Running head: Adnan Syeds Guilt

The Guilt of Adnan Syed

Peter Terrier
Period 5
English 12 Honors
Glenelg High School

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The Guilt of Adnan Syed

The dictionary defines, first-degree murder, as, murder committed with malice
aforethought, characterized by deliberation or premeditation. (Dictionary.com, 2016) On
January 13th, 1999, a young girl named Hae Min Lee mysteriously disappeared. Hae was a
senior at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County who had been described as beautiful,
bright, friendly and sociable. Fast forward to around one month later on February 9th when her
body once filled with life was found cold and dead in Leakin Park of Baltimore County. Her
cause of death was found to be manual strangulation. (Koenig, 2014) Two weeks later, her exboyfriend, Adnan Syed, was arrested for her murder. Adnan attended Woodlawn High School
with Hae and they were both in the graduating class of nineteen-ninety-nine. Adnan was
immensely involved at school; he ran track and played football, along with an impressive
performance in all of his classes. Outside of school, Adnan was an EMT and often assisted at his
mosque. Adnan was a likable companion and student at school, so when the news of his arrest
for Haes murder arose, many of those from the community could not even begin to believe it.
(Koenig, 2014) When Haes body was found, Adnans friend Jay discussed with police
authorities that Adnan had planned to kill Hae on January 13th, 1999. According to Jay, Adnan
gave Jay his car and cellphone and said he would get into Haes car, kill her, and call Jay to pick
him up once she was dead. Adnan called Jay from a payphone outside of a nearby Best Buy,
which is where Jay goes to pick Adnan up. Jay stated that Adnan opened up the trunk with Haes
lifeless body laid inside. (Koenig, 2014) Jay said that Adnan planned to bury Hae, but he had
forgotten shovels so they had to stop by Jays house for them and they then drove to Leakin park
where Adnan intended to bury Hae. Jay and Adnan arrived at the park, found a location for the
body, and began to dig. Jay said that they dug for around twenty to twenty-five minutes and that

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the grave was about six inches deep. Adnan and Jay left Leakin park and left Haes car at the I70 park and ride, which Jay later took the police officers to. (Koenig, 2014) Two weeks later, her
body was found by a maintenance man who stopped to go to the bathroom and saw a bit of Haes
black hair sticking out from her shallow burial. Jays evidence and testimony was a major part of
the states case against Adnan Syed. (Koenig, 2014) Adnan received a sentence of life
imprisonment for his actions (Fenton, 2015) and is rightfully living out his time in Western
Maryland. (Koenig, 2014) Prison is where Adnan belongs; the states case against Adnan was
correct. On January 13th, 1999, Adnan Syed murdered Hae Min Lee in her car, then went on to
bury her in Leakin Park, and then ditched the car.
In episode 1 of Serial, Sarah Koenig asks Adnan Syed for his side of the story of what
occurred on January 13th, 1999. Adnans details of what went on that day are very vague. He
does not know the specific details of what he did or where he went. Everything has a, I may
have, or, usually I would have done this, but what Adnan does remember is that he and Jay
did spend time together on that day. During the afternoon, he had Jay drop him back off at
school after his free periods and let Jay borrow his car to go buy a gift for Adnans friend,
Stephanie, who was also Jays girlfriend. (Koenig, 2014) During that time, Adnan did go to
school and said it was a pretty boring and typical high school day. Adnan said he usually went to
the library after school to check his email before track practice at three or three-thirty. Adnan
believed that he may have checked his email in the library on that day. So if Adnan is correct
with this assumption, he would have gone to school, then the library, and then track practice.
(Koenig, 2014) After track practice, Adnans story becomes even more vague. According to
him, track had ended at around four-thirty. After track, Jay may or may not have picked him up,
but if he did, they would have gone and gotten food since it was Ramadan and Adnan had been

