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Serial S01 - Ep. 1: The Alibi — Transcript

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  1. 0:00[Music]
  2. 0:02this is a global tail link prepaid call
  3. 0:06[Music]
  4. 0:08from an inmate at a Maryland
  5. 0:11Correctional Facility it's from This
  6. 0:14American Life in wbe Chicago it's serial
  7. 0:17one story told week by week I'm Sarah
  8. 0:20[Music]
  9. 0:25kanig for the last year I've spent every
  10. 0:28working day trying to figure out where a
  11. 0:30high school kid was for an hour after
  12. 0:32school one day in 1999 or if you want to
  13. 0:35get technical about it and apparently I
  14. 0:36do where a high school kid was for 21
  15. 0:39minutes after school one day in
  16. 0:411999 this search sometimes feels
  17. 0:44undignified on my part I've had to ask
  18. 0:46about teenagers sex lives where how
  19. 0:48often with whom about notes they passed
  20. 0:51in class about their drug habits their
  21. 0:52relationships with their parents and I
  22. 0:54am not a detective or a private
  23. 0:56investigator not even a crime reporter
  24. 0:59but yes every every day this year I've
  25. 1:00tried to figure out The Alibi of a
  26. 1:0217-year-old boy before I get into why
  27. 1:05I've been doing this I just want to
  28. 1:06point out something I'd never really
  29. 1:08thought about before I started working
  30. 1:09on this story and that is it's really
  31. 1:12hard to account for your time in a
  32. 1:13detailed way I mean how'd you get to
  33. 1:15work last Wednesday for instance Drive
  34. 1:18walk bike was it raining are you sure
  35. 1:22did you go to any stores that day if so
  36. 1:24what did you buy who did you talk to the
  37. 1:26entire day name every person you talk to
  38. 1:30it's hard now imagine you have to
  39. 1:32account for a day that happened 6 weeks
  40. 1:34back cuz that's a situation in the story
  41. 1:36I'm working on in which a bunch of
  42. 1:38teenagers had to recall a day 6 weeks
  43. 1:40earlier and it was 1999 so they had to
  44. 1:42do it without the benefit of texts or
  45. 1:44Facebook or Instagram just for a lark I
  46. 1:47asked some teenagers to try it do you
  47. 1:48remember what you did on that Friday
  48. 1:51no not not at all I can't remember
  49. 1:55anything Wait nothing no I can't
  50. 1:58remember anything that far back
  51. 2:01I'm pretty I'm pretty I'm pretty sure I
  52. 2:02was in school I think no that's Tyler
  53. 2:06he's 18 I asked my nephew Sam he's 18
  54. 2:10too not clue uh in school probably I
  55. 2:13would be in school
  56. 2:16um actually I think I worked that day no
  57. 2:19yeah I worked that day and I went to
  58. 2:21school I was about it actually on second
  59. 2:24thought I don't think I went to school
  60. 2:25that day you don't think you went yeah
  61. 2:28no I didn't I definitely didn't here's
  62. 2:30Sam's friend Elliot he seemed to have
  63. 2:32better recall actually I may have gone
  64. 2:34to the movies that night later do you
  65. 2:37remember what you saw I'm thinking I'm
  66. 2:39sorry yeah I think I saw 22 jum Street
  67. 2:41okay and what did you go with friends
  68. 2:44yes I went with Sam and kid Sean Carter
  69. 2:49a bunch of people wait you Sam my my
  70. 2:52nephew Sam yeah yeah oh okay so Sam says
  71. 2:56he was at work oh then it wasn't that
  72. 2:58night then
  73. 3:01one kid did actually remember pretty
  74. 3:03well because it was the last day of
  75. 3:04State Testing at his school and he'd
  76. 3:06saved up to go to a nightclub that's the
  77. 3:09main thing I learned from this exercise
  78. 3:11which was no big shocker I guess is that
  79. 3:13if some significant event happened that
  80. 3:15day you remember that plus you remember
  81. 3:17the entire day much better if nothing
  82. 3:20significant happened then the answers
  83. 3:22get very general I most likely did this
