Robbie D.C.

12/16/16

B Block

Serial Essay

Do you remember what you did that Friday? No. Not at all. I cant remember anything

This was the very first conversation in Serial was between the author, Sarah Koenig, and a

random teenager. She runs an experiment about teenagers and memory and comes to the

conclusion that unless something of the utmost importance happened that day very few people

could remember what happened. Killing someone would qualify as an important event because

it had to be planned and Adnan cant remember every detail. Therefore, Adnan Syed is

innocent. A year in jail, a two month trial and a sentence: 30 years in prison, all because you

could not remember what happened for 21 minutes, six weeks ago. Asia McClains testimony

alone shouldve been enough but adding Jays wavering testimony and the lack of substantial

evidence makes it clear that the jury should not have had enough information to unanimously

convict Adnan.

Most of the case centers around Jays testimony and the cops disregard the amount of

time details change or are not proven because the majority of it fits together with the other

evidence they found. For example, Jays first interview is all over the place but his second one is

cleaner, smoother and matches up with Jens account of what happened. Also Jay remembers

the Cliffs vividly and describes them with detail yet when it comes time to testify he does not

mention them. The place where Adnan shows Jay the body changes in his interviews and the

cops didnt bat an eye. He says in his first interview that they met off of Edmondson Avenue

while in his second interview he says that they meet at Best Buy. This little mix-up is key

because time is spent trying to track down the phone at Best Buy and establishing whether it

exists or not. The need for the community to have someone physical and visible to direct their
hate at for the murder of this innocent girl was also a factor in his trial. It showed in how quickly

the decision was made that people would rather have false justice over none at all.

One thing that the prosecution brings up again and again are the phone records and

how the Nisha call makes Jays story seem a lot more plausible than Adnans. Adnan states that

Jay had his phone the entire afternoon so all of the incoming and outcoming calls were not

made by him and this makes sense because all of his friends and the people that called him

were also Jays friends except Nisha. However, Adnan is already reunited with Jay by the time

the Nisha call is placed so all of the calls that happened pre-Nisha call were Jay and with the

loophole Mrs. Koenig found the call couldve been a butt dial by Jay (Source D). Everything that

happens after is somewhat still up in the air because Jays story does not match up with the cell

towers pinged. Take the Nisha Call for example although it puts Adnan with Jay it doesnt say

where they are because Jay says they are at the golf course but the cell phone tower pings

them way closer to Best Buy (Source B). The following calls follows suit: 3:48 call to a Phil and a

3:59 call to Patrick, Jays dealer, which pings near Best Buy and not towards Patapsco State

Park. All of the calls during that time actually do not match up which means that no one really

knows where they go and what they do.

Ronald Moore is a murder and a rapist. Adnan Syed is a 17 year old, Muslim teenager.

Which would be more likely to have killed Hae? Ronald Moore was serving time for raping and

murdering his victims after he burgled them. He was very active in the little time he got out and

he was not in jail during the Hae murder. Unmatched DNA is being retested and if matched with

Ronald Moore would be a much more plausible attacker and free Adnan. However, Adnan

already has an alibi which shouldve freed him in his first trial. Asia McClain wrote two letters to

Adnan and wrote an affidavit all within the first week of his arrest providing him with a solid alibi.

Yet Adnans lawyer decided not to use any of the information that Asia was providing them with.

In her first letter she states that she talked to him in the library during the time that Hae was

murdered and that she and her boyfriend remembered them talking during 2:40 (Source E). Her
first affidavit backs that up and adds more detail saying that she held a 15-20 minute

conversation with Adnan about Hae and he seemed clam and happy for her (Source G). With

Haes estimated time of death around 2:36, this makes it impossible for Adnan to have

murdered Hae and he wasnt showing any emotional signs one might show before killing their

ex like anger or passion. In a case thats full of question marks and witnesses that are shady

and questionable Asia is the reliable witness that should have freed Adnan.

Adnan Syed will never be innocent in the eyes of everyone in his community. Even if his

sentence is overturned because of the utter lack of physical evidence against him, he will be

shot dirty looks and people will whisper about him and think he is guilty. The people that do shall

be wrong though because Adnan didnt kill Hae. He has an alibi, and there is a possibility that

an actual suspect is emerging in Ronald Moore. The cell tower evidence doesnt hold up, Jays

wavering testimony and the cops sloppy investigation all point to a retrial and a probable

acquittal. The only evidence that holds water against Adnan is that Jay knew where the missing

car was and that alone isnt enough evidence to prove he was guilty. We may never find out who

killed Hae, or what Jay was really doing on that day and thats the ugly truth. There are way too

many unknows to make a unanimous decision at this juncture and since that is what needed to

convict for murderI juror number seven vote to acquit Adnan Syed for he is innocent.

Source B: Cell Tower Map

Source D: AT&T Fax Cover Sheet

Source E: Asias Letter to Adnan, March 1, 1999

Source G: Asias Affidavit, March 25, 2000