Has anyone been listening to these podcasts?

http://serialpodcast.org/

You can also listen to them on the YT channel "Serial Podcast".

It's about the 1999 murder of high school student Hae Min Lee and the conviction of her teenage ex-boyfriend. Her body was discovered in a shallow grave in Leakin Park, (the same place they think Oliver Munson may have been put by his killer.)

I'm on podcast 3, out of 9 so far. They are published each week.

It raises some very interesting questions about the boyfriend's guilt. Many people involved are interviewed and actual police interview recordings are included. The boyfriend had only a 25 minute window to commit the murder, drive to a park that (allegedly he) and none of their friends had ever been to, dig a grave, bury the body, then get back to school in time for soccer practice.

I don't normally like to listen to podcasts but I'm finding this one to be very interesting.

More info here:

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/2014/10/6/1999-murder-of-baltimore-teen-re-examined-in-new-podcast

http://chamspage.blogspot.com/2010/11/the-bodies-of-leakin-park-baltimore-md.html

The series regarding Hae and Adnan concluded. Did anyone else follow this?

I found the final podcast to be anticlimactic and disappointing, with no real answers to the most of the questions posed, and not much hope for uncovering anything else or coming to a definite conclusion. Neither the original investigation, trial, nor the podcast investigators ever found any physical evidence linking Adnan to Hae's murder.

The dead suspect that the innocence project put forward isn't likely involved, imo, because Adnan's accomplice Jay knew where Hae's car was parked and had no connection to the man. There are other possible suspects the innocence project is looking into, but they can't be named, since they are still living.

I can't make up my mind on who really killed Hae, but during most of the podcasts, I got the feeling that Jay was either responsible or had a lot more involvement than just helping cover for Adnan. He had plenty of time to commit the crime and cover it up, but Adnan only had a short window of minutes because he was in school and then had soccer practice.

I got the feeling that Jay may have liked Hae, but she possibly rebuffed him (she was in a relationship with coworker), and he went into a rage and killed her, but it wasn't planned.

I love that you're commenting on this! Just listened to the first four episodes and I'm hooked!

I love that you're commenting on this! Just listened to the first four episodes and I'm hooked!

Yep, it's very good, imo.

Have you gotten to the episode where the reporter talks to an attorney to get her opinion on some aspects of the case? She found her information to be enlightening (as did I) regarding the behavior of people involved. Did you share her opinions or have a different take?

That's the next episode. I'm having BIG problems with this conviction already. I'm curious to see if my opinion will change in the next six episodes.

I've been following the podcast as well. I agree that Adnan should NOT be in prison based on the evidence presented at trial, but I am not convinced he is innocent. I really want to believe him, but the fact remains that Hae Min Lee is dead and Jay just doesn't have a really strong motive to kill her on his own.

That said, we know that Jay is a liar based on his own statements and the statements of many of his friends. Did you guys read Jay's interview from last week? Here it is. (https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/12/29/exclusive-interview-jay-wilds-star-witness-adnan-syed-serial-case-pt-1/) He admits that he perjured himself by saying that he first saw Hae's body at his grandmother's house, not Best Buy, and that he lied on purposed so his grandmother wouldn't get dragged into the case.

I also agree that it's unlikely the potential serial killer guy was involved, but the point that the Innocence Project lawyer made about the "big picture" is that introducing this new suspect could get the court to allow for DNA testing. If it's not Jay or Adnan, my mind will be blown!

Such a frustrating case - multiple versions of the story, 2 narrators, both unreliable!

I'm not quite finished with the podcast. Life happens and it's easier to listen while I'm driving, I've found.

That being said, I'm still towing the line on this one. I think I have three episodes left. I DID hear about Jay's interview and I'm waiting to finish the series before I read it... I agree about the unreliable narrators! I WANT to believe Adnan, but then every once in a while, he drops a sentence that makes me pause.

Despite those misgivings, I still think the evidence was minimal.

I have similar feelings as both of you. I don't think there was enough evidence to convict Adnan yet every once in a while he would say something in the interview that did make me think he was involved in her murder.

Can you imagine how frustrating it was for Sarah Koenig to have to conduct these interviews on that prison phone system that kept ending the call? She'd be asking questions, he was willing to talk, and then they'd get their 30 second warning and be disconnected. gah!

As a former defense attorney, I can tell you that: yes, it happens and yes, it's hella annoying.