  84. 3:24or I most likely did that these are
  85. 3:26words I've heard a lot
  86. 3:28lately here's here the case I've been
  87. 3:30working on almost 15 years ago on
  88. 3:33January 13th 1999 a girl named hymon Lee
  89. 3:37disappeared she was a senior at Woodland
  90. 3:39High School in Baltimore County in
  91. 3:40Maryland she was Korean she was smart
  92. 3:43and beautiful and cheerful and a great
  93. 3:44athlete she played field hockey in
  94. 3:46Lacrosse and she was responsible right
  95. 3:49after school she was supposed to pick up
  96. 3:51her little cousin from kindergarten and
  97. 3:53drop her home but she didn't show that's
  98. 3:56when Haley's family knew something was
  99. 3:57up when the cousin school called
  100. 4:00about a month later on February 9th
  101. 4:02Hay's body was found in a big Park in
  102. 4:04Baltimore really a rambling Forest a
  103. 4:07maintenance guy who said he'd stopped to
  104. 4:09take a leak on his way to work
  105. 4:10discovered her there he'd notice a bit
  106. 4:12of her black hair poking out of a
  107. 4:13shallow
  108. 4:15grave the cause of death was manual
  109. 4:17strangulation meaning someone did it
  110. 4:19with their
  111. 4:20hands a couple weeks after that so 6
  112. 4:23weeks after she first went missing Hay's
  113. 4:25ex-boyfriend a guy named Adnan Sayed was
  114. 4:28arrested for her murder
  115. 4:30he's been in prison ever
  116. 4:37since I first heard about this story
  117. 4:39more than a year ago when I got an email
  118. 4:40from a woman named Robia chowri Robia
  119. 4:43knows Adnan pretty well her younger
  120. 4:45brother sad is adan's best friend and
  121. 4:48they believe he's innocent Robbie was
  122. 4:50writing to me because way back when I
  123. 4:52used to be a reporter for the Baltimore
  124. 4:53son and she'd come across some stories
  125. 4:55I'd written about a well-known defense
  126. 4:57attorney in Baltimore who'd been
  127. 4:59disbarred for mishandling client money
  128. 5:02that attorney was the same person who
  129. 5:04defended Adan her last major trial in
  130. 5:06fact Robia told me she thought the
  131. 5:09attorney botched the case not just
  132. 5:11botched it actually but threw the case
  133. 5:12on purpose so she could get more money
  134. 5:14for the appeal the lawyer had died a few
  135. 5:16years later she'd been sick Robbie asked
  136. 5:19if I would please just take a look at
  137. 5:21adan's case I don't get emails like this
  138. 5:24every day so I thought sure why not I
  139. 5:26read a few newspaper clips about the
  140. 5:27case looked up a few trial records and
  141. 5:29on paper the case was like a
  142. 5:31Shakespearean mashup young lovers from
  143. 5:34different worlds thwarting their
  144. 5:35families secret assignations jealousy
  145. 5:38suspicion and honor B smirched the
  146. 5:40villain not a Moore exactly but a Muslim
  147. 5:42all the same and a final Act of
  148. 5:45murderous revenge in the main stage a
  149. 5:47regular old high school across the
  150. 5:49street from a
  151. 5:517-Eleven hi are you Robia hi am I saying
  152. 5:54your name correctly Robia okay I went to
  153. 5:57go see Robia she was surrounded by paper
  154. 6:00files loose Stacks binders some crappy
  155. 6:02looking boxes all court documents and
  156. 6:04attorney's files from adan's case some
  157. 6:07of the papers were warped and discolored
  158. 6:09why do they look wet they look wet these
  159. 6:11have been yeah these have been damaged
  160. 6:12because these she explained that it was
  161. 6:13because the boxes had been in her car on
  162. 6:15and off for 15 years Robbie is a lawyer
  163. 6:19herself she mostly does immigration
  164. 6:20stuff her office takes up the corner of
  165. 6:22a much larger open space that I think is
  166. 6:25a Pakistani travel agency though it's
  167. 6:27hard to tell it's in this little strip