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fasting all day and starving. The two would have gotten food and gotten high, then Adnan would
be home around seven to take his father food at the mosque. (Koenig, 2014) This free time
Adnan claimed he had before track practice is when Hae would have been killed. (Koenig, 2014)
So was Adnan at Library or not? He does not seem to know. His memory lacks tremendously.
One may think that when the odds of being sentenced to life in prison are on the table, someone
may remember a little more clearly, but unfortunately, Adnan does not. This day of all days is
not a normal one. It is not one that a person comes to forget what they did or where they went.
When someone's friend/ex-girlfriend disappears he or she should remember what he or she did
on that day. It is understood that students get stuck into a repetition of what goes on in their
daily schedule, between all the assignments and practices and classes it's easy to mix all these
things together and a student can forget what he or she did on a random day. (Koenig, 2014)
However, this was not just another random day of the week for Adnan. He used the vague
repetitive schedule of a high school student as a cheap excuse to hide the fact that he killed Hae
Min Lee.
In Jays statement he claimed that Adnans plan was to get into Haes car after school so
he could have the chance to kill her. So how did Adnan get into her car? It was found that
Adnan may have asked Hae for a ride home that day. When Koenig questioned students who
were at Woodlawn high school at the time, some said that they remembered Adnan asking Hae
for a ride that day. (Koenig, 2014) Officer Adcock testified during the trial that he called Adnan
the day Hae went missing, and Adnan had said that he asked Hae for a ride during the day on
January 13th. (Koenig, 2014) So the students of Woodlawn said that they remember Adnan
asking Hae for a ride and Adnan told the Officer that he did so as well. However, later on, an
Officer asks Adnan whether he asked Hae for a ride on that day and Adnan told him no. So

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Adnan Went back on his previous statement to Officer Adcock. Koenig asks Adnan why he went
back on his original story and he states that he was high when Officer Adcock called. (Koenig,
2014) Adnan is back to using cheap excuses for inexcusable actions. When Officer Adcock
called Adnan the day Hae went missing, Adnan told the truth when he said that he asked for a
ride. But with time to think, Adnan realized that this could show the police that he had that
intent to get in Hae Min Lees car that day and could make him a prime suspect. So when Adnan
was questioned about asking for a ride the second time, he said that he actually did not ask for a
ride and that he was mistaken. (Koenig, 2014) Adnan intended on getting in Hae Min Lees car
that day. He asked for a ride and when he got into her car he killed her.
On the day that Hae went missing, Jay claims Adnan gave him his cellphone so that
Adnan could call Jay once he was finished killing Hae. Through the call logs, it is clear to see an
incoming call at 2:36 with a duration of five seconds. (Chivvis, 2014) This 2:36 call is the one
where Adnan called Jay to tell him to pick him up at Best Buy. At this point, Jay left and drove
to Best Buy, Adnan popped the trunk, and showed Haes dead body to Jay. According to Jay, he
and Adnan left Best Buy and drove the I-70 park and ride to leave Haes car. Once this was
done, Jay called his friend Jenn to see if Patrick was home so that he and Adnan could buy
marijuana. Jay claims this call is listed as the 3:21 call that lasted for forty-two seconds.
(Chivvis, 2014) There was a call to Patrick on the call list as well that shows Jay must have also
called him to ask for marijuana. These many calls strengthen Jays story because they show that
if he did have Adnans phone the incoming call at 2:36 must have been Adnan calling Jay to pick
him up. (Chivvis, 2014) But along with the many calls on the call log, there are cell phone tower
pings that show the location of where Adnan and Jay must have been. That evening Adnan
claims to have had his phone, and during the evening one cell phone ping is near Leakin Park.

