True crime podcasts are no stranger to controversy. Covering polarizing topics ranging from harassment to homicides, true crime has the potential to weigh heavy on our minds. As such, while I understand that listening to these topics is difficult for many of us, avoiding these topics poses the potential to cause more harm than good. In weeks following the Crime Weekly podcast’s recent series covering the atrocious murder of Hae Min Lee, critics of true crime podcasts have flocked to Crime Weekly’s comments in order to express their disdain for the podcast’s extensive detailing of the crime. The main concern of these critics — publicizing the violence. To critics who argue that the murder of Lee, and other similar cases, should not be detailed …show more content…
Several critics of true crime podcasts are quick to passionately post on their blogs that all supposed perpetrators should not get any coverage, as it is believed that this “glorifies the actions of the alleged perpetrators” (Timea). And while it is true that some perpetrators are guilty beyond reasonable doubt, and should thus be solely depicted as guilty convicts, the flip side must also be considered: the imprisoned whose guilt was never solidified. True crime podcasts are infamous for their ability to examine multiple possibilities, with this critical thinking holding the ability to exonerate and change the lives of innocent individuals. Like Crime Weekly, the Serial podcast examined the murder of Hae Min Lee but, instead of focusing on the victim, chose to examine the supposed killer: Adnan Syed. The podcast’s investigation and reporting into previously unexplored evidence led to hundreds of listeners signing a petition for the case against Syed to be reinvestigated, which not only led to the case being reopened for investigation into other suspects, but also to prosecutors dropping the case against Syed. Syed’s lawyer himself is adamant that the podcast made an immeasurable impact on Syed’s exoneration, stating that he “always get[s] asked the question, ‘Did Serial help the case?’ [and his answer: ] it absolutely did” (Magarino). But, what would have happened if true crime podcasts never covered Syed’s case? More likely than not, he would still be in jail, forced to reconcile with the fact that there was no entity fighting for his innocence. The passion true crime podcasts have for the cases they cover allow them to become an avenue through which freedom is served for the innocent. It is this passion that allows for all details of a case to be investigated. It is this passion that forces the truth
Obsidian Mekediak Tyler Bonnette RD 117 19 Dec 2022 Rhetorical Analysis of Sarah Koenig’s ‘Serial’ Adnan Syed was convicted for the murder of Hae Min Lee February 25, 2000. Syed has claimed his innocence since he was arrested. Syed’s conviction was based on Jay Wilds’ testimony. Wilds claimed Syed had strangled Hae Min Lee, and convinced Wilds to help bury her body. Sarah Koenig’s initial purpose of creating the podcast ‘Serial’ and investigating the conviction of Adnan Syed for the murder of Hae Min Lee was to conclude if the state's case against Syed was flawed and in doing that, Koenig was successful.
On February 9, 1999 Hae Min Lee was found in Leakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland with signs of manual strangulation. The state claimed that Adnan Syed, Hae’s former boyfriend at the time was responsible because they believed he was enraged of their relationship ending. My claim is Adnan Syed is likely not responsible for the death of Hae Min Lee, because there was insufficient evidence to prove he was guilty and the trial was unfair, it was based more on his racial background than the actual case itself. Adnan can be proved innocent with Don’s odd alibi and suspicions.
DAICHI ONISHI TREVINO ENGLISH III 05/16.2023 Serial Essay Adnan Syed’s conviction should be overturned as the state's case against him was built on unreliable evidence, inconsistent witness testimonies, and an unconvincing timeline. In 1999, 17-year-old Adnan Syed was arrested and convicted of the first-degree murder of his 19-year-old ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The case has been reopened since then and is still ongoing due to controversy over Adnan’s innocence and questionable evidence.
Adnan Syed Have you ever got accused of something you didn’t do but it looks like you did? Well, that’s exactly what happened to Adnan. In the Mystery Murder Serial podcast by Sarah Koenig, it explains multiple different stories about Hae Min Lee.
Adnan Syed couldn’t have killed his former high school girlfriend, Hae Lee, 20 years ago: “I know it’s physically impossible for people to be in two places at one time.” Syed, the subject of Sarah Koenig’s hit podcast “Serial” and Amy Berg’s HBO docuseries “The Case Against Adnan Syed,” was convicted of killing Lee, his ex-girlfriend, in 1999. But McClain, who was never called to testify during the first trial, said she had a 20-minute conversation with Syed in their high school’s library at the same time prosecutors say Lee was murdered”. Another witness who testified to seeing Adnan was Rabia, She claims to have gone into the library and saw Adnan printing papers, they even managed to chat for a bit, As Koenig comments, “And she told me, that
The Serial podcast captivated millions of listeners as it dug deep into the case of Adnan Syed, a man convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. While Syed's sentence to life in prison may initially seem justified, a closer examination of the evidence presented in the podcast raises significant doubts about his guilt. This essay aims to challenge Adnan Syed's sentence by presenting material from three episodes of Serial, revealing inconsistencies in the prosecution's case, unreliable witness testimonies, and the lack of conclusive evidence tying Syed to the crime. Throughout the podcast, several inconsistencies and discrepancies emerge, undermining the reliability of the prosecution's case against Adnan Syed.