  168. 6:29mall across a parking lot there's a new
  169. 6:31Pakistani restaurant an African
  170. 6:33Evangelical Church an Indian clothing
  171. 6:35shop a convenience store on the sidewalk
  172. 6:37outside I found a teeny weeny bag of
  173. 6:39marijuana Baltimore county is like this
  174. 6:42at least on the west side it's where a
  175. 6:43lot of middle class and workingclass
  176. 6:45people go many immigrants included to
  177. 6:47get their kids out of the badass City
  178. 6:49though the badass city is close by
  179. 6:51Robbie is 40 she's short and she's got a
  180. 6:53beautiful round face framed by hijab
  181. 6:56she's adorable looking but you
  182. 6:57definitely shouldn't mess with her she's
  183. 6:59very very smart and very tough and she
  184. 7:01could crush you her brother sad was at
  185. 7:03Robbie's office too the first time I
  186. 7:05went He's 33 mortgage broker more
  187. 7:07laidback than Ria they told me about
  188. 7:10Adnan Sayed their friend not just a good
  189. 7:13kid but an especially good kid smart
  190. 7:16kind goofy handsome so that when he's
  191. 7:18arrested for murder so many people who
  192. 7:21knew him were stunned he was like The
  193. 7:23community's Golden Child oh really talk
  194. 7:25more about that um he was an honor rooll
  195. 7:27student volunteer EMT he was like on the
  196. 7:30football team he was a star star uh
  197. 7:34runner on the track team he was uh the
  198. 7:37homecoming King he led prayers at the
  199. 7:40mosque uh so he was yeah he everybody
  200. 7:44knew Adan to be you know somebody who's
  201. 7:47going to do something really big I later
  202. 7:48fact checked all these accolades of
  203. 7:50course and learned that Robia was mostly
  204. 7:52right though she sometimes gets a little
  205. 7:53Loosey Goosey with the details Adnan was
  206. 7:56an EMT but he didn't volunteer he was
  207. 7:58paid for it he was on the track team but
  208. 8:00he wasn't a star he did play football
  209. 8:02and he did lead prayers on occasion he
  210. 8:05wasn't homecoming King but he was Prince
  211. 8:07of his Junior Prom and this at a high
  212. 8:09school that was majority black they
  213. 8:10picked the Pakistani Muslim kid so you
  214. 8:12get the picture he was incredibly
  215. 8:14likable and well-liked
  216. 8:16kid this conversation with Rabia and sad
  217. 8:19this is what launched me on this
  218. 8:21year-long obsession is maybe too strong
  219. 8:24a word let's say fascination with this
  220. 8:26case by the end of this hour you're
  221. 8:28going to hear different people different
  222. 8:29versions of what happened the day Haley
  223. 8:31was killed but let's start with the most
  224. 8:33important version of the story The One
  225. 8:35Robia told me first and that's the one
  226. 8:37that was presented at
  227. 8:38trial the state's case against Adan went
  228. 8:41like this he and hay had been going out
  229. 8:43since junior prom but Adan wasn't
  230. 8:45supposed to be dating at all Anan was
  231. 8:48born in the US but his parents are from
  232. 8:49Pakistan and they're conservative
  233. 8:51Muslims no drinking no smoking no girls
  234. 8:53all that sad and Robbie's parents are
  235. 8:56the same way their families are friends
  236. 8:58but even though Adnan and and sad and
  237. 8:59their buddies were Muslims they were
  238. 9:01also shall we say healthy American
  239. 9:03teenagers who were going to do what
  240. 9:04teenagers do so long as they didn't get
  241. 9:06caught so Adnan had to keep his
  242. 9:08relationship with hay secret the state
  243. 9:11used this against him in two ways first
  244. 9:14they argued he'd put everything on the
  245. 9:16line his family his relationships at the
  246. 9:18mosque to run around with this girl so
  247. 9:21that when she broke up with him 8 months
  248. 9:22later he was left with nothing and he
  249. 9:24was outraged he couldn't take it and he