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According to Jay, at this point in the evening they buried Hae at Leakin Park. Adnans cell phone
pings a tower near Leakin Park, so this must mean that his phone was in or near Leakin Park.
Adnan claims he had his phone at this point in time, this means that he was in or near Leakin
Park as well. But Adnan claims he was nowhere near Leakin Park at that time. (Koenig, 2014)
These statements contradict each other entirely. Not only does this show that Adnan must have
gone to Leakin Park that evening, but it also shows another case of Adnan lying. That evening,
Adnans cell phone pinged the tower near Leakin Park because he was there to bury Hae.
During the time that Adnan claimed to be at the Woodlawn library, a girl named Asia
McClain stated that she saw him there and had a conversation with him. The Woodlawn public
library is directly across from Woodlawn high school. Asia had sent Adnan letters once he was
in jail. One of them reads as, Dear Adnan I hope I spelled it right. I'm not sure if you remember
talking to me in the library on January 13, but I remember chatting with you." She says, "we
aren't really close friends, but I want you to look into my eyes and tell me of your innocence. If I
ever find otherwise, I will hunt you down and whip your ass. ok, friend? (Koenig, 2014) Asia
claimed that her boyfriend had been late to pick her up from the library. While she was waiting
she saw Adnan and spoke with him about his relationship with Hae since they had just recently
broke up. Asia states that her boyfriend and his friend had remembered seeing Adnan as well.
Asia remembered her boyfriend being jealous that she was talking to another guy. (Koenig,
2014) This could be a possible alibi for Adnan. Asia states in her affidavit that after talking
with Adnan, they left around 2:40. Hae is supposedly dead by 2:36. (Koenig, 2014) Some people
may look at this evidence and believe that Adnan was at the library that day and could not have
had anything to do with Haes murder because of the time frame. Sarah Koenig looked into this
even further and spoke with Asias Boyfriend, Derek, at the time of the story. When they spoke,

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Derek claimed that he had no memory of ever seeing Adnan there at the library. Koenig also
spoke to the friend, Jerrod, that was supposedly there as well with Derek and Asia, but he had no
recollection of the day either. (Koenig, 2014) Asia wrote her affidavit, but according to Officer
Kevin Urick, she called him and said she only wrote the affidavit because she was pressured by
Adnans family to do so. Asia undermined her own statement, but Koenig recently spoke with
her, and Asia stated that her affidavit was true and she still to this day remembers seeing Adnan.
(Koenig, 2014) So Asia said she saw Adnan that day, then went back on her own statement, but
now she says that she did infact see Adnan. (Koenig, 2014) Whether Asia thinks she saw him or
not, she can no longer be considered credible. She went from saying she saw him to telling
Officer Urick that she only wrote her affidavit stating she saw Adnan because of wanting to
please his family. (Koenig, 2014) Not only is she not credible because of this, but the other two
boys that she claimed were there and saw Adnan have zero recollection of that moment. Even
though Asias statement gives Adnan a possible alibi, she is not credible enough to make up for
all the evidence built up against him.
Adnan Syed was guilty. As viewers of a piece of entertainment like Serial, it is natural to
want the underdog to come out on top as many people have with Adnan and because of that
people lose track of the authentic truth. This is real life, not just a thrilling podcast. There are no
miraculous plot twists here. Hae Min Lee was brutally murdered. She is not coming back. Vast
amounts of evidence point to Adnan for a young girls unfair and depressing end. His lack of
memory, Jays claims against him, his lies to the police, the cell phone logs and the cell phone
tower pings of location are more than enough evidence to prove his guilt. And although in a
strange way listening to this podcast leads you to develop feelings and care for the main
character, that main character was a heartless murderer. Adnan Syed was guilty.

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8
References

Chivvis, D. (2014). Why It Cant be the 3:15 Call. Serial Podcast. Retrieved from
https://serialpodcast.org/posts/2014/10/why-it-cant-be-the-315-call.
Fenton, J. (2015). Adnan Syeds family says he is not receiving proper medical care. Baltimore
Sun. Retrieved from http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-syedhealth-problems-20151221-story.html.
Murder. (2016, April 22). Retrieved from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/murder.
Koenig, S. (2014). Cell Phone Call Log. Serial Podcast. Retrieved from
https://serialpodcast.org/maps/cell-phone-call-log.
Koenig, S. (2014). Serial [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from https://serialpodcast.org/season-one.
Koenig, S. (2014, October 3). The Alibi. Serial [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from
https://serialpodcast.org/season-one.
Koenig, S. (2014, October 10). Leakin Park. Serial [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from
https://serialpodcast.org/season-one.
Koenig, S. (2014, October 30). The Case Against Adnan Syed. Serial [Audio podcast]. Retrieved
from https://serialpodcast.org/season-one.
Koenig, S. (2014, December 18). What We Know. Serial [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from
https://serialpodcast.org/season-one.

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