The cell phone records show he was in the area. We were left to chew this all over. By three accounts, everyone was cordial, and the breakup wasnt really new. 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. Prosecutors admit cell phone evidence was unreliable and some witnesses testimony was not credibleincluding that of Jay Wilds who said Syed confessed to the murder and he helped bury Lee. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. It's been a long road from conviction to freedom for Syed. Emma Dibdin is a freelance writer based in Los Angeles who writes about culture, mental health, and true crime. 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. Jay from Serial interview offers new timeline, other details. Wilds alleged that Syed had told him he had murdered Lee. Yes. The short answer: no. Ahead of tonight's final episode, here's a full timeline laying out the essential facts of Syed's case. Our kids were crying.. He calls me and says 'I'm outside,' so I come outside to talk to him and followed him to a different car, not his. May 18, 2015:The Maryland Court of Special Appeals gave the case to the Circuit Court for Baltimore City. Group, a Graham Holdings Company. 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. If you were going to commit a crime, he would potentially be more knowledgeable than the restor at least a high school kid might think that. Lee had Syed's legal team might point out that, whether he was lying in 1999 or lying in 2014, the fact is that Wilds is a liar, and that should cast doubt on Syed's conviction. For people who want closure, there may not be closure.". He's gone with Hae's car. 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. 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. As described on the Serial podcast, Lee and Syed dated for much of 1998, and had broken up towards the end of the year. It enables individuals who have served at least 20 years in jail for a crime they committed as minors to request a sentence reduction in court. Be the first one to comment on this story. Nov. 25, 2019:TheU.S. Supreme Court rejectedSyed's appeal for a new trial. "Because at the time I was convinced that I would be going to jail for a long time if he turned me in for drug dealing, especially to high school kids. Plus, his known drug dealings certainly made him vulnerable to blackmail. In 2014, Sarah Koenig's podcast, titled Serial, dropped its first season covering Adnan Syed's case and re-examining every detail. Chaudry wasnt the only one pointing out where Jays story didnt line up with his previous testimony. Rabia Chaudry, the woman who first brought Syeds story to Koenig, spoke out on Twitter to say this newest story could actually help Syeds case. But in real life, of course youre more than just a states witness. 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. After a person is convicted, guilt beyond reasonable doubt is out the window. On Tuesday, September 27, ID is scheduled to re-air an updated version of its special, titled Adnan Syed: Overturned, following Syed's release from prison after nearly 23 years. That is his prerogative. Jay Wilds assumed a private life after playing a pivotal role in the prosecutions case against Adnan Syed. The obstacles to getting a new trial are simply too great." Unfortunately for Syed, it's not that simple. 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. 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. Now, Im not so sure.. Updated on: October 11, 2022 / 1:53 PM Fifteen years after Adnan Syed was convicted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, the case became the basis for an immensely popular podcast, the This American Life spin-off Serial. 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. He describes asking her for a business card, a pretty basic form of professional identification, and her failure to produce an accurate one. Maryland Attorney Generals Office spokeswoman Raquel Coombs said in a statement that these results "in no way exonerate" Syed. This, Brown wrote, showed that the cell tower evidence used against him was unreliable and should have been excluded from trial." Jay Wilds This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. He left in his car and I was trying to collect myself at my [grandmother's] house. A man purporting to be JayBaltimore County's star witness in their case against Adnan Syed. Eighteen-year-old Hae Min Lee was reported missing by her family after she failed to pick up her younger cousin from elementary school on the afternoon of January 13. From the perspective of the defendant, there is no stronger evidence than an alibi witness.". As with everything related to Serial and the murder of Hae, the emotional motives arent quite clear. 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. They like to do it right the first time.". Episodes raised new questions about the murder conviction. WebWilds, who gave police multiple interviews and testified in court, was first questioned on Feb. 28, 1999, just hours before police arrested Syed on suspicion of Lees murder. This password will be used to sign into all, a Vulture senior writer covering movies and pop culture, Jay From Serial Just Gave His First Interview, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky Arrive at the Met Gala Fashionably Late, AI Singers Are Unnervingly Good and Already Ubiquitous, Melanie Lynskey, Seth Meyers, and More Support WGA Amid Negotiations. By Ken Kurson 12/30/14 9:22pm. The podcast attracted global attention, and had gained more than 100 million downloads by June 2016. Both, in fact, are connected. The arrest came after police had subpoenaed Syeds cellphone records, and questioned two people from his call log: Jay Wilds and Jennifer Pusateri. I don't know whether he calls me when he's on his way back to my house, or if he calls me right outside the house. 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 The two decades-long case is extraordinarily complex. Addressing the Asia McClain complaint specifically, the written decision read as follows: It appears that trial counsel was made aware of Ms. McClain and made a strategic decision not to pursue her for the purpose of an alibi. In other words, the court ruled that not calling or investigating McClain was a strategic move on Gutierrezs part, and not evidence of inadequate assistance of counsel. She called out the parts of Jays story that changed, including where he first saw Lees body and the details of her burial. There is no forensic evidence linking him to this crime. In an email to the Sun, Brown wrote: While these DNA results do not reveal the true killer, they do go a long way in showing that the wrong person is in prison." It also led to theorists and supporters forming a social media movement. 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. 