  250. 9:26killed her and the second way they used
  251. 9:28it is they said look at what a liar he
  252. 9:30is how duplicitous he plays the good
  253. 9:32Muslim son at home and at the mosque but
  254. 9:34look what he was up to sad remembers the
  255. 9:37prosecutor's closing argument at trial
  256. 9:39his family didn't know that he actually
  257. 9:40drank he smoked he was having sex this
  258. 9:44was proof of bad character someone who
  259. 9:46could be a murderer but sad says if it
  260. 9:49n's guilty of anything it's of being a
  261. 9:50normal kid with immigrant parents so
  262. 9:53like the
  263. 9:54prosecution had painted aan as a totally
  264. 9:57like a bipolar or like a maniacal dual
  265. 10:01personality we all grew up with that
  266. 10:02dual personality it was forced I mean
  267. 10:04I'm the same way I was like they could
  268. 10:06paint the same thing because I was
  269. 10:08actually homecoming King which I don't
  270. 10:09know if my sister even knows she did not
  271. 10:12know so I mean I was dating a girl that
  272. 10:15was and why is homecoming King bad is
  273. 10:17that like a good thing we don't go to
  274. 10:19homecoming because it's a dance it's a
  275. 10:22dance it's a mixed gender so so I was in
  276. 10:24the same boat my parents my sister they
  277. 10:28didn't know about this at all I mean and
  278. 10:31right now 10 years more than 10 years
  279. 10:33later she's finding out you know I know
  280. 10:35I mean you know I'll admit you know on
  281. 10:38one side like my family thinks I'm a
  282. 10:39virgin but on the other hand I play you
  283. 10:41know but it's
  284. 10:43the see that like that right there I
  285. 10:46mean it's kind of making her feel
  286. 10:47uncomfortable you know she's like whoa
  287. 10:48whoa whoa so just on motive alone sad
  288. 10:51and Robbie have found the whole thing
  289. 10:53ridiculous as for physical evidence
  290. 10:55there was none nothing apart from some
  291. 10:58fingerprints in ha's car which Adan had
  292. 11:00been in many times there was nothing
  293. 11:02linking him to the crime no DNA no
  294. 11:04fibers no hairs no matching soil from
  295. 11:06the bottom of his boots instead what
  296. 11:09they had on Adan was one guy's story a
  297. 11:11guy named Jay he's the third person you
  298. 11:14need to remember in this crime story
  299. 11:15besides hey and Adnan Jay was a friend
  300. 11:18of Adnan they'd been in school together
  301. 11:20since middle school they weren't super
  302. 11:21close but they had mutual friends Jay
  303. 11:24sold weed and he had a nonm smoke
  304. 11:26together the story Jay told police had
  305. 11:28problems
  306. 11:29because it kept changing from telling to
  307. 11:31telling but they were able to bolster
  308. 11:34the main plot points using cell records
  309. 11:36from adnan's
  310. 11:37phone by the time I left Robbie's office
  311. 11:39that first day I understood only one
  312. 11:41thing clearly though maybe not the thing
  313. 11:43Robbie andad wanted me to understand but
  314. 11:46what I took away from the visit was
  315. 11:48somebody is lying here maybe Adnan
  316. 11:50really is Innocent but what if he isn't
  317. 11:53what if he did do it and he's got all
  318. 11:54these good people thinking he didn't so
  319. 11:57either it's Jay or it's Anan but someone
  320. 12:00is lying and I really wanted to figure
  321. 12:02out
  322. 12:02[Music]
  323. 12:10who in the early morning of February
  324. 12:1328th 1999 Adnan was arrested by
  325. 12:15Baltimore City detectives he was asleep
  326. 12:18in his bed when they showed up at his
  327. 12:19house they took him straight from his
  328. 12:21untidy bedroom to an interrogation room
  329. 12:23at homicide
  330. 12:24downtown what Adan didn't know is that
  331. 12:26just hours before they picked him up the
  332. 12:28cop had interviewed his friend Jay this
