And then he popped the trunk and I saw Hae's body. JAY Wilds was a key witness in a 2000 murder trial where Adnan Syed was charged for the murder of Hae Min Lee. After the Intercept interview, it seemed like the most important witness in the state's case had undermined his own credibility. Was it in the Best Buy parking lot? A Complete Timeline of The Case Against Adnan Syed, What to Know About 'The Hunger Games' Prequel. Thats the truth. Serial: Who killed Hae Min Lee? | Rootclaim A subsequent petition to allow Syed out of prison on bail until his new trial was denied. I'm pretty sure it was my fear of going to prison for having a bunch of weed in my grandma's house. In 2014, Sarah Koenig's podcast, titled Serial, dropped its first season covering Adnan Syed's case and re-examining every detail. Freevees new series will determine whos the greatest reality-TV contestant across. Frosh disputed that and issued a statement critical of Mosby's claims and saying there were "serious problems" with the motion to vacate Syed's conviction. Jays voice doesnt shed light on the murder; it just adds to the accepted confusion. But hearing from him now is a sharp reminder that while we may all like to play armchair detective when it comes to Serial, there are real lives at stakesand one that was lost. Those tests are far more sophisticated than anything available at the time of Syed's first trial. For people who want closure, there may not be closure.". ". BALTIMORE - Adnan Syed spent more than 20 years in prison following his conviction in the 1999 death of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. I think the simplest pitch I can make to you is: You have a story about what happened to you, and you should be the one to tell itYoure in the documentary either way, so it just seems more respectful and fair to you to let you tell what happened, rather than having me piece it together from whatever I can glean from the record. However, an appeals panel of seven judges ruled on March 9 (on a 4-3 vote) that Syed will not receive a new trial. Speaking of key prosecution witness Jay Wilds, Chaudry said, For most of the last ten years Ive thought its him. Feb. 1999:Police built a case against Syed, largely on the testimony of a man named Jay Wilds, who at the time had more than 20 run-ins with police -- including aggravated assault against a former girlfriend. When I pick him up at Best Buy, he's telling me her car is somewhere there, and that he did this in the parking lot. Jay HBO's four-part documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed, which began filming in 2015 and wrapped last year, chronicles the many developments in Syed's case since Serial and presents new evidence and new interviews with key figures. Timeline explored: 5 key details about the Adnan Syed case. The thing is, it is well documented that Koenig wanted to have Jays voice. When Adnan Syed was detained for murdering Hae Min Lee, he was only 17 years old and was convicted at the age of 18. I asked him where we're going and he says, 'Didn't you say everyone gets dumped in Leakin Park?'. First published on October 11, 2022 / 1:11 PM. Jay Wilds EGAD he cannot keep his lies STRAIGHT #FreeAdnan #ThanksJay! Jay doesnt give any proof that Koenig was lying, and she herself describes their encounter very apologetically and with respect for his desire not to be recorded. He stresses over and over again during the interview that he was convinced the cops would nail him for drugs eventually and that Adnan held Jays pot dealings over him to force him into being an accessory to Haes murder. After learning the jury had overheard this discussion, the judge granted Gutierrez's motion for a mistrial. I'm gonna kill that bitch, man.' Some of this isnt quite fair. I only smoked with him two or three times. In a later filing, the States expert witness, Abraham Waranowitz, signed an affidavit confirming that he was not shown the AT&T instruction sheet, and that it would have changed his testimony. I said, 'Drug dealers, people who get killed by drug dealers,' and I'm thinking to myself, 'When did I ever say that?' "I stonewalled them [police]until they told me they weren't trying to prosecute me for selling weed, or trying to get any of my friends in trouble," Wilds told the Intercept. The Circuit Court agreed to a new post-conviction relief hearing to cover several specific areas of argument: Asias testimony, the cell tower evidence, the allegation of ineffective assistance of counsel relating to both, and the possibility of prosecutorial misconduct during the original trial. Per the documents, prosecutors tested twelve items found at the scene in Leakin Park, including Lee's necklace, clothing, and fingernail clippings. To be fair, the main characters life in Netflixs Emily In Paris has always