Adnan Syed was convicted of murder more than 17 years ago and has faced denial of multiple appeals. However, finally he was granted a new trial after his murder conviction was thrown out. The case of Adnan became a worldwide obsession over a night since he was subject to a globally popular podcast Serial. On the other hand, on 26th February 1999 I became obsessed with this case when he was arrested that morning. Since his arrest, Adnan has maintained his innocence and my family and I believe in him.
Today the audience will be presented with the 1999 case of the cold blooded murder of Hae Min Lee, an 18 year old senior at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland, and the conviction of her ex boyfriend, Adnan Syed in a podcast brought to them by Sarah Koenig, an American journalist and radio host, on The American Life where Serial is presented. During this case you will see various different sides of the story that claim whether or not Adnan committed the crime or if the killer is still on the loose. This case is particularly tricky given that most of the evidence is mainly based off of partially unreliable witnesses, little to none physical evidence, and the memories of now 36 year old Adnan and the very few people he had talked to
February 9, 1999, was a very sad day for many in Baltimore County Maryland. This is why highschool student Hae Min Lee was found dead in Leakin Park. Just 19 days later on February 28, Adnan Syed was arrested for her murder and stayed in prison for 23 years. I believe that Adnan was falsely accused and imprisoned because Adnan did not have a good motive for the crime, he was found guilty only on the basis of reasonable doubt, and he had been exploited by his lawyer Christina Gutierrez. When you think of a crime what is one of the first things that comes to mind?
Jair Lopez Mr. Scrymgeour English 13 April 2023 Adnan Syed’s False Conviction According to a study by Georgia Innocence Project, it is said that in the United States, between 4-6% of people serving time in prison are actually innocent and have been wrongfully convicted. This means that 5% of inmates are not guilty. 1 out of 20 criminal cases results in a wrongful conviction. It is possible that Adnan Syed could have been wrongfully convicted for the murder of Hae Min Lee because of his race, culture, or religion.
This case has twists and turns with surprises that never allow the reader to catch their breath. In 1999 Hae Lin Min Lee was murdered, on February 25th, 2000, Adnan Syed, her ex boyfriend and fellow classmate, was convicted of her murder. The circumstantial evidence that was presented and ineffective counsel led to an unjust verdict. Racism and stereotypes shaped the outcome of this case tremendously. The justice system has failed many times, and yet again, the conviction and sentencing of Adnan Syed was the wrong verdict.
The defendant had once challenged Sarah Koenig, the creator and narrator of the podcast “Serial” to test the timeline of our case claiming that timeline can’t possibly fit the events mentioned in the given time frame. So, Ms.Koenig along with the podcast producer Dana Chivvis test the idea by setting up a mock scenario as the state had claimed. After going through the test, the two had concluded that the time frame provided made it possible for Mr.Syed to kill Ms.Lee(Ep.5). This evidence is definitely reliable since the narrator and producer are creating the podcast, and have been investigating both sides of the murder. The scenario confirms that the defendant could have killed Ms.Lee in the amount of time our case claims.
Out of the 337 cases where innocent men and women were wrongfully imprisoned nearly half of the true suspects were identified and convicted. The racial heritage of those who have been exonerated is fairly diverse, consisting of “206 African Americans, 104 Caucasians, 25 Latinos, and 2 Asian Americans” (The Innocence Project). (Transition) Although The Innocence Project has changed the lives of many who others would not afford them the opportunity to prove their innocence, they would not have been able to do so without the recent
On January 13th, 1999, a 17 year old girl named Hae Min Lee was manually strangled and murdered, and the convicted killer: her ex-boyfriend. Hae’s body was found a month later on February 9th. Over the past decade, the continuity of the case has been questioned, rejected, or accepted by hundreds of listeners to “Serial”, a podcast narrating and interpreting every piece of evidence the host, Sarah Koeing, could come across. Through her hours of looking through court records, interviews, and even meeting with the alleged murderer, the case has been subject to public opinion. Adnan Syed did not kill Hae Min Lee because he had a reliable alibi, the witnesses had inconsistent stories, and there was never a clear motive.
Charlotte Lester English 12 Ms. Knezevich May, 8, 2023 Undue Credibility and Injustice The modern court of law is incomplete without the inconsistencies of eyewitness accounts, the complexity of plea bargains, and the internal bias that every member of the police, jury, and even the judge holds. In the case of Adnan Syed, the potential killer of ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, it was confirmation bias that put him behind bars for twenty-three years of his life. Due to the impending pressure to give justice to Lee and her family, the state investigation led the case with evidence formulated to fit their favourite story. Where naturally, convictions should be based on evidence, Syed’s case was the complete opposite.