  333. 12:31is a taped interview of Jay black male
  334. 12:3419 years of age where at the offices of
  335. 12:37homicide specifically the Colonel's
  336. 12:39conference room the police recorded two
  337. 12:42taped interviews with Jay and I'm going
  338. 12:43to play you the second one from a couple
  339. 12:45weeks later only because the sound
  340. 12:46quality is much better just a warning
  341. 12:49that the tape is a little upsetting to
  342. 12:50hear in
  343. 12:51Parts why don't you go ahead and tell
  344. 12:54us what you know about the death of Hale
  345. 12:58okay
  346. 13:00um had uh left out went shopping with a
  347. 13:05friend of mine an ex-friend of mine ad
  348. 13:09on we had had a conversation um during
  349. 13:13the conversation he stated um that he
  350. 13:17was going to kill that [ __ ] referring
  351. 13:18to
  352. 13:19Haley
  353. 13:21uh I didn't
  354. 13:23I took it with context it didn't stand
  355. 13:26out my head any uh Jay says didn't take
  356. 13:29it too seriously the cops have him start
  357. 13:32again from the top on the morning of the
  358. 13:3413th Jay says Adan had left school and
  359. 13:36driven to Jay's house Jay had graduated
  360. 13:39from school the year before and was
  361. 13:40working but not on that day January 13th
  362. 13:43happens to be the birthday of Jay's
  363. 13:45girlfriend Stephanie and Jay who didn't
  364. 13:47have his own car needed to go buy
  365. 13:49something for her so Adan comes over
  366. 13:51according to Jay they go shopping at the
  367. 13:53mall what did you do that um he left the
  368. 13:57mall I took him to school I dropped him
  369. 14:00off in the back of the
  370. 14:02school he went up to class he left his
  371. 14:04cell phone and car with me told me he'd
  372. 14:06call me um I went back to my friend
  373. 14:10Jen's house and waited for him to call
  374. 14:12okay now at this point you know why he's
  375. 14:15leaving the car with you yes and why is
  376. 14:18that cuz he said he was going to kill
  377. 14:20Haye and the reason you have the car and
  378. 14:23the cell phone was why to pick him up
  379. 14:26from wherever he was going to do this
  380. 14:28there
  381. 14:29okay and you had talked about this while
  382. 14:33you were
  383. 14:34shopping that day the details of uh the
  384. 14:38car and all the events how they were
  385. 14:40going to plan out he he did the that day
  386. 14:43he told me yes he told me um I'm going
  387. 14:45to leave you with my cell phone and my
  388. 14:47car I need you to come get me yes after
  389. 14:51after he killed hey yes okay later that
  390. 14:53afternoon the Call Comes you receive a
  391. 14:56phone call from Adon yes on his cell
  392. 14:58phone yes which is in your possession
  393. 15:00yes and the conversation was
  394. 15:04what um that [ __ ] is dead come and get
  395. 15:08me I'm at Best Buy Jay drives to Best
  396. 15:11Buy and sees a Naan in the parking lot I
  397. 15:14notic he wasn't with him um I park next
  398. 15:16to him he asked me to get out the car I
  399. 15:18get out the car he asked me am I ready
  400. 15:20for this um and I say ready for what and
  401. 15:25he uh takes the keys he opens the trunk
  402. 15:27and all I can see is uh like his lips
  403. 15:32are all blue and she's like pretzel up
  404. 15:34in the back of the trunk and she's dead
  405. 15:36they leave the parking lot adnan's
  406. 15:38driving Hayes car with her body in the
  407. 15:40trunk Jay is driving adnan's car they
  408. 15:42ditch Hayes car at the I70 parking ride
  409. 15:45and then to hear Jay tell it they just
  410. 15:46kind of tool around Baltimore County
  411. 15:48together for a while as if nothing had
  412. 15:49happened buy some weed cruise around
  413. 15:52make some calls after a while Jay drives
  414. 15:54Adan back to woodlon high school why did
  415. 15:57you take him back to school he told me