After listening to this podcast through twice and listening to various spoiler podcasts about Serial, I have to say I'm still on the fence. I agree with SK. I don't know if Adnan is truly innocent but I do agree he should not have been convicted. Hopefully the new DNA evidence will be enough to garner him a new trial. I agree that the entire case is very confusing and compelling, especially since Jay has basically admitted he lied on several occasions with authorities.

I have heard an interesting theory that supposedly Jay might have been cheating on his girlfriend Stephanie and Hae had gotten word of it and was going to confront Jay on this. It would give Jay a motive to kill Hae.

I actually wondered if ADNAN and Stephanie had a thing and Jay found out and killed Hae in retaliation.

I have not listened to this, but a lot of my friends on social media keep raving about it. Being from the Baltimore area, I remember some of the local coverage at the time. This podcast seems like it's selectively putting information out that would make people believe Syed is innocent, while ignoring other damning evidence against him. IIRC, Syed was initially focused on as the prime suspect because of his jealous attitude, and because LE could not find any one else with a motive to want Hae Min Lee dead. Tack on the fact that she was strangled, suggesting that the murder was very personal in nature, and also the testimony from Syed's friend, and I think Syed is right where he belongs. I know the friend's story has changed over and over, but why even implicate yourself and admit to helping bury her body if you wanted people to believe Syed was the murderer? It doesn't make sense to me. I don't see any reason as to why Syed's friend would lie and then include himself in that lie, and not to mention the fact that this friend didn't even know Hae Min Lee, I don't see how he could be the murderer.

I have not listened to this, but a lot of my friends on social media keep raving about it. Being from the Baltimore area, I remember some of the local coverage at the time. This podcast seems like it's selectively putting information out that would make people believe Syed is innocent, while ignoring other damning evidence against him.

Believe me, these are real journalists making this show and they aren't shying away from anything. They pursue every legit avenue and when those are exhausted they check out rumors as well.

I listened to the last episode this morning... it does seem like in the end Adnan probably did it. But as others have said, I don't know if there was really enough evidence that he should've been convicted.

The only alternative is that Jay did it on his own. And his story changed so much and so many times that I think that is possible... but more likely, he helped Adnan quite a bit and kept changing the story to minimize his role. Which is also difficult to believe, because his story puts him at the burial?

Like so many of these crimes, we will never know the truth unless whoever did it fesses up, which usually doesn't happen.

I found it strange that it became the most popular podcast - it seems as if a lot of people who don't normally follow true crime got really into it? I didn't find as addictive or mind-blowing as a lot of people seemed to.

I listened to the last episode this morning... it does seem like in the end Adnan probably did it. But as others have said, I don't know if there was really enough evidence that he should've been convicted.

The only alternative is that Jay did it on his own. And his story changed so much and so many times that I think that is possible... but more likely, he helped Adnan quite a bit and kept changing the story to minimize his role. Which is also difficult to believe, because his story puts him at the burial?

Like so many of these crimes, we will never know the truth unless whoever did it fesses up, which usually doesn't happen.

I found it strange that it became the most popular podcast - it seems as if a lot of people who don't normally follow true crime got really into it? I didn't find as addictive or mind-blowing as a lot of people seemed to.


Agree with a lot of that - you've also got to remember that when Jay implicated Syed in the murder he would have to have been confident that Adnan had no alibi for the time Hae disappeared (otherwise Jay has just essentially confessed to murder) - the only way he could have that confidence is if he was either with Adnan at the time Hae was killed, or he did not encounter Adnan until after Hae had been killed.

I also don't buy Adnan's story that he couldn't remember the day in question. This was a day in which a) the cops told him his ex had disappered; b) he lent his brand new cell phone (a big deal in 1999) and car to someone else; c) the last day before a blizzard closed the school down for a few days. Any of those events in and of themselves would be sufficient to make the day stick out in his mind.

That said, Jay's ever shifting story would appear to make the verdict unsafe and mean that the state failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

As to the podcast itself, I think it got its success due to SK being such a talented storyteller - and while I would hesitate to call her manipulative, she definitely did have a slant; both due to her personally liking Adnan, and the fact that the narrative of an innocent man unjustly imprisoned is probably more interesting as a story than the narrative of an unrepetent murderer doing justly deserved time.

Believe me, these are real journalists making this show and they aren't shying away from anything. They pursue every legit avenue and when those are exhausted they check out rumors as well.

I've read a couple of criticisms saying she left out things unfavorable to Adnan, but since I haven't listened to it yet, I'll have to check it out and see for myself.

