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  • Essay / Analysis of the serial podcast investigating the Hae Min Lee murder case

    The Hae Min Lee murder case is a very intriguing incident, because it is a story full of many holes and facts that do not match. For both observers and investigators, this is a difficult case to examine because there is evidence that can support many of the claims. The main fact of this case is that on January 13, 1999, 17-year-old Hae Min Lee was killed and buried in a forest called Leakin Park. During the trial, prosecutors focused on Adnan Syed, Hae's ex-boyfriend, and the jury was quick to find him guilty. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essaySerial is a podcast narrated by Sarah Koenig that creates entertainment in the form of investigative journalism. The podcast focused on this particular case in order to uncover the truth behind the events that led to Hae Min Lee's death, but the facts uncovered led to the development of many debates, with one of the main sides believing that Adnan is guilty, and the other party believes he is innocent. Personally, this podcast has caused me to change my mind on the matter several times. Hearing the testimonies of those who knew Adnan in the first episode and the way Koenig presented the evidence throughout the podcast, I was convinced that Adnan was innocent. However, hearing the last episode, where Koenig started to doubt Adnan's innocence, made me change my mind and think that Adnan is guilty. From the first episode, Adnan always insisted that his relationship and eventual breakup with Hae Min Lee was amicable. Other people have also supported this claim. However, Hae's diary tells a different story. Hae's diary entries contained valuable information suggesting that Adnan wasn't taking the breakup very well and that she felt threatened by his behavior, with one entry even stating that Hae had asked teachers to keep her away from Syed. This does not seem to be the usual behavior of someone who has “evolved,” as Adnan would have you believe. There was also a handwritten breakup letter that Hae had sent to Adnan in November 1998, two months before her murder. The contents of the note were rather similar to what most breakup notes would contain, however, the most significant aspect of the letter is what Syed scribbles at the top of the letter, saying "I'm going to kill." This shows that Adnan's level of anger was not normal, even though he said he was done with her. This level of anger is quite strange, even for a teenager, especially one who claims not to be particularly upset about the breakup; the aggressive tone stands in stark contrast to the persona Koenig initially presented in the first episode. The phrase "I'm going to kill" has a strong verbose usage to suggest that the action is going to happen, which makes Hae's case more suspicious since she was murdered two months later. While it may not be biological evidence, the letter Syed receives and Hae's diary notes are pieces of physical evidence that cast suspicion on Syed and his involvement in the murder. The next damning piece of evidence is Jay's testimony. Jay was one of Adnan's best friends and they knew each other very well. During police testimony, when Jay was questioned, he was very reluctant to give any information. Due to his uncooperative behavior, the police had to put a lot of pressure on Jay to testify. And when Jay started, he didn't stop; all of a sudden Jay started broadcastinginformation with great quality detail. The podcast made Jay feel like he was lying because he wasn't initially sure about disclosing information, and then somehow managed to recite an entire story. I also thought Jay was lying and found it ridiculous that the police based the entire case on Jay's testimony. However, if Jay was lying in place, it would be very difficult for him unless he had rehearsed everything beforehand. It's not every day that a teenager is able to come up with such an elaborate and detailed project so easily. The other question that came to mind upon hearing Jay's testimony was motive: why would Jay lie about the murder and "frame" his friend if Syed was truly innocent? Jay's reluctance can initially be attributed to his fear of getting into trouble due to his complicity. When he realized he wouldn't be charged, he was able to tell the truth. What I found most confusing about this case was that Adnan had no memory of the day Hae was found missing. I would have thought that his prior relationship with her would have meant that the details of that day would be clearer to him. However, this was not the case. While I can understand that people forget details without incident, it has been shown that when an important event occurs, people are able to remember it better. What could be more significant than the disappearance of the girl Adnan claimed to have loved? There was no evidence that he even tried to contact her when he found out she was missing. This lack of concern on his part and the convenience of his lack of memory increased the doubts in my mind about his innocence. “Nisha’s call” is a very important factor to consider in this investigation. The "Nisha call" refers to call logs that show someone called a girl named Nisha with Adnan's phone an hour after Hae Min Lee's murder. Although it may be obvious that the caller was Adnan, he claims he had left his phone in Jay's car during this time. The call lasted two minutes and Adnan suggested Jay could have called Nisha. Jay, who did not know Nisha, responded by saying that Adnan had called Nisha while he was in his car. Koenig, the narrator, admits that "Nisha's call is one that has always stuck with me and I think of most people who watched Adnan's case closely, because it comes in the afternoon that Hae disappeared at one point when Adnan said, even insisted that he wasn't with his phone, that Jay had his phone while he was at school. Adnan's explanation on the pocket dial is a possibility but in my opinion it seems more like a ridiculous excuse that Jay would put Adnan's phone in his pocket for some reason. dialed Nisha's phone number himself and tries to find an excuse to hide it Keep in mind: This is just a sample Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. personalized The Serial podcast skillfully presented evidence that either supported or refuted Adnan's claim of innocence. Although there was compelling evidence for both sides, I think the case for Adnan's guilt was stronger and more in line with my own beliefs. This may be in direct opposition to what Koenig, the narrator, wanted listeners to believe, but ultimately it is important to mention that this podcast was intended to entertain the audience and present the information in an unbiased manner to allow listeners to draw their own conclusions. Works Cited Koenig, S..