Hae Min Lee Research Paper

Wrongful convictions are not very common in the United States, studies estimate that 4%-5% of people convicted in United States prisons are actually innocent. Adnan Syed was wrongfully convicted for the murder of Hae Min Lee. There is tons of evidence to prove why he is innocent and guilty. Ultimately, he was proven innocent after 23 years of false imprisonment. There were many misleading facts/statements and unfair trials due to the defense.

Hae Min Lee, senior at Woodlawn High School, disappeared on January 13,1999. Hae Min Lee’s body was later found in Leakins park. Adnan Syed was later arrested for the murder of his ex-girlfriend. There were many reports of Adnan’s last whereabouts, but somehow they were all connected to Hae Min Lee. Adnan’s

Both Hae Min Lee and Adnan came from very strict families, and many believe the breakup could’ve caused Adnan to murder Hae Min Lee. In episode one of The Serial Podcast it states “He put everything on the line. His family, his relationships at the mosque, to run around with this girl. So that when she broke up with him 8 months later, he was left with nothing and he was outraged. He couldn't take it and he killed her.” Adnan had gone against his religion and dated Hae Min Lee. However, detectives had gone through Hae Min Lee’s diary and noticed that she described them as friends even after the breakup. She still loved him, he wasnt overbearing or controlling. The Prosecution then tried to say that Adnan was a liar, he was in a secret relationship libing a “double life”. There was then a mystery caller, who had told detectives to look into the ex-boyfriend. To find Adnans whereabouts, they tapped into his cell phone records. Why did he call Jay so many times if he claimed to not know him? The cell phone records matched to the Best Buy location. Also Jay had brought up the phone booth at Best Buy, but there is no phone booth. Defense argued that the cell records can’t be used as evidence because they are sometimes inaccurate. The school nurse had thought Adnan was faking his sadness, not being a therapist. Many classmates remember Adnan being sad, not his true self, and distant. In one of Adnan’s trials the Judge disagreed with Adnans attorney. In episode nine of The Serial Podcast it states “I disagree with you council. This wasnt a crime of passion… You planned it. You used that intellect. You used that physical strength, You used that charismatic ability of yours… You used that to manipulate people… as you did to the victim.” Adans poor defense may have led the jury and the judge to believe that Adnan was a murderer. There was barely any evidence but Adnan was still