July 15, 2023
By Selena Huynh
Hae Min Lee, a student in high school, vanished one day after school in Baltimore County, Maryland, in 1999. She was discovered dead in a park a month later. She was choked to death. Adnan Syed, her former boyfriend, got arrested for the crime when he was 17 years old, and a year later, he received a life sentence.
After listening to a few more episodes of the “Serial” podcast, I’ve come to the conclusion that Adnan Syed, the man accused of murdering Hae Min Lee, is not guilty.
Every day, people are detained, and usually, the majority of these arrested people are truly innocent and are subjected to unfair treatment and trials. One of the victims in this incident is Adnan Syed.
They told me about Adnan Syed, their friend– not just a good kid, but an especially good kid– smart, kind, goofy, handsome. So that when he was arrested for murder, so many people who know him were stunned.
Sarah Koenig
Adnan Syed was raised in a restricted household with severe limitations, but all he wanted to do was act out occasionally and live like a teenager. He still deeply loved Hae Min Lee, who was his first love, and I don’t believe he would hurt her if they separated peacefully. He participated in football and track, and he was very involved in school. As Sarah talks to him on the phone, Adnan seems to speak to her softly. He says to her, “I’m sorry, I definitely appreciate it. And I definitely kind of hear the elation in your voice. But now I feel like I punctured your balloon”. Additionally, I believe that the way he acts shows honesty in denying the accusation of being the murderer. Adnan doesn’t seem to have been able to recall what happened on the day he was arrested. According to my own experiences, if nothing significant occurred on a certain day, I would forget what I was doing as well.
Jay Wilds, a former student who claimed that he assisted Syed in disposing of Lee’s body, he became an important witness at Syed’s trial. Jay was perceived by many of his peers as being unreliable and untrustworthy. Without Jay’s testimony, it is highly unlikely that the prosecution would have taken Syed to trial. Throughout Serial Sarah Koenig saw right through Jay and criticized Jay’s version of what happened and his reasons for helping Adnan. Jay strongly believes that Koenig produced a completely inaccurate picture of him and his involvement in the investigation and that he was wrongly portrayed by her. Between his interviews and testimony, Jay has at least four separate stories to share, they don’t quite line up.
Another reason why I believe Adnan Syed is innocent is because of Asia McClain. Asia had written Syed two letters while he was in jail, her letter claimed that they had both been at the library at 2:20pm and had a conversation in the library for about 20 minutes before leaving at 2:40. This placed Syed in the library at the time Hae Min Lee was approximately killed. She thought this may prove his innocence and that the Woodlawn Public Library’s video system would be able to show that the conversation actually took place. “If you were in the library for a while, tell the police, and I’ll keep telling what I know even louder than I am,” she wrote in the letter.
Asia McClain’s letter to Adnan Syed
There was nothing strange about his demeanour — nothing notable, nothing that showed any signs that I should be concerned about.
Asia McClain
Another factor that makes me think Adnan is innocent is the lack of evidence. The most convincing proof the detectives had for arresting Adnan Syed came from a fingerprint that they had on a book in the back of Hae’s car. Since they did spend a lot of time together, I thought this was pretty poor evidence because it could have been from any time period. None of the physical evidence from her murder had any of Syed’s DNA.
Based on these facts, I am confident that Adnan Syed is innocent. He cherished Hae Min Lee as his first love and was heartbroken when he heard of her passing before he was arrested for the crime. After he was released, the prosecution claimed that more suspects were found and there was inadequate proof from Syed’s trial.
WHERE IS ADNAN SYED NOW?
After having his conviction for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee overturned by a judge, he received complete freedom on September 19, 2022. After serving 20 years in prison, Adnan Syed was granted freedom, and he has been caring for his parents while also working as a program associate at Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative.
Works Cited
Vargas-Cooper, Natasha. “Exclusive: Jay, Key Witness from “Serial” Tells His Story for First Time, Part 1.” The Intercept, 29 Dec. 2014, theintercept.com/2014/12/29/exclusive-interview-jay-wilds-star-witness-adnan-syed-serial-case-pt-1/.
Verhoeven, Beatrice. ““Serial” Witness Asia McClain on the Last Time She Saw Adnan Syed: “He Didn’t Seem to Be Jealous.”” TheWrap, TheWrap, 18 Mar. 2019, http://www.thewrap.com/serial-alibi-witness-asia-mcclain-last-time-she-saw-adnan-syed-jealous/.
Hanson, Sophie. “Adnan Syed’s Murder Conviction Was Just Reinstated—Why the “Serial” Subject Might Be Going back to Jail.” StyleCaster, 29 Mar. 2023, stylecaster.com/entertainment/culture/1329784/where-adnan-syed-now/. Accessed 15 July 2023.
Frehse, Rob. “Adnan Syed, Exonerated after 23 Years behind Bars, Hired by Georgetown to Work on Its Prisons and Justice Initiative.” CNN, 23 Dec. 2022, http://www.cnn.com/2022/12/23/us/adnan-syed-georgetown-prisons-justice-initiative/index.html.
Brown, Jay Croft,Nicki. “Maryland’s Highest Court Prevents Reinstatement of Adnan Syed’s Conviction in “Serial” Podcast Case.” CNN, 26 May 2023, http://www.cnn.com/2023/05/26/us/adnan-syed-murder-conviction-reinstatement-appeal/index.html#:~:text=Syed%20served%20more%20than%2020. Accessed 15 July 2023.
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