Innocent Until Proven Guilty Analysis
The American judicial system is one of the most fair and unbiased to this day. Innocent until proven guilty is one of our country’s well known statutes. This is because our judicial system is unlike many European countries. Those countries, like Italy or the United Kingdom, presume that the accused are guilty, and give them the task of proving innocence, rather than maintaining innocence. This idea of presumed innocence in America began while the structure of American government was being built. Our founding fathers saw this idea as very important to our legal system, which it is. They wanted to diverge from the tyrannical form of government that was England at the time; our founders did not want any innocent men in prison for something they did not do. However, this
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happens all the time in our country. An example of this is the case of Adnan Syed. Picture this, January 13, 1999, Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s an ordinary day for every body, except for Adnan’s ex- girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. That was the day she disappeared (Serial, Episode 1). Nobody knows where she went. Weeks later, on February 9, 1999, Hae was found dead by manual strangulation in a nearby park (Serial, Episode 1). Adnan was convicted of killing Hae Lee but he was innocent. Hae Min Lee would go after school every day to pick up her younger cousin from school. Hae Lee was also very popular; she had lots of friends and a healthy social life. Hae had a part time job at LensCrafters. That was where Hae met Don, the boy she started dating after breaking up with Adnan. Now Adnan came from a devout Muslim family. He grew up in the mosque and learned the practices and ideals of an average American Muslim. However, Adnan was secretly dating Hae Lee their senior year (Serial, Episode 1). Adnan only hid their relationship from his family. Later that year, though, Hae broke things off with Adnan. Adnan got over it, and went on with his life. Subsequently, Hae disappeared, only to be found dead weeks later by Mr. S (Serial, Episode 3). Nobody knew what happened, until Jay, the state’s key witness, came out with his testimony. Jay Wilds was Adnan’s friend, but he is not to be trusted. After coming out with his original story, Jay changed it, which is just one reason to prove that Adnan is not guilty. Jay was the State’s key witness against Adnan. First, his changes seem minor, things that could be passed as memory slips. However, as they got further into the investigation, Jay’s lies piled up and became more prominent. For example, Jay changed where he was that day during the murder and also where Adnan showed him Hae’s dead body the first time (Serial, Episode 4). Jay first said he drove into the Best Buy parking lot. He goes on to say, “‘I noticed that Hae wasn't with him. I parked next to him. He asked me to get out the car. I get out the car. He asks me, am I ready for this? And I say, ready for what? And he takes the keys. He opens the trunk. And all I can see is Hae's lips are all blue, and she's pretzeled up in the back of the trunk. And she's dead.’” (Serial, Episode 1) However, further into the investigation, Jay changes that detail. “‘I went to pick him up from off of Edmondson Avenue at a strip and he, uh, popped the trunk open and...’” (Serial, Episode 4). He is then alluding that that was the location in which Adnan first showed him Hae’s body, and later confirms it. However, further into the investigation, Jay changes that detail. Yet the police did not press Jay for the truth every time he changed; they just use the new “details” to their advantage in their case against Adnan. Also, every time Jay would change his story, or lie, it would be to cover himself or to pin more blame onto Adnan. This leads people to believe that Jay had more to do with the murder of Hae Min Lee than he lets on in his testimonies. Maybe he was covering for somebody else; perhaps, instead of just burying Hae, he also helped kill her, or killed her by himself. Adnan had a solid alibi for the time of the murder of Hae Min Lee (Serial, Episode 1). It was just a regular school day for him, except it was his friend, Stephanie’s birthday. After school let out, Adnan went to the library. There, he checked his email and wasted time until 3:30 p.m., which was when he had track practice. However, his track coach did not take attendance so he cannot say with certainty that Adnan was there that day (Serial, Episode 1). Yet there is somebody who knows Adnan is telling the truth about where he was that day. Asia McClain, a schoolmate of Adnan, claims to have seen and chatted with Adnan at the time of Hae Lee’s murder (2:30 to 3:00 p.m.), while she was waiting in the library for her then boyfriend (Serial, Episode 