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. At the time, this was Maryland in the '90s, the drug laws were extremely serious. We got in his car and start driving. A subsequent petition to allow Syed out of prison on bail until his new trial was denied. Some people expressed their confusion at the inconsistencies, while others believed Jays explanation about why his story keeps changing. December 1999: Syed's first trial started "Why did you agree to help Adnan bury Hae?" WebAdnan was convicted because of one sole witness, Jay Wilds. Brown questioned the court's assertion that McClain's testimony would not have affected the outcome of the proceedings: "We think just the opposite is true. His family told Syed over the phone. Jay from Serial interview offers new timeline, other details. The enigma who at best gave inconsistent testimony and at worst put an innocent teen behind bars, says Serial doesnt change what he saw: I saw Hae dead in the trunk of the car.. 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. From the day Syed met Lee to his release from prison more than twenty years later, below we chronicle the main events. He reiterates that he agreed to help Adnan bury Haes body because he feared getting in trouble for petty drug-dealing. Jay Though originally scheduled to last two days, the PCR hearing was extended and ultimately went on for five. 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. When Everything Changed: Early 1999 January 13, 1999: Stephanie's birthday, The band have become the very thing their critics accuse them of. For instance, he tells the Intercept that Syed intimated to him that he wanted kill Lee a week before her murder: When did he first talk to you about hurting her? They were reportedly introduced to each other in 1998. Jays post-Serial interviews with The Intercept: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. That's all he says. First published on October 11, 2022 / 1:11 PM. Wilds is a free man who now lives in California. At that time, he was immediately released and placed on home detention. I only smoked with him two or three times. Wilds also admitted to lying about other details. Afterwards, Julie and I felt like wed walked into a strangers house, lobbed a grenade onto his living room carpet and then waved goodbye, Koenig says in Episode 8, The Deal with Jay. She adds that they continued to email, but finally, in so many words, he declined to be interviewed., But Jay appeared to change his mind after the series ended. 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. Where was Hae's car? He admitted Thinking Out Loud was actually inspired by Van Morrison, not Marvin Gaye. He changed his timeline, and many details, and offered an explanation for his lies (his fear of implicating his grandmother and friends; his fear of getting busted for He is based in New York. The police confirm to the press that they are investigating her death as a homicide. Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day. Wilds never spoke on tape with Serial's host, Sarah Koenig, but after the podcast's final episode, he granted an interview to The Intercept, published in three parts last week. Jay I had a lot more on the line than just a few bags of weed. Vargas-Cooper asks. Wilds struck a deal and claimed that Syed asked him to help bury Hae Min's body. I think Jay knows who did it, she said. Where Is Jay Wilds From Serial Now? He Last Spoke Out He just started opening up. You're in this on your own. ), 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. The court heard testimony from a number of key witnesses including Asia McClain and Gerald R. Grant, an expert witness on cell phone technology. On paper, in the trial transcript, youre two-dimensional. Some of this isnt quite fair. or 'How many minutes am I supposed to hold somebody under the water for?' ", Prosecutors and Attorney General Brian Frosh argued to reverse the lower court's ruling, and said that "Syed's defense attorney did a thorough job and the witness, Asia McClain, would not have changed the outcome of the case.". He never said anything like, 'Hey, what gauge gun should I use?' That is especially the case when a witness changes his story years later. March 10, 2022: Baltimore City prosecutors agreed to new DNA testing that Syed's lawyers believed could clear his name. Jay From Serial Just Gave His First Interview. At the same time, its still hard not to wonder why someone would choose an acquaintance who owes him no real allegiance to be the accessory and confidante to a murder? 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. One of his classmates, Jay Wilds, claimed that he confessed to the killing. Following a rare 2014 interview with Natasha Other cited factors include the discovery of new suspects and concerns about a detective who worked on Syed's case. "We are devastated by the Court of Appeals decision but we will not give up on Adnan Syed," Brown wrote in a statement. 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.' All Rights Reserved. Wilds declined Koenigs requests to speak on the podcast, though the two did talk and she reported on that conversation. But Syed's murder conviction and sentence were revoked in September 2022, years after the Serial podcast made major waves. As Adnan says: I want to shoot myself, if I hear someone else say, I dont think he did it cause youre a nice guy. Koenig also tore holes in the timeline Wilds offered at trial and finished the podcast on a note of intense skepticism, saying that she would not have voted to convict Syed if she had been on the jury. Jay chose not to talk. 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]. 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. And it's hard to imagine, right now, how anyone could be free of doubt about Jay's testimony," Vox's Ezra Klein wrote in an article headlined "Jay's Interview Shreds the Case Against Adnan Syed.". Syed's lawyer, C. Justin Brown, filed a motion on Aug. 24, 2015, saying that a newly recovered document showed that the cell tower evidence used by prosecutors was misleading and should not have been admitted at trial. WebYou know that feeling of being young and experiencing your first love? He just started opening up. 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 Adnan Syed's prolonged legal battle has become the subject of many documentaries and shows over the years. Syed was granted a new trial more than two years ago, yet he remains in jail. Youre a person who went through a traumatic thingEven just meeting you yesterday for that short time, hearing you talk so forcefully about what you saw, and about Adnans guiltfor both Julie and me, that was powerful and clarifying.. When did you two get closer to each other? Syed's family, that day, fired his defense attorney. We are frustrated that this process has dragged on so long, Brown wrote in an online update. 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. Albert Samaha is a senior culture reporter at BuzzFeed News and author of two books, "Concepcion: Conquest, Colonialism, and an Immigrant Family's Fate" and "Never Ran, Never Will: Boyhood and Football in a Changing American Inner City." 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 also provides a narrative of January 13, 1999 whose details do not match the various timelines he provided to police and in his testimony in the trial that eventually put Syed in prison for life. 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