Opening Statement For The Trial Of Adnan Syed

Opening Statement: The Defense Your Honor, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, opposing counsel, my name is Ana Delgado, representing the defendant, Adnan Syed, in this case. Adnan Syed is currently erroneously being accused of the killing of Hae Min Lee, his ex-girlfriend, who was an 18-year-old student at Woodlawn High school. After school, she was strangled to death in a public parking lot, which my client, Adnan, claims not to have been present at the time she was murdered. The prosecution has provided no physical evidence against my client and the evidence they have provided from a witness is unreliable and inconsistently erratic. Today, I will be providing why this is the case and why the State’s evidence doesn't prove Adnan Syed guilty

She was a Korean-American student who attended Woodlawn High school. Four weeks after she had been reported missing, Hae Min Lee’s body was found in Leakin Park. Jay Wilder, the witness, later came forward to reveal what had happened to Hae, and who had allegedly committed the murder, which led to the conviction of Adnan, the victim's ex-boyfriend. Jay informed the police that Adnan allegedly told him that he was planning on killing Hae due to the fact Hae had ended their relationship 6 weeks before committing this murder, but my client never in any way shape, or form had the intention to kill her due to this fact as he has taken this break up as any other. Jay alleged that Adnan summoned him to the Best Buy parking lot, the scene of the murder, which was allegedly when Adnan showed him Hae’s body in the trunk of a car. Jay also mentions his involvement in the crime, claiming that after witnessing the crime, he got rid of his clothing and other items used, but if he truly didn't have anything to do with this murder, why would he have needed to do all of these

This includes two crucial details that, in the opinion of many, are difficult to mix up: whether or not Jay actually assisted in burying Hae's body, and where Adnan allegedly showed him Hae's body. In the first recorded interview with Jay, he stated that he was unwilling to assist Adnan in burying Hae's body and that Adnan had allegedly shown him the victim's body on Edmondson Avenue at 3:25 PM. On the contrary, Jay claims in his second recorded interview that he assisted in burying Hae's body and that Adnan allegedly showed him the body in a Best Buy parking lot. The mixing of these two details opposes the suspension of whether or not what he is testifying is accurate. Since seeing a body would be traumatic and not a simple memory you could easily mix up, explain to me how Jay would forget any of these details. Why would you believe anything Jay is claiming to have seen if he can so readily misremember crucial details like seeing a body? Having established these facts, I believe you should not trust Jay's testimony and instead gather additional physical evidence to determine who actually committed this crime. Jay’s inconsistencies may be causing Adnan to be accused of something he hasn't