With regards to Adnan's friend Jay being involved outside of digging the hole to bury the body, I don't believe it. In a recent interview he gave a somewhat acceptable answer as to why he didn't fully cooperate with police initially: in addition to helping dig Hae Min's grave, he also was a small time drug dealer. This was 1999, and being from the area, they were still cracking down hard on dealers and users (even if it was just marijuana), and he honestly believed he would have caused more trouble for himself and his family ("snitches get stitches" originated in Baltimore) had he cooperated fully with the police.

With regards to Adnan's friend Jay being involved outside of digging the hole to bury the body, I don't believe it. In a recent interview he gave a somewhat acceptable answer as to why he didn't fully cooperate with police initially: in addition to helping dig Hae Min's grave, he also was a small time drug dealer. This was 1999, and being from the area, they were still cracking down hard on dealers and users (even if it was just marijuana), and he honestly believed he would have caused more trouble for himself and his family ("snitches get stitches" originated in Baltimore) had he cooperated fully with the police.

Yeah I read that (extensive) interview after I made that post (thanks to whoever linked it).

I was surprised by how well he explained himself. He really didn't seem to understand why he should've been interviewed for the show. If he'd said what he said in that interview no one would've doubted him in the first place. Left with only the continually-shifting stories he told police when he was a teen, he sounded suspicious. Now dumbass internet vigilantes are threatening him because of it (not that they are in any way justified, I'm just saying he doesn't understand people would be a lot more sympathetic to him if they heard from him on the show).

I goofed. It wasn't "snitches get stitches" that originated in Baltimore, it was the "stop snitching" video. Carmelo Anthony appeared in it. I remember there being a ton of backlash when that video hit the streets.

IIRC, a juror who was interviewed on the Serial podcast said that the reason they put so much trust in what Jay was saying, is that he was admitting to his part in the murder, and was going to prison for it, so he had no reason to lie about Adnan being the killer. He wasn't getting any kind of a deal like a shortened prison sentence for his crime by testifying against Adnan.

The juror was surprised to find out, 15 years later, that Jay never went to prison for his role in Hae's murder.

IIRC, a juror who was interviewed on the Serial podcast said that the reason they put so much trust in what Jay was saying, is that he was admitting to his part in the murder, and was going to prison for it, so he had no reason to lie about Adnan being the killer. He wasn't getting any kind of a deal like a shortened prison sentence for his crime by testifying against Adnan.

The juror was surprised to find out, 15 years later, that Jay never went to prison for his role in Hae's murder.

It's very weird that he never went to prison. But from what I gathered at the time, what it boiled down to was why would Jay implicate himself in the burying of Hae Min's body, when he could have simply denied everything? And with regards to Jay and Adnan, only one of them had a motive to murder Hae Min, and that was Adnan.

'Serial' Case to be Reviewed by Maryland Appeals Court
January 15, 2015


Maryland's attorney general asked a court of appeals Wednesday to deny an appeal request from Adnan Syed, the subject of the podcast "Serial" - and that request could lead to a re-trial.

"I wish sometimes they could look into my brain and see how I really felt about her," Syed said in a phone interview for the series.

Syed, now 34, was convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 2000. He's been in prison ever since. But Syed's family and friends claim he's innocent, and the series "Serial" explores details in his case.





At the heart of Syed's appeal is his belief that his first defense attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, didn't perform well in the original trial. Here's how Sarah Koenig, co-creator and host of "Serial," sums it up:

"I know I've talked about Cristina Gutierrez in other episodes ... but now I'm going to address the question head on: did she blow it?"





Interestingly enough, Syed says in the series he had a great amount of affection for Gutierrez but maybe not much faith in her work. He later appealed the verdict that landed him in jail based on her performance.

According to PBS, the court of appeals has a number of options: if it grants Syed's application, he could have his conviction thrown out. If it denies his application, he'll remain in jail.





Whatever the court of appeals decides, Time reports the Innocence Project - a non-profit organization that tries to root out wrongful convictions - "plans to file a motion for DNA testing for never-tested physical evidence in the case."

But that DNA evidence could be inadmissible, depending on the results. There's currently no timeline for when Maryland's Court of Special Appeals will decide on Syed's request.

