As it was for many people, it was the podcast Serial that ended up being my entryway to podcasts in a large way and also this new way of telling true crime stories. Post-Serial we’ve gotten Making a Murder, Mommy Dead and Dearest, The Keepers and a plethora of documentaries that analyze and revisit cold cases/trials.
The first season of Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig, was about the murder of Hae Min Lee, a Korean-American high school senior from Maryland, United States. The person who was convicted of killing her was her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, a Muslim teen, who was given a life sentence plus 30 years when he was convicted.
While the podcast Serial did not make a definitive stance on Syed’s guilt or innocence, they did convince a lot of people that the prosecution did not have enough evidence to convict him. Mainly because of a lack of physical evidence and witness issues.
That being said, it does not mean that people who are calling for a new trial are saying Syed is innocent, just that how the state went about proving their case was a problem.
Syed’s longtime supporter Rabia Chaudry, was featured on Serial put out her own podcast called Undisclosed, which lays down her perspective on the trail and a proposes an alternative suspect.
HBO is going to be providing their own take on the murder in an upcoming documentary called The Case Against Adnan Syed. On the show’s breakdown it says:
In production since 2015, THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED closely re-examines the events leading up to Hae Min Lee’s disappearance, from high school romance, forbidden love and cultural conflict, to the aftermath of her disappearance, the original police investigation and the present day, when Syed awaits a new trial. Presenting new discoveries, as well as groundbreaking revelations that challenge the state’s case, and featuring exclusive access to Syed, the defense team, the Syed family, friends and teachers of Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed, and members of City of Baltimore law enforcement, the series traces how the rush to justice and Syed’s conviction in 2000 raised more questions than answers about what happened to Hae Min Lee, underscoring the instability of memory and conflicting eyewitnesses.
According to Slashfilm, it is going to be a four-part documentary and while it does not have a release date yet, Adnan Syed is already in the process of getting a new trial. So many people know about the case at this point, that I wonder if it would even be possible for Syed to get a “fair” trial and if there is a chance to get justice for Min Lee. If Adnan Syed is cleared he will have already spent almost two decades in jail.
What do you think? Are you team guilty or innocent? Also, does anyone trust Jay?
(via Slashfilm, image: Screenshot)
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