been a mess, as the series two previou, The Power (And Risks) Of Therapy On Reality TV, Can Someone Please Get A Licensed Therapist On The Set Of, All The Biggest Moments From The 2023 BRIT Awards, defense attorney that prosecutor Kevin Urick, Lee's family releases a heartbreaking statement, Maryland Court of Appeals hears arguments. Syeds conviction for the murder of Hae Min Lee was the subject of the This American Life spinoff podcast Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig, which aired this fall. "Why did you agree to help Adnan bury Hae?" While host Sarah Koenig expressed significant doubt as to whether Syed was guilty, and did state that she felt he should not have been convicted based on the evidence presented at trial, the podcast wasn't able to reach the clear conclusion that legions of obsessive listeners had hoped for. Mentally, its hard to compare Jays account of events after weve gained a certain picture that has been corroborated by multiple sources. Adnan Syed's prolonged legal battle has become the subject of many documentaries and shows over the years. June 30, 2016:According to court records, Syed's request for a new trial was granted and his conviction was vacated, ruling that his initial defense attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, "rendered ineffective assistance when she failed to cross-examine the state's expert regarding the reliability of cell tower location evidence. Not saying we should start prepping but we should start prepping. Brown submitted a supplement to the motion to reopen based on new information that attorney Susan Simpson had uncovered about the reliability of cell tower evidence. He says, 'OK, follow me halfway back down the hill [towards the grave site]," so he doesn't have to walk all the way back up the hill to get back to me in his car. They were reportedly introduced to each other in 1998. "Once a person has been convicted at trial he is no longer presumed innocent," Brandon Garrett, a University of Virginia law professor who serves on the advisory board for the National Registry of Exonerations, told BuzzFeed News. His details on what they did with the body and what he and Adnan did that day were striking. It takes him about half an hour, 45 minutes, and he comes back with gloves on, panting, like, 'She was really heavy.' Sept. 14, 2022: Baltimore prosecutors filed a motion to vacate Syed's murder conviction. As reported in Serial, Lee had last been seen by several fellow students at Woodlawn High School that afternoon, leaving school after lessons had ended for the day at 2:15 p.m. Lees body was discovered in Baltimores Leakin Park by a passerby, partially buried in a shallow grave. Jay shared an email from Koenig written after this encounter that certainly suggests an earnestness to give Jay the chance to tell his side of the story. While Wilds pled guilty to accessory after the fact, he served no time. From conviction to freedom: A timeline of the Adnan Syed case, A legal expert discusses what's next for Adnan Syed, Recapping the important events leading up to Adnan Syed's release from prison, first season of the popular "Serial" podcast, Prosecutors dropped the charges of Adnan Syed. I don't know if she said something he couldn't handle, and he went off the edge or if he had been seriously speculating about it. After the guilty verdict, the burden of proof flips to the accused. Jay Wilds is a former classmate of Adnan Syed from Baltimore, Maryland. To speculate as to why he thought Syed killed Lee, he said he believed it was because Syed couldn't handle the sting of rejection from his breakup with Lee. I watched the hits: Hannah Montana, The Cheetah Girls, Wizards of Waverly Place. The almost two decades-long case is extraordinarily complex, featuring numerous timelines, theories and conflicting testimony, and the nuances are explored extensively in Serial, the Undisclosed podcast, and the HBO series. She got a new boyfriend?' He never said anything like, 'Hey, what gauge gun should I use?' The podcast planted doubts in the minds of millions surrounding Syed's years-old conviction while also raising questions around Jay's witness testimony and portraying him as a weed dealer. I firmly believe Jenn Pusateri and Jay Wilds were victims, in a sense, victims of bad police work and provided false testimony under duress and coercion from the state. I dont know if she said something he couldnt handle, and he went off the edge or if he had been seriously speculating about [murder]. ), Wilds tells Vargas-Cooper that he first met Syed through his then-girlfriend Stephanie, who told him that "Adnan was pretty cool" and wanted to buy weed from him. Syed was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years on February 25, 2000, for first-degree murder,kidnapping, false