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/01/15/serial-case-to-be-reviewed-by-maryland-appeals-court/21130113/

Currently on episode 8, and still do not see how Adnan Syed is not guilty of the murder. A couple of observations I've noted:

-The investigation was looked into by a law enforcement expert from DC, and he said the investigation was "above average" and didn't feature any wrong doing.
-Every time the host poses an inconsistency in Adnan's story head on, there is a lengthy pause...every...singe...time. And the host has to speak up for him to start talking again. If I was rotting in prison for years for a crime I didn't commit, I'd be screaming from the rafters every chance I got.
-A huge piece of circumstantial evidence against Adnan is glossed over. They found a palm print matching Adnan on a map book in Hae's car. Curiously, the page featuring Leakin Park (where Hae was found) was torn out.
-Jay wasn't the only one who told the story about Adnan showing the body to him in the trunk of Hae's car. Jay's friend, Jenn (IIRC?), corroborates Jay's story. And there was another guy who told a girl that Adnan showed him an "oriental girl's body" in the back of a car. The girl told her father, who then called police.
-What a coincidence that on the day Adnan decides to give Jay his car AND his cell phone on the day that Hae was murdered.
-They try to downplay the friendship between Adnan and Jay...but why would he give this guy his car and his cell phone?!
-The Nisha phone call.
-Adnan was the only one with motive to kill Hae.
-Continually going to Adnan's best friend to downplay certain things (Adnan's parents showing up at the prom, Adnan breaking Muslim customs, etc.) is meaningless to me. Of course his best friend is going to support him. Not to mention that his best friend's sister is also his strongest advocate.
-They keep referring to the fact that Adnan is such a nice, likeable guy. Adnan even says this irritates him. Most people who knew him say the same thing. And I immediately think of Jeffrey MacDonald. Virtually everyone that knew him initially believed there was no way he was capable of committing murder, but we know how that turned out.
-Hae's friends recalled Adnan being overly possessive and annoying.
-The podcast starts off pointing out the fact that people, especially teenagers, cannot recall a specific date point by point 6 weeks later. But the host is so intrigued by this letter written to Adnan from a friend (while Adnan was in jail) saying that she remembers seeing him in the library during the time the prosecution contends that Hae was murdered. The only problem here is that why is this friend's memory more reliable? The friend could be remembering the wrong day when this incident occurred. Not to mention, she says that her boyfriend and his friend showed up at the library and were angry that she was talking to Adnan. Neither the boyfriend or the friend remember this.
-Adnan has selective memory on the day that Hae went missing/was murdered. Like the host points out, Adnan gets a call from a police officer notifying him that Hae is missing, and was wondering if he knew where she was. Wouldn't this stick out in your head and make your recollection of that day a lot easier?
-Adnan never once tried to call or page Hae during the time she was missing up until her body was found. They were supposedly such good friends.

If there's more to think of, I'll post later.

Just thought of another:

Adnan seems more concerned with the fact that people think he's this ruthless cold blooded murderer, and that that is his perception of the way the prosecution presented the case. He even mentions they don't make it seem like a "heat of the moment" murder, which is a weird thing to say, IMO. If he's innocent, I wouldn't want anyone to think that I was guilty regardless of whether or not it was premeditated.

ETA: Another point that gets glossed over in the podcast is when Adnan initially tells the police officer who called him (looking for Hae after she disappeared) that he had asked Hae for a ride from school that day, but then changes his story later. There were other people from school that day who actually remembered hearing him ask her for a ride.

-Every time the host poses an inconsistency in Adnan's story head on, there is a lengthy pause...every...singe...time. And the host has to speak up for him to start talking again. If I was rotting in prison for years for a crime I didn't commit, I'd be screaming from the rafters every chance I got.

Yeah, this has always bothered me too. The guy always sounds strangely contented when talking about prison life and never seems particularly outraged for someone who was supposedly wrongly incarcerated.

Not to spoil anything since you haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but during the finale, Adnan gives that same... lengthy... pause after receiving a piece of news that an innocent wrongly convicted person would ordinarily be thrilled to hear. I actually get the sense he might be overwhelmed by all the sudden support he's gotten and is terrified by how everyone will react should a more thorough investigation prove he was guilty all along.

Yeah, this has always bothered me too. The guy always sounds strangely contented when talking about prison life and never seems particularly outraged for someone who was supposedly wrongly incarcerated.

Not to spoil anything since you haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but during the finale, Adnan gives that same... lengthy... pause after receiving a piece of news that an innocent wrongly convicted person would ordinarily be thrilled to hear. I actually get the sense he might be overwhelmed by all the sudden support he's gotten and is terrified by how everyone will react should a more thorough investigation prove he was guilty all along.

