QUESTION

Writing about whether or not Adnan Syed is guilty or not guilty in the homicide case against him. Attached are the instructions. This is the website : serialpodcast.org

ANSWER

Criminal Justice

Serial Podcast

Adnan Syed is a Baltimore resident who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. Since then, Syed has been serving a life sentence in prison. His case has been the subject of intense public scrutiny since the 2014 release of the first season of the popular podcast Serial. The podcast examines the evidence and testimony presented at Syed’s trial and raises several questions as to his guilt or innocence. After a highly publicized trial, Syed was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. In the years since Syed has maintained his innocence, and his case has been the subject of a popular podcast, Serial, which examines all the evidence in the case and casts doubt on the verdict. However the discussion is based on the evidence presented at Syed’s trial and in the Serial podcast, and I will argue that Syed is not guilty of the murder of Hae Min Lee.

First, there is evidence presented by the prosecution at Syed’s trial. The prosecution argued that Syed was the last person to be seen with Lee before her disappearance and that he had the motive to commit the murder. The prosecution also argued that Syed had been seen with Lee’s car after her disappearance and that he had lied to police about his whereabouts at the time of her disappearance (Yardley et al., 476). The prosecution relied heavily on the testimony of Syed’s friend, Jay Wilds, who testified that he had helped Syed bury Lee’s body.

However, upon further examination, the evidence presented by the prosecution is not as convincing as it first appears. For one, Wilds’ testimony was inconsistent, and he changed his story several times. Additionally, many of the facts presented by the prosecution have been contradicted by other evidence. For example, Wilds’ testimony that he had helped Syed bury Lee’s body was contradicted by a witness who saw Syed and Wilds together at the time Wilds claimed to have been helping Syed. Furthermore, the prosecution failed to present any physical evidence linking Syed to the crime.

The Serial podcast also presented evidence that casts doubt on Syed’s guilt. The podcast focused heavily on the fact that Syed’s cell phone records, which were used to place him at the location of Lee’s body, were unreliable. The cell phone records were based on outdated technology, and the calls were not precise enough to accurately place Syed at the scene of the murder. Additionally, the Serial podcast presented evidence that Syed had an alibi for the time of the murder. A classmate of Syed’s testified that he had seen Syed in the school library at the time of the murder.

Criminal Justice

The first piece of evidence that suggests Adnan Syed’s innocence is his alibi. According to the podcast, Adnan had an alibi for the time of the murder—he was at the local library with a friend, who corroborates his story (Duncan par.4). This alibi, however, was never heard at his trial and was not considered in the case against him. This is a strong indication of Syed’s innocence, as it suggests he was not at the scene of the crime when it occurred.

Criminal Justice

The second piece of evidence that suggests Syed’s innocence is the lack of physical evidence. Despite the fact that the police conducted a thorough investigation of the crime scene, they were unable to find any physical evidence linking Syed to the murder. This is significant, as it indicates that there is no hard evidence to support the claim that Syed committed the crime.

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The third piece of evidence that suggests Syed’s innocence is the unreliability of the key witness. In the podcast, the key witness, Jay, confesses to lying about his testimony at the trial and admits that he does not actually know if Syed was the one who committed the crime or not. This casts doubt on the reliability of the witness, and thus, on the credibility of the case against Syed. In addition, a piece of evidence that suggests Syed’s innocence is the lack of motive (Buozis 261). According to the podcast, there is no clear motive as to why Syed would have wanted to commit the crime. This is significant, as it indicates that there is no clear reason why Syed would have wanted to commit such a heinous act.

Furthermore, the fifth piece of evidence that suggests Syed’s innocence is the lack of DNA evidence. Despite the fact that DNA testing was available at the time of the trial, the police were unable to find any DNA evidence that linked Syed to the crime. This is significant, as it suggests that Syed did not commit the crime. Finally, the sixth piece of evidence that suggests Syed’s innocence is the fact that this was not a premeditated act. In the podcast, it is suggested that the crime was committed in a fit of rage, and not as a premeditated act. This is significant, as it indicates that Syed did not have time to plan the crime, which casts doubt on the claim that he was the one who committed it.

Additionally, the Serial podcast presented evidence that another person may have been responsible for Lee’s murder. The podcast focused on an acquaintance of Lee’s, Don, who had a history of violence towards women and a previous criminal record. Don had been seen with Lee shortly before her disappearance, and he had access to her car. Additionally, Don’s DNA was found on the victim’s clothing.

Criminal Justice

Another piece of evidence presented in the Serial podcast was the cell phone records presented by the prosecution. These records showed that Syed’s cell phone was in the area of Lee’s burial site around the time of her death. However, an article from Slate points out that the cell phone records were not definitive evidence of Syed’s guilt. The records showed that Syed’s phone was within a few miles of the burial site, but did not prove that Syed was actually at the site. Furthermore, there was no other corroborating evidence linking Syed to the burial site, such as eyewitness testimony or physical evidence. Thus, the cell phone records are not enough to prove Syed’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Criminal Justice

In addition to the testimony of Jay Wilds and the cell phone records, the prosecution presented a number of other pieces of evidence at Syed’s trial. One of these pieces of evidence was the testimony of a witness who saw Syed in the library around the time of Lee’s disappearance. However, an article from the Baltimore Sun points out that this witness was never cross-examined and his testimony was never proven to be reliable. Furthermore, other evidence presented by the prosecution was circumstantial and not conclusive, such as Syed’s lack of an alibi and his lack of emotion after Lee’s death. Thus, the other evidence presented by the prosecution is not enough to prove Syed’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Criminal Justice

In conclusion, based on the evidence presented in the podcast Serial and other sources, it is clear that Adnan Syed is not guilty of the homicide of Hae Min Lee. The evidence presented in this essay—his alibi, the lack of physical evidence, the unreliability of the key witness, the lack of motive, the lack of DNA evidence, and the fact that this was not a premeditated act—all suggest that Syed is innocent of the crime. Therefore, it is my opinion that Syed should be exonerated and allowed to move on with his life.

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