imprisonment and robbery. After multiple appeals from the State to overturn Judge Welchs 2016 decision, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld the decision to grant Syed a new trial. She then criticized Frosh and investigators for their handling of the case. The determination of how much new evidence is enough to merit a new trial falls under the full discretion of the judge, which doesn't usually bode well for the appellant. The major plot details of his story, however, do appear to line up: That Syed called Wilds to pick him up from Best Buy, where he tells him he killed Lee; that Syed later showed him Lee's dead body in the trunk of her car; that they went to Leakin Park to bury her. He has not been exonerated as of yet. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The judges full written decision is available to read online in two parts. "Why is this story different from what you originally told the police?" Phinn explained that the legal proceedings of the trial were violated back then, given that the prosecution withheld essential information from the defense which could have helped in proving the accused's innocence. "People had lives and were trying to get into college and stuff like that. Everything Thats Happened Around Adnan Syeds Case Since He then claims that the two are together and leaving Best Buy for Wilds' friend "Cathy's" house (her name was changed for the podcast) between 3 and 4 p.m., which would put Syed in possession or capable of making the "Nisha Call" at 3:32 p.m.Nisha being a friend of only Syed and not Wilds. But the most important points remained (what the prosecution called the "spine" of the case against Syed): Syed called Wilds that afternoon, Wilds saw the body in the trunk, and Wilds helped bury the body in the park. He came back with no tools or anything. WebYou know that feeling of being young and experiencing your first love? Feb. 6, 2015:The Maryland Court of Special Appeals approved Syed's application for permission to appeal for a potential hearing on the admissibility of the alibi testimony of Asia McClain. We are frustrated that this process has dragged on so long, Brown wrote in an online update. Jay from Serial interview offers new timeline, other details. Syed was found guilty on February 25, 2000. Marylands Court of Special Appeals grants Syeds application to appeal the denial of post-conviction relief. Adnan, who was 17 at the time, was the main suspect in the murder. Because Jay doesnt seem quite like a real person in Serial, it is easy to forget how jarring this podcast must have been for him and how it upturned not only his life, but his wife and childrensand also his friends lives. Lee was a student at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County. rather than after school like the states timeline says. On Tuesday, prosecutors dropped all charges after DNA test results came back that excluded Syed. He admitted lying to the police when he first talked to them, lying in the testimony he gave at trial, lying about what he and Syed did on the day of the murder, lying about where he first saw Lee's body, and lying about what time they went to Leakin Park to bury the body. WJZ compiled a timeline of events from the 1999 death of Lee to when Syed's charges were dropped. The standard of proof a person must meet to get a conviction overturned is higher than the standard he must meet to get an acquittal. Timeline explored: 5 key details about the Adnan Syed case Interviews in Serial (including ones from Adnan) do acknowledge that Jay was known as a resident bad boy at Woodlawn High School. Both, in fact, are connected. I would love someone to hear, I would to hear love someone to say, I dont think that you did it because I looked at the case and it looks kind of flimsy. Does Jay quell any of our suspicions or change our opinion of Haes murder trial or Adnans conviction? He failed; he lost the girl.. "The court views recantation evidence with great suspicion," said Steve Drizin, a law professor at Northwestern University and an attorney at the Center for Wrongful Convictions, who considers the court's view on this flawed. He said, 'I'm gonna drive back down there [to the grave]. I was talking to one of my friends, who had just recently gotten over a drug addiction, who she tried to talk to about this case. We get into his car, and he drives up around the corner to Hae's car. But it seems that no one else is liking the minty-fresh look. In 2000, a jury determined that Adnan Syed was responsible for the murder, kidnapping, robbery, and false imprisonment of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee's murder. He quickly became the centerpiece of their case, despite changing his testimony multiple times. Early February, 2016:The post-conviction relief hearing