If you haven’t heard of the podcast Serial yet, you might be living under a rock or lost somewhere in Leakin Park searching through the mysteries of the death of Hae Min Lee.
Wait, I’ll get back to that at a later time, I promise.
Serial, a spinoff of NPR’s “This American Life” and hosted by Sarah Koenig, is a podcast where Koenig delves into the 2000 conviction of Adnan Syed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, week by week. Koenig’s telling of the Baltimore-area crime has reached listeners in a way unprecedented for podcasts, and theories to what truly happened on that afternoon in January 1999 have produced intense online discussion and even spinoff podcasts.
From our online managing editor, Bakr Saliq:
When I started listening to Serial, I was in the “Adnan’s innocent” camp. By the middle of Serial, I was in the “I-don’t-know-what-to-believe” camp. As of this week, I’m pretty sure that maybe I’m certain that Adnan did probably most likely do it. Maybe.
This darned podcast has turned me into a wannabe detective, looking and relooking at all the evidence presented, scouring the Internet for extra sources, theories and opinions, and turning nearly every conversation I have into Serial debates. My conclusion is still I’m pretty sure that maybe Adnan probably most likely could have done it. Maybe.
From our basketball writer, Erica Hernandez:
Having delved into the rabbit hole that is the Internet, I offer you now my top theories. Note that I’m assuming you are caught up on Serial because that’s Koenig’s job, not mine.
Theory 1: We can all agree that Jay knows way too much to not be involved. As we learned in the disappointing “The Deal with Jay” episode, Jay is a hustler. He’s smart — Smart enough to commit a crime and frame someone else. Jay and Jen knew Hae was dead and buried for six weeks before they spoke with police. If they are as innocent as they claim to be, that is a huge red flag. What if Jay was “stepping out” on his beloved girlfriend Stephanie with Jen? What if Adnan was the only person who knew, and he told Stephanie’s friend/his ex-girlfriend Hae? That would give Jay a motive to kill or silence Hae and seek revenge on Adnan by framing him. It makes a whole lot of sense. Almost too much sense.
Theory 2: The lack of physical evidence in the case is what many fans cling to, and it’s a strong defense for Adnan. Besides lacking a motive, Adnan was never physically linked to the crime. The prosecution’s case was based solely on Jay’s ever-changing testimonies, so this becomes messy.
What if a serial killer murdered Hae? Like a man who committed suicide in Baltimore County jail when he was connected via DNA to other rapes and murders of Asian women shortly after Hae’s death. Another alternative redditers cling to is convicted murderer Roy S. Davis, who was convicted for the rape and murder of a girl from Hae’s school in 2004. Both alternate suspects killed their victims by strangulation, like Hae’s murderer. Let that sink in. What if Jay turns out the serial killer, guilty of Hae’s murder and others? We shall see.
From our editor, Kristan Wiggins:
Do I think I know who did it? Nope. Do I believe someone for sure didn’t do it? I don’t know that either. That’s been my feeling from the get-go with this fuel-for-obssesive-tendencies story. From the beginning, others would say I’m pro-Adnan. Sure there are episodes that made me think he’s innocent and then ones that make me think guilty. But the latest episodes have only confirmed my doubts (especially when Koenig got the Best Buy call (confirming she doesn’t have a planned ending for this whole thing) and the Innocence Project’s involvement). So, I’m on the side of “Adnan’s case is on shaky ground, so no one has a valid reason to believe one way or the other (besides to hate Jay.).”
[A version of this story ran on page 10 on 12/4/2014]