The other things that aggravate me about this case are his lack of anger or any emotion with regards to Jay. If he's innocent, this guy essentially had him railroaded. And he seems perfectly content when discussing Jay or any of Jay's inconsistencies. You would think he'd be saying over and over that since he's innocent, Jay would have to be the real murderer.

Another thing that doesn't look good for Adnan, IMO: where is the exculpatory evidence? It seems like Adnan's original defense attorney (and current advocates) are so hung up on the alleged misconduct with the prosecutor getting Jay a lawyer, basically trying to get Adnan off on a technicality. They continue to nitpick Jay's inconsistencies (while ignoring Adnan's) and just seem like they're grasping at straws on some things.

Another thing that rubbed me the wrong way during episode ten (IIRC), the host kept discussing Adnan's daily life in prison. To paraphrase, she said something to the effect of, "Adnan has a life." The first thought that popped into my mind was, "Yeah but Hae Min Lee doesn't."

-They try to downplay the friendship between Adnan and Jay...but why would he give this guy his car and his cell phone?!.

I found it even more maddening when Jay, in that interview he gave last month, made it sound as if he barely even knew Adnan. The same interview in which he admits to helping him cover up a murder?!

You will probably appreciate the final episode, some of the points you brought up are mentioned there.

I found it even more maddening when Jay, in that interview he gave last month, made it sound as if he barely even knew Adnan. The same interview in which he admits to helping him cover up a murder?!

You will probably appreciate the final episode, some of the points you brought up are mentioned there.

I totally feel the same way. But I thought it was equally weird that either of these guys would go out of their way to help the other if they weren't even that close.

For anyone that is interested, I came across a judgement from one of Adnan's appeals, and it details the forensics used in the case.

-The map that was found in Hae's car had a palm print on the back cover that matched Adnan. The page featuring Leakin Park was torn out of this map.
-Adnan's fingerprint was found on an identification card in Hae's glove compartment. At trial, Jay said that Adnan was flipping through Hae's wallet after they buried her.
-Two hairs found from Hae's body matched Adnan's "physical characteristics" but could not be determined to be an "exact" match. From what I understand here, is that there needs to be a DNA test done to determine whether or not the hairs are an exact match.
-Adnan's fingerprints were found on floral paper that was lying in the back of Hae's car.

Some other interesting details:

-Jay Wilds was under the impression that he was going to go to jail, no matter what. He was asked if he understood the plea agreement, and answered, "Well, if I tell any kind of lie, it voids it and it's no good.
It's a truth agreement, and that's about it, a cap. As long as I tell
the truth, I can only get a certain amount of years."
-The plea deal actually called for Wilds to serve a minimum of 2 years. The judge, not Urick the prosecutor, ultimately decided that Wilds would serve no jail time.
-The court of appeals found nothing wrong with this seemingly shady tactic by Urick (by introducing Wilds to an attorney), since this information was brought out by Adnan's defense team during the trial, in front of the jury.

https://archive.org/stream/pdfy-sCEhpvo5xTiB4e40/2002_WL_32510996_djvu.txt

That's the link for the entire thing. It mostly focuses on the plea deal, and it's a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, but I thought it was interesting nonetheless.

I found the final podcast to be anticlimactic and disappointing, with no real answers to the most of the questions posed, and not much hope for uncovering anything else or coming to a definite conclusion...

RSBM. Word!

I wasn't in the courtroom so I won't comment on the conviction.

But did Adnan actually kill Hae? I tend to think he did for the following reasons:

1. Adnan does not try to convince Sarah he is innocent

2. Adnan seems unsympathetic towards Hae's fate

3. Adnan never questions who really killed Hae

4. Adnan expresses very little anger or incredulity towards Jay

Adnan, if you're innocent, don't you want people to know? TELL US. CONVINCE US.

Adnan, aren't you sad that Hae was murdered? Say something that acknowledges Hae is a victim. Express concern for her final moments.

Adnan, don't you wonder whose time you are serving? Ponder about Hae's real killer might be.

Adnan, aren't you outraged that your friend made false statements that resulted in your false conviction? Express some bitterness, or confusion, or any feeling whatsoever towards Jay (as previously discussed by TheCars1986, RobinW and other posters).

I actually wondered if ADNAN and Stephanie had a thing and Jay found out and killed Hae in retaliation.

