Woodlawn Trial
There is a boy in all of your high school advanced classes. You talk to him regularly, but not quite enough to spend time together outside of school. He is what your parents would call “a good kid”, attentive, friendly, and polite. You know about his friends and his family, his activities and his interests, his grades and his religion. And you know about the end of his previous relationship. But one day, you hear rumors going around that he was convicted of first degree murder of another classmate, his ex-girlfriend, to be exact. This could never happen, right? Well, in Baltimore, Maryland, this was a reality for many students attending Woodlawn High School in 1999. However, his trial did not provide sufficient evidence to incriminate him.
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First, multiple students, including Asia McLean testified to have seen Adnan at the library after school on January 13, 1999. In fact, Asia admitted to having an insignificant conversation with him, probably around 2:30 p.m (The Alibi). If Adnan was spotted at the library during the time the state says Hae was killed, he could not have been Hae’s killer. Also, while looking at the relationship between Hae and Adnan, Hae’s diary describes Adnan as “the sweetest guy” (The Breakup). Likewise, students from Woodlawn High School also vouch for Adnan’s character. Krista testifies, “it’s just, he’s a normal, kind person” (To Be Suspected). Additionally, Adnan’s worrisome call to Detective O’Shea after learning Hae’s body had been found in Leakin Park was also seemingly ignored during the trial (To Be Suspected). Instead of concentrating on those pieces of evidence, the state focused on certain facts that did seem to frame Adnan for this crime. His fingerprints were found on a map in the backseat of Hae’s car. Although this may look incriminating for Adnan, his relationship with Hae should be enough evidence to prove that he had been in her car many, many times before she was murdered. This gives Adnan a reason as to why his fingerprints would be found in Hae’s car. Also, Adnan’s inability to remember details of his day from January 13, 1999, makes jurors see Adnan as guilty of the crime at hand, since he is unable to tell them where he was and what he was doing on that afternoon. However, this piece of evidence can be explained. Can you tell me exactly what you did on March 23, 2017? Chances are you probably can’t. Therefore, in Adnan’s case, since he did not murder Hae, nothing monumental happened throughout that day, causing him to forget many details of his activity that afternoon. In the end, Adnan Syed was wrongly convicted because the
First, multiple students, including Asia McLean testified to have seen Adnan at the library after school on January 13, 1999. In fact, Asia admitted to having an insignificant conversation with him, probably around 2:30 p.m (The Alibi). If Adnan was spotted at the library during the time the state says Hae was killed, he could not have been Hae’s killer. Also, while looking at the relationship between Hae and Adnan, Hae’s diary describes Adnan as “the sweetest guy” (The Breakup). Likewise, students from Woodlawn High School also vouch for Adnan’s character. Krista testifies, “it’s just, he’s a normal, kind person” (To Be Suspected). Additionally, Adnan’s worrisome call to Detective O’Shea after learning Hae’s body had been found in Leakin Park was also seemingly ignored during the trial (To Be Suspected). Instead of concentrating on those pieces of evidence, the state focused on certain facts that did seem to frame Adnan for this crime. His fingerprints were found on a map in the backseat of Hae’s car. Although this may look incriminating for Adnan, his relationship with Hae should be enough evidence to prove that he had been in her car many, many times before she was murdered. This gives Adnan a reason as to why his fingerprints would be found in Hae’s car. Also, Adnan’s inability to remember details of his day from January 13, 1999, makes jurors see Adnan as guilty of the crime at hand, since he is unable to tell them where he was and what he was doing on that afternoon. However, this piece of evidence can be explained. Can you tell me exactly what you did on March 23, 2017? Chances are you probably can’t. Therefore, in Adnan’s case, since he did not murder Hae, nothing monumental happened throughout that day, causing him to forget many details of his activity that afternoon. In the end, Adnan Syed was wrongly convicted because the