1, Timeline). Asia says that even though she is a witness and supports Adnan’s alibi, she was never contacted by Adnan’s defense. Asia told Adnan this in a couple of letters she sent to him while he was under arrest. However, Adnan’s defense attorney never tried to pursue Asia as a witness proving Adnan’s innocence. This leads them to believe that the defense Adnan had was not satisfactory. Another potential flaw in “proving” Adnan’s guilt in this case concerns the cell phone records. “‘Sure,’” the prosecutor said, ‘you might have your doubts about Jay, but the call record doesn’t lie. Jay couldn’t possibly have known which towers were getting pinged when. He couldn’t fabricate that. It would be too crazy of a coincidence.’” (Serial, Episode 5) The state’s prosecution used these cell records to corroborate Jay’s testimony. They would ask Jay what happened and if there were any calls. He would answer where he was and if there were any calls at that time. It would be correct and coincide with the cell records. The prosecution against Adnan stated that this undeniable evidence that Jay’s testimony was true and that Adnan was guilty. However, people later began to realize that “...cell phone evidence isn’t as reliable as it was once cracked up to be. The Washington Post ran a story in June, for instance, with the headline, ‘Experts Say Law Enforcement’s Use of Cell Phone Records Can Be Inaccurate.’” Federal courts in Oregon and Illinois have ruled cell phone evidence inadmissible.” (Serial, Episode 5) It is unclear as to how these cell records, even though they are unreliable, were the strongest piece of evidence against Adnan. Adnan did not have a reason, or a motive, to kill Hae Lee.
While he may have felt sad that Hae broke up with him, Adnan’s friends say that he did not seem abnormally sad, or depressed (Serial, Episode 1). Adnan coped with the break up like any other high school senior; he moved on. This country was built on protecting the innocent and bringing justice to those who are guilty. Innocent until proven guilty is what they say, but sometimes they do not always enforce it. The flaw in this case, is not in the system, but in the people who oversaw and were involved in this trial. Adnan was never innocent until proven guilty, he was guilty and could never be proven innocent. Evidence for both arguments in this case are not enough to prove Adnan guilty, so that should automatically mean that Adnan maintains his innocence. The state just wanted someone to pin this crime on, even if it was the wrong person. Good job, everybody. Case closed. Except they may have just given an innocent man a life sentence in prison. Adnan was just unlucky enough to be that person (Serial, Episode 12). Adnan never had a chance to be innocent, and that is why he was convicted of killing his ex- girlfriend and friend, Hae Min
Lee.
happens all the time in our country. An example of this is the case of Adnan Syed. Picture this, January 13, 1999, Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland. It’s an ordinary day for every body, except for Adnan’s ex- girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. That was the day she disappeared (Serial, Episode 1). Nobody knows where she went. Weeks later, on February 9, 1999, Hae was found dead by manual strangulation in a nearby park (Serial, Episode 1). Adnan was convicted of killing Hae Lee but he was innocent. Hae Min Lee would go after school every day to pick up her younger cousin from school. Hae Lee was also very popular; she had lots of friends and a healthy social life. Hae had a part time job at LensCrafters. That was where Hae met Don, the boy she started dating after breaking up with Adnan. Now Adnan came from a devout Muslim family. He grew up in the mosque and learned the practices and ideals of an average American Muslim. However, Adnan was secretly dating Hae Lee their senior year (Serial, Episode 1). Adnan only hid their relationship from his family. Later that year, though, Hae broke things off with Adnan. Adnan got over it, and went on with his life. Subsequently, Hae disappeared, only to be found dead weeks later by Mr. S (Serial, Episode 3). Nobody knew what happened, until Jay, the state’s key witness, came out with his testimony. Jay Wilds was Adnan’s friend, but he is not to be trusted. After coming out with his original story, Jay changed it, which is just one reason to prove that Adnan is not guilty. Jay was the State’s key witness against Adnan. First, his changes seem minor, things that could be passed as memory slips. However, as they got further into the investigation, Jay’s lies piled up and became more prominent. For example, Jay changed where he was that day during the murder and also where Adnan showed him Hae’s dead body the first time (Serial, Episode 4). Jay first said he drove into the Best Buy parking lot. He