Thank you for voicing this idea. The host maybe-kind-of hints that there might be something more than platonic between Adnan and Stephanie. But that seems like such a far fetched idea for killing Hae. If I were Jay, I would want Hae and Adnan to get back together.

As to the podcast itself, I think it got its success due to SK being such a talented storyteller - and while I would hesitate to call her manipulative, she definitely did have a slant; both due to her personally liking Adnan, and the fact that the narrative of an innocent man unjustly imprisoned is probably more interesting as a story than the narrative of an unrepetent murderer doing justly deserved time.

RSBM & BBM. I like Sarah Koenig (long-time This American Life listener), and am not questioning her professionalism, but she really did seem to like Adnan. Was she flirting??

I actually liked him, too. But I think he is glib, and he knows how to charm women. I'll bet he is receiving a ton of mail from women suitors.

I wonder how many women think he killed Hae vs. how many men think he killed Hae (curious to see if men see through his "charm", or if I'm totally imagining it).

I vote GUILTY (partly because of personal history with sociopaths).
I am a woman.

I'm torn on whether or not Adnan is guilty. He is very charming and it makes me wonder if he is a sociopath.

I do think at the very least he deserves a new trail. The trail where he was convicted was awful and I'm surprised he was convicted.

But I do think Jay is so much more involved than he is saying. Jay strikes me as a pathological liar and I find it disgusting that he got off with probation for at the very least, helping conceal on homicide.

Bumping to put this back on top for y'all because I responded to something predictably bizarre neognosis posted in another thread. Please carry on.

In the final episode, the other producer (can't remember her name) pretty much summed up why I thought Adnan was guilty. There are way too many coincidences and chances of bad luck happening for him not to have murdered Hae.

In the final episode, the other producer (can't remember her name) pretty much summed up why I thought Adnan was guilty. There are way too many coincidences and chances of bad luck happening for him not to have murdered Hae.

It's been 3 weeks since I listened to that last ep, and having thought about it for that long... It was definitely either Adnan or Jay (or both), and I just don't think Jay did it. It is almost impossible that it could have been anyone other than Adnan.

I also wonder if Koenig is worried that she may have opened the door to him getting a retrial knowing that he most likely did it.

I'll have to weigh in more once I finish listening but it was my impression Syed was guilty.

Darn it! I want to weigh in on this so badly, but I can't because I haven't finished it yet! I'm totally loading this up on my iPhone now... battery life be damned. :)

There was no "a-ha" moment, or smoking gun, or even a new piece of evidence that pointed to someone else besides Syed. The podcast was kind of a rehash of information that was brought out at his trial.

Adnan Syed Granted an Appeal
by Joshua Rivera
2/7/15


Thanks to the wildly popular podcast Serial, the 15-year-old case against Adnan Syed, who was convicted as a teenager in the murder of his ex-girlfriend, has become a national obsession.

What’s more, the podcast’s success has raised enough questions about his guilt to turn things around for Syed. According to The Baltimore Sun, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals has granted Syed’s request for an appeal, scheduled for June.





Although Serial wrapped up in December, its popularity has thrust Syed’s case back into the spotlight — even causing Syed’s accuser, who refused to be interviewed on the podcast, to step forward for the first time.

So where do things go from here? As the Sun writes, Syed’s case could still go a number of ways. There are briefings to be filed, arguments to be made, and even after all that, Syed could still be denied a new trial.

It will be quite some time before the final fate of Adnan Syed is decided.

http://www.ew.com/article/2015/02/07/serial-update-adnan-syed-getting-appeal

Adnan Syed is Getting a Second Podcast after 'Serial'
by Erin Whitney, The Huffington Post
4/8/15


Sarah Koenig's hit "Serial" podcast came to a close in December, leaving some listeners dissatisfied, and many with unanswered questions. But the investigation into Adnan Syed's story is far from over.

A second podcast, “Undisclosed: The State v. Adnan Syed,” will dive even deeper into the case from "an investigatory perspective instead of a narrative one," according to the official website.

Koenig's original true-crime podcast, which quickly ensnared listeners from around the world, investigated the 1999 murder of Baltimore teenager Hae Min Lee and investigated Lee's ex-boyfriend Syed's conviction of first-degree murder.





"Undisclosed" is sponsored by the Adnan Syed Legal Trust, a group behind the defense of Syed that has raised $93,000 via the crowdfunding website Launch Good, as well as attorneys Rabia Chaudry, Susan Simpson and Colin Miller.

Koenig, however, has no involvement in "Undisclosed."