lasted five days. You can simultaneously be happy that Adnan Syed is coming home and demand that Hae Min Lee's killer should be found & that her family finally finds peace. February 12th, 1999 Anonymous call from Asian male comes in to Police, telling them to focus on ex-boyfriend. Wherever her car was at the time I picked him up from Best Buy, it probably stayed there until he picked me up later that evening. What If a Whole Stand-up Special Were About Peanut Butter? Please logout and login again. Did you go to Leakin Park immediately after agreeing to help? At 2:25 pm, Lee is last seen buying food at school. The case continued to drag on into the summer of 2018, as Marylands Court of Appeals responded to the States appeal by agreeing to review the decision made in March by the Court of Special Appeals. Where Is Jay Wilds From Serial Now? He Last Spoke Out December 1999: Syed's first trial started And if it was a Friday, In 2003, Joel (Pedro Pascal) wakes up on his birthday like every other morning, sitting down for breakfast with his 12-year-old daughter, Sarah. Wilds's testimony played a giant part in convicting Syed of murdering his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee in 1999. The judgment was delivered after years of wait and thorough examination of the case and evidence presented during his initial trial in 2000. But that does not mean there is enough doubt to overturn a conviction. It is highly unlikely that the state could have ever taken him to trial without Jay's confession, which was crucial to the prosecution's case. While many different things aided the process, one key factor was Sarah Koenig and her podcast, titled Serial, which covered the subject earlier in 2014 for its first ever season, as it garnered the attention of millions. He knew I was afraid of that. I was pretty distraught, fucked up, feeling guilty for not saying nothing. Vargas-Cooper asks, a question listeners have been pondering for 12 episodes. I thought at worst he'd throw a rock through her window or something. Adnan is far more likeable than Jay because we hear directly from him. But I just thought he was just shooting off like everyone else shoots off when they're mad at their girlfriend. I didn't know it was that close. It was at least a week before she died, when he found out she was either cheating on him or leaving him. Your login session has expired. WebTime for Jenn Pusateri and Jay Wilds to tell the truth. For example, he says he lied to the cops when he said Adnan showed him Haes body outside of Best Buy; it was actually in front of his grandmothers home, but I didnt want to involve my grandmother, he says. The two then spend about 40 minutes digging a grave, but Wilds' refuses to touch Lee's body; Wilds claims Syed buried Lee by himself. Jay WebThe prosecutions main evidence against Adnan was the testimony of Jay Wilds. We got in his car and start driving. Jay Tune in to Adnan Syed: Overturned on ID this Tuesday, September 27, 2022, at 9 pm ET, to learn more about the on-going case. Serial closed its 12-episode season with Sarah Koenig telling us Adnan Syed shouldnt have been convicted, though she didnt say he was innocent. As for why he helped Adnan in the first place, Jay says now that Adnan threatened to tell the police he was dealing drugs: I was convinced I would be going to jail for a long time if he turned me in for drug dealing, especially to high school kids., Unlike the devoted Serial obsessives, Jays claims that he doesnt get too caught up in the minutiae of what happened the day Hae was killed. Asia McClain testified that she talked to Syed at the library on Jan. 13, 1999, the day Lee was reported missing," court records show. Wilds is a free man who now lives in California. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. Syed was granted a new trial more than two years ago, yet he remains in jail. The prosecution relied heavily on Wildss testimony against Syed, and on location data from Syeds cellphone records. As detailed in Serial, Wilds told police that he had helped Syed bury Lees body and hide her car, while Pusateri said that Wilds had also confessed this to her. