for a ride (why might he tell any cop he requested a ride) or possibly he realized that it looked terrible for him so he lied out of need (which reverse discharges).
No one particularly recalls why Adnan requested a ride or him lying about his car being occupied. A considerable lot of Adnan’s classmates can’t help opposing “lying about how he wasn’t irritated by their breakup. ” Referencing a breakup that happened a month or two prior. Adnan’s cell phone wasn’t connected to him, so perhaps he didn’t have his phone at the time being. Reply 3/Topic Sentence 3: Adnan still shows a considerable amount of lies that put him as a sociopath.
Examples include, a nonchalance for laws and social mores, Adnan used to frequent prostitutes, Adnan used to smoke weed and drink liquor. An inability to feel regret or blame, Adnan had demonstrated that he would most likely feel next to none in the event that he had killed certain persons, Adnan stole from friends and others with little to no conscience. An inclination to show brutal conduct, Adnan had discussed different ways he would murder somebody to friends which included some cruel thoughts.