Syed's longtime friend, Chaudry initially reached out to Koenig and "This American Life" producers to look into the case that spawned the podcast.

"'Serial' further confirmed my perspective on the case that there was a lot of stuff that was done improperly by investigators and by the prosecution and that there's even more reasonable doubt than there was 15 years ago," Chaudry told HuffPost Live in December.

Granted the opportunity in February, Syed presented his appeal to the Maryland court in March. The new podcast will debut episodes every two weeks, beginning April 13.

The second season of "Serial" will focus on a different case.





UPDATE:

A representative from "This American Life" clarified to BuzzFeed that neither Sarah Koenig nor the NPR radio program are involved in the "Undisclosed" podcast.

“There is no affiliation between 'Undisclosed' and 'Serial.' We have not been working with the Undisclosed team on their podcast,” a representative told BuzzFeed.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/08/undisclosed-adnan-syed-podcast_n_7024388.html?

I finished it this weekend.

I vote GUILTY. It was little things that he said over the course of the podcast that made me cast some doubt on him. That, in addition to "the Nisha call," and the location of his cell phone, were really compelling.

I think Adnan is very charming. I think he comes off as likable. But unfortunately, even likable people commit crimes. Even murder. I think Sarah got sucked in by the whole thought process of "why would a guilty man want me to do all this? Why would he be sticking to his story for 15 years if he were guilty? Why would he lie to my face?"

Experience talking, the answer to all those questions are, "Because he can." I have personally sat across from people who INSISTED of their innocence, even when confronted with overwhelming evidence of their guilt. They wouldn't admit they were lying, even though I was holding a picture that proved otherwise. They would stick to their story and insist someone else did it.

I think he did it. I think he had the motive and the means to kill Hae.

I agree with everything LooksLikeCRicci said. The exculpatory evidence that should exist for Adnan, does not. Granted, this case is largely circumstantial. But, there should be more evidence in his favor to make this many people to believe in his innocence.

Convicted Killer Featured on Popular Podcast Gets Boost in Bid for New Trial
May 19, 2015
FoxNews.com


A convicted murderer whose case was featured on a popular podcast last year received a boost in his bid for a new trial Monday when a Maryland state appeals court ruled that a lower court should consider hearing from an alibi witness who would testify on his behalf.

Adnan Syed, 34, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2000 for the murder of his former high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The ruling by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals remands Syed's appeal to a lower court so the testimony of witness Asia McClain can be added to the record.

McClain said in an affidavit that she was in a library with Syed when Lee was killed on Jan. 13, 1999.





Syed's case received national attention last year when it became the subject of the weekly podcast "Serial", hosted by "This American Life" contributor and former Baltimore Sun reporter Sarah Koenig. Koenig's podcast re-examined the case and raised particular questions about Syed's defense attorney, the late Cristina Gutierrez.

Syed's current attorney, Justin Brown, asked for a new trial based on the fact that Gutierrez never called McClain as a witness and did not seek a plea deal for Syed despite his request that she inquire about the possibility. Additionally, in her affidavit, McClain said she was actively discouraged by prosecutors from attending any post-conviction hearings.

The appeals court's order does not guarantee McClain will be allowed to testify. Instead, it states that Syed may file a request with the Baltimore Circuit Court to reopen proceedings to "supplement the record with relevant documents and even testimony" that the appeals court will later review as it makes a determination about whether Syed deserves a new trial.





The Baltimore Sun reported that Syed's legal team has 45 days to file the request in Baltimore Circuit Court, which denied Syed a new trial last year. Oral arguments appealing that ruling before the Court of Special Appeals have been scheduled for next month.

"This is another big step in the right direction, and it brings us closer to our ultimate goal of getting a new trial for Adnan Syed," Brown said.

McClain's attorney, Gary Proctor, said "if subpoenaed by either party, Ms. McClain, as she's always wanted to do, will fulfill her obligation to testify truthfully to any question asked of her."

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/05/19/accused-killer-featured-on-popular-podcast-gets-boost-in-bid-for-new-trial/?

I think he is almost certainly culpable, but the court case over-relied on accomplice testimony with little else to corroborate it except confusing cell phone record evidence.

I think my vote would be "Not Proven" in Scotland; here, I think I would vote guilty without feeling too bad about it. Jay knew where the car was, he could only know that if he were involved, but the motive to kill Hae Min's was Adnan's, not Jay's.

Feel it is likely Jay was under-charged in this matter.