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. July 1, 2016. Timelines In Wilds' newest version of events, Adnan was in his car with Jay instead of being at his last period of school. Journalist Natasha Vargas-Cooper tells the story of her four hours with Jay Wilds, the linchpin from the best podcast ever. Like if a car goes by, and I jump out and wave at them saying, 'Hey, this is a murderer right here.' It wasn't like, 'Oh, we're going bowling, and let's call it in before we go bowling and call the rest of our friends and call Jay.' It's been a long road from conviction to freedom for Syed. But that, according to what I learned later, is probably not what happened. Where was Hae's car? or 'How many minutes am I supposed to hold somebody under the water for?' "Jay From 'Serial' Gave An Interview That Might Actually Help Adnan Syed," read a headline on this website. On March 28, 2023, Syed's original conviction was reinstated on claims that Hae Min Lee's family was not given sufficient notice of the hearing, which barred them from attending the hearing in person. In The Case Against "From the way he carried himself, at least, it looked like he had never lost anything before. I heard from a few people that [Koenig] was harassing people at their jobs, making countless phone calls [to people] who kept saying they did not want to speak with her. All Rights Reserved. It wasn't like, 'Oh, we're down in the park, come on down.' "They don't like to order do-overs of trials. Jay Wilds, the key witness in the state of Marylands case against Adnan Syed, has given an exclusive interview to Natasha Vargas-Cooper of The Intercept. He is based in New York. Reddit users, including psychpathic_rhino and A_mellifera, chatted about the various details in his interview. A judge must consider, "Do these additional problems really add anything to the case?" This week, in an interview with The Intercept, Jay Wilds came forward with his account of the January day in 1999 when Hae Min Lee was murdered. Maybe it's a good thing that people are introduced to this fact of life in the criminal justice system. Some people expressed their confusion at the inconsistencies, while others believed Jays explanation about why his story keeps changing. Slate is published by The Slate Wilds' interview with The Intercept conflicted with testimony he gave during Syed's murder trial, which was reassessed by the Serial podcast. Jay Wilds, the key witness in the murder trial featured on the podcast Serial, finally gave his first interview and now the podcasts fans are questioning his account I'm being manipulated into what's being done right now.'". Now that the case has resurfaced, after progressing on the sidelines for over two decades, let's explore the timeline of events and key details surrounding the case that led to the overturning of Adnan Syed's life sentence. Adnan also never describes himself as especially close with Jay, which begs the question: Why would Adnan choose Jay of all people to help him out with a murder? We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Yes. The case first received national attention in 2014 the hit podcast "Serial" raised questions about the prosecution. He reiterates that he agreed to help Adnan bury Haes body because he feared getting in trouble for petty drug-dealing. The Desi Crime Podcast: 83. The Murder of Hae Min Lee The band have become the very thing their critics accuse them of. They believed the records showed Jay was in the area near NHRNCathy's apartment. Notably, Wilds declined to be a part of the podcast although he was offered an interview. #FreeAdnan #Serial #LyingMoFo! I follow him halfway back down the hill, park, smoke some cigarettes. I don't know what happened, what occurred between them that day. According to reports, Gutierrez interpreted a statement by the judge as tantamount to accusing her of lying. In the first of a multi-part interview with The Intercept's Natasha Vargas-Cooper, Jay Wilds describes how he first came to meet Syed at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore. He characterizes Adnan as a little pompous, a little arrogant really driven as far as academics more uptight than the other Muslim kids that I knew. He and Adnan werent close, he says, echoing Syeds own account of their relationship: There was never a real friendship. He remembers Lee, meanwhile, as independent and mature. Though Wilds tells Vargas-Cooper it isnt his job to speculate on Syeds motives, he cant help doing so a little bit anyway, positing that the man he helped convict just couldnt come to grips with being a loser and failing. In Jays new telling, he did pick Adnan up from the Best Buy parking lot, but didnt see Haes body until later, in front of his grandmothers house. Plus, his known drug dealings certainly made him vulnerable to blackmail. Hae's car could have been in the parking lot, but I didn't know what it looked like so I don't remember. Just normal conversation like, 'I think she's fucking around. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. "I didn't trust him at first, since he wasn't like the people I knew pot smokers you know? March 10, 2022: Baltimore City prosecutors agreed to new DNA testing that Syed's lawyers believed could clear his name. If you're a fan of Sarah Koenig's popular podcast, Serial, then you might already know that previously convicted murderer Adnan Syed whose case was
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