Free Adnan Syed!

 When carefully listening to the “Serial” podcast, it became quickly evident that Adnan Syed is not guilty, in my opinion. I must thank Sarah Koenig for really doing some research into this case. Not only did she explain it quite well, but she also stayed fairly unbiased, and let me make my own assumptions. It seemed fishy from the start, from Adnan’s lawyer disregarding a witness and alibi, to the DNA that wasn’t tested.

                                                                                            (Baltimore magazine)

    A key fact the original trial had not noted, was the fact Asia McClain, Adnan’s friend, had seen Adnan at the library, during the time of the murder. Adnan’s lawyer, Maria Cristina Gutierrez, did not contact Asia to bring her testimony to court. Fortunately, Maria, the lawyer, was later disbarred in 2001. I feel as if people like this should never be involved in a legal case, and it was gross negligence to not include this information. If Adnan had been at the library, as Asia claimed, there was no way Adnan was there to commit the murder. Sources such as Asia’s friend, said she was a very trustworthy person, and would never lie (Koenig) (Victor).

    There was also DNA, left on the scene, which was never tested it connected to Adnan. I feel like this was unbelievable, and totally unjust. The court and police should have tested the DNA evidence, to see if it did in fact match Adnan (which I doubt it did). I think the police saw Adnan, and drew biased information, and decided he was guilty before the proof. Yes, he was Hae’s ex-boyfriend, BUT they ended things on good terms. There were no hard feelings there, as friends noted they didn’t even know they had broken up. Don, Hae’s current boyfriend (at the time of her death) had met Adnan, and claimed was he very helpful, amicable, and polite. I think if Adnan did have hard feelings against Hae, he would have made it known. This leaves no motive for hurting Hae (Koenig).

    Adnan was quite pleased when Sarah Koenig reached out to investigate Hae’s case (Koenig). Would a guilty man really be happy that there was a podcast and investigation into their case? No, I do not think so…. that is why, I believe Adnan Syed is innocent. 

"Now That Adnan Syed Has Won His Release, What Comes Next?." N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2023 <https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/historypolitics/adnan-syed-vacated-conviction-what-comes-next>.

Koenig, Sarah. “Episode 12: What We Know.” Serial, serialpodcast.org/season-one/12/what-we-know. Accessed 17 Oct. 2023. 

Victor, Daniel. “Timeline: The Adnan Syed Case.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Sept. 2022, www.nytimes.com/article/adnan-syed-serial-timeline-serial.html.