goes on to say, “‘I noticed that Hae wasn't with him. I parked next to him. He asked me to get out the car. I get out the car. He asks me, am I ready for this? And I say, ready for what? And he takes the keys. He opens the trunk. And all I can see is Hae's lips are all blue, and she's pretzeled up in the back of the trunk. And she's dead.’” (Serial, Episode 1) However, further into the investigation, Jay changes that detail. “‘I went to pick him up from off of Edmondson Avenue at a strip and he, uh, popped the trunk open and...’” (Serial, Episode 4). He is then alluding that that was the location in which Adnan first showed him Hae’s body, and later confirms it. However, further into the investigation, Jay changes that detail. Yet the police did not press Jay for the truth every time he changed; they just use the new “details” to their advantage in their case against Adnan. Also, every time Jay would change his story, or lie, it would be to cover himself or to pin more blame onto Adnan. This leads people to believe that Jay had more to do with the murder of Hae Min Lee than he lets on in his testimonies. Maybe he was covering for somebody else; perhaps, instead of just burying Hae, he also helped kill her, or killed her by himself. Adnan had a solid alibi for the time of the murder of Hae Min Lee (Serial, Episode 1). It was just a regular school day for him, except it was his friend, Stephanie’s birthday. After school let out, Adnan went to the library. There, he checked his email and wasted time until 3:30 p.m., which was when he had track practice. However, his track coach did not take attendance so he cannot say with certainty that Adnan was there that day (Serial, Episode 1). Yet there is somebody who knows Adnan is telling the truth about where he was that day. Asia McClain, a schoolmate of Adnan, claims to have seen and chatted with Adnan at the time of Hae Lee’s murder (2:30 to 3:00 p.m.), while she was waiting in the library for her then boyfriend (Serial, Episode 1, Timeline). Asia says that even though she is a witness and supports Adnan’s alibi, she was never contacted by Adnan’s defense. Asia told Adnan this in a couple of letters she sent to him while he was under arrest. However, Adnan’s defense attorney never tried to pursue Asia as a witness proving Adnan’s innocence. This leads them to believe that the defense Adnan had was not satisfactory. Another potential flaw in “proving” Adnan’s guilt in this case concerns the cell phone records. “‘Sure,’” the prosecutor said, ‘you might have your doubts about Jay, but the call record doesn’t lie. Jay couldn’t possibly have known which towers were getting pinged when. He couldn’t fabricate that. It would be too crazy of a coincidence.’” (Serial, Episode 5) The state’s prosecution used these cell records to corroborate Jay’s testimony. They would ask Jay what happened and if there were any calls. He would answer where he was and if there were any calls at that time. It would be correct and coincide with the cell records. The prosecution against Adnan stated that this undeniable evidence that Jay’s testimony was true and that Adnan was guilty. However, people later began to realize that “...cell phone evidence isn’t as reliable as it was once cracked up to be. The Washington Post ran a story in June, for instance, with the headline, ‘Experts Say Law Enforcement’s Use of Cell Phone Records Can Be Inaccurate.’” Federal courts in Oregon and Illinois have ruled cell phone evidence inadmissible.” (Serial, Episode 5) It is unclear as to how these cell records, even though they are unreliable, were the strongest piece of evidence against Adnan. Adnan did not have a reason, or a motive, to kill Hae Lee.
While he may have felt sad that Hae broke up with him, Adnan’s friends say that he did not seem abnormally sad, or depressed (Serial, Episode 1). Adnan coped with the break up like any other high school senior; he moved on. This country was built on protecting the innocent and bringing justice to those who are guilty. Innocent until proven guilty is what they say, but sometimes they do not always enforce it. The flaw in this case, is not in the system, but in the people who oversaw and were involved in this trial. Adnan was never innocent until proven guilty, he was guilty and could never be proven innocent. Evidence for both arguments in this case are not enough to prove Adnan guilty, so that should automatically mean that Adnan maintains his innocence. The state just wanted someone to pin this crime on, even if it was the wrong person. Good job, everybody. Case closed. Except they may have just given an innocent man a life sentence in prison. Adnan was just unlucky enough to be that person (Serial, Episode 12). Adnan never had a chance to be innocent, and that is why he was convicted of killing his ex- girlfriend and friend, Hae Min
Lee.