Feel it is likely Jay was under-charged in this matter.

I'm totally with you. I actually thought JAY was the culprit until about 75% of the way through the podcast.

I'm totally with you. I actually thought JAY was the culprit until about 75% of the way through the podcast.

Maybe it's just because this case is local, but I never thought Jay was involved.

But I do agree that he should have been charged more harshly.

The attitude with regards to Jay was that why would he admit to helping bury her body if he was the actual one who killed her and acted alone? Plus, there were at least 2 other witnesses who claimed that Adnan showed them Hae's body in the back of his car, without Jay being present.

Adnan Syed from "Serial" Wins New Hearing
by Jason Abbruzzese
Nov 6, 2015


Adnan Syed, the man whose murder conviction became a national story after being featured on the podcast Serial, is officially getting another chance.

A Baltimore judge reopened Syed's case on Friday, and his lawyers will be able to present new evidence about his whereabouts on the day of the 1999 disappearance of his high school classmate Hae Min Lee, who was later found murdered.





Syed was tried for Lee's murder and found guilty in a case that included data from cell towers that claimed to show his cellphone had been near the location where Lee's body was found. He is currently serving a life sentence in prison and is now 35.

The reliability of the cell tower information — as well as the lack of investigation around a possible alibi from another person who said she may have seen Syed on the day the crime allegedly took place — had been considered key pieces of evidence that could offer Syed a new chance at getting out of jail.

Officially, the judge's order allows Syed's legal team to reopen what's known as "post-conviction proceedings," not a full new trial. Only the new evidence about the cell towers and the potential alibi witness will be heard, the order says.





Friday's ruling is just the most recent in a series of steps that has provided Syed with a slim chance of going free. In January, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals agreed to consider Syed's complaint. In February, the court agreed to hear an appeal, then sent the case down to circuit court.

Now, Syed's legal team will have the chance to present evidence in court that had not been previously heard.

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/11/06/adnan-syed-from-serial-wins-new-hearing/21260460/?

"Serial" is releasing at least 3 new episodes regarding Adnan Syed's new hearings, according to their website.



Ep. 1 is available now:

This week, Sarah Koenig ducks back into the Adnan Syed case for a few days. There’s a hearing in Baltimore—a court proceeding that’s been nearly sixteen years in the making. Syed’s attorney will introduce new evidence, and present a case for why his conviction should be overturned. Sarah and producer Dana Chivvis will discuss what happens, day by day.

https://serialpodcast.org/season-one/adnan-syeds-hearing

Serial Witness Asia McClain Speaks Out about Recent Adnan Syed Testimony
2/10/16
by THR Staff


Asia McClain, a potential key alibi witness for Serial subject Adnan Syed, testified at his hearing last week. In an interview on Wednesday's "Good Morning America" she revealed why she's now coming forward.

Syed was convicted for the 1999 Baltimore murder of this high school ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and his case was made popular by the Serial podcast. Last week, McClain testified that she saw Syed in the library at the time the prosecution argues Lee was murdered.

"I was sitting in the library bored to tears and someone walked in that I knew,” McClain, who now goes by Chapman, tells ABC News. She said she and Syed had talked about his break up with Lee but that Syed "didn’t seem to be disturbed or angry" with his ex.





Syed's current lawyer is arguing that his former defense attorney's decision not to contact McClain as an alibi demonstrates the incompetency his former lawyer at the time.

McClain chose not to testify when Syed's new legal team contacted her in 2010, but said she is speaking out now as a way of "setting a good example" for her children and "leaving a legacy of integrity."

She added, "Do I think Adnan killed Hae? Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. By coming forward, I hope that I was able to provide enough information to the judge for him to be able to make a rational decision. Whatever that might be, is in his hands."





When asked if she had anything to say to Syed, she said, "I would just personally apologize that I didn’t come forward in 2010."

Syed and his team are waiting for a judge to issue a written ruling on his bid for a retrial.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/asia-mcclain-serial-adnan-syed-gma-863887

ID is doing a special about this on June 14

http://www.refinery29.com/2016/05/112433/serial-adnan-syed-investigation-discovery-special

Just a reminder the special airs tomorrow night on ID!

This just in: He's getting a new trial

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/30/484225226/adnan-syed-subject-of-serial-podcast-will-get-a-new-trial

It'll be interesting to see the outcome...

What a total farce.

Strangle your ex-girlfriend, have a podcast sway listeners to a conclusion that he either is innocent or not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and then get a new trial.