  416. 15:59that I had to take him back to school
  417. 16:00because he needed to be seen there so he
  418. 16:05was he going to a certain event I it's
  419. 16:06practice track practice track practice
  420. 16:08yeah so he wanted an Albi yeah he wanted
  421. 16:11to be seen by the people at track yeah
  422. 16:14and you guys had discuss that he just
  423. 16:17told me that he need to be seen yeah he
  424. 16:19told me that he needed to be seen at
  425. 16:21track practice he took him back yes are
  426. 16:24you having any conversation with Adnan
  427. 16:27at time um
  428. 16:30to the effect yes don't tell
  429. 16:32anyone um he said that he couldn't
  430. 16:35believe he killed somebody with his bare
  431. 16:36hands that all the other mother
  432. 16:38[ __ ] referring to like hoods
  433. 16:40and Thugs and stuff think they're
  434. 16:41hardcore but he just killed a person
  435. 16:43with his bare hands so at this point
  436. 16:45he's bragging about it
  437. 16:49basically he was proud of
  438. 16:52it
  439. 16:54yes after track practice Jay picks a na
  440. 16:57up again they drive around more by this
  441. 17:00time ha's family was worried and they'
  442. 17:02called the police who in turn called a
  443. 17:04couple of ha's friends including Adan
  444. 17:07the call comes in on his cell the cops
  445. 17:08ask if he's seen hay or knows where she
  446. 17:10is Jay says after the call they drive to
  447. 17:13Jay's to get some shovels go retrieve
  448. 17:15ha's car from the parking ride they
  449. 17:17drive around some more and finally end
  450. 17:19up at lean Park where Adan proceeds to
  451. 17:22bury hay it's evening by now maybe 7 or
  452. 17:258 p.m. and uh he asked me if I was going
  453. 17:30to help and I told him [ __ ] no and he
  454. 17:32starts just shoveling dirt on top of
  455. 17:35him I believe leave there
  456. 17:39um
  457. 17:41uh let me stop a minute
  458. 17:44yes you helped him dig the hole
  459. 17:48yes how long did it take you both uhuh
  460. 17:52to dig the
  461. 17:53hole 20 25 minutes how deep did you make
  462. 17:56the hole oh maybe
  463. 18:006 in at the
  464. 18:01most it wasn't very deep at all who did
  465. 18:04most of the digging
  466. 18:07uh it
  467. 18:09was both of you yeah equal work I
  468. 18:13wouldn't say that but yeah okay so those
  469. 18:16are the key points Adan told Jay in
  470. 18:18advance he was going to do it he did it
  471. 18:20they buried her Jay's story wasn't just
  472. 18:23the foundation of the state's case
  473. 18:25against Adan it was the state's case
  474. 18:27against Adan and the picture Jay Drew
  475. 18:30it's cold I mean he's not describing a
  476. 18:32crime of passion here this is something
  477. 18:34much darker to methodically map out the
  478. 18:36death of your friend to strangle her
  479. 18:38with your own hands so close up like
  480. 18:40that that would mean a nan wasn't just a
  481. 18:43killer but a master liar and manipulator
  482. 18:45a psychopath
  483. 18:49[Music]
  484. 18:53probably adan's in a Maximum Security
  485. 18:56Prison in Western Maryland he calls me
  486. 18:58at my Quest about twice a week he talks
  487. 19:00to me from a Bank Of Eight payones in
  488. 19:02the wreck Hall a pretty large room where
  489. 19:04other guys are sitting at tables with
  490. 19:05metal seats attached to them playing
  491. 19:07chess or cards or using the microwave or
  492. 19:09watching TV and get a little loud
  493. 19:11sometimes once I asked if all eight
  494. 19:13phones were always occupied and he said
  495. 19:14usually not because guys who've been in
  496. 19:16for a long time often they have no one
  497. 19:18to call when I first met Adan in person
  498. 19:21I was struck by two things he was way
  499. 19:23bigger than I expected Barrel chested
  500. 19:25and tall in the photos I'd seen he was
  501. 19:27still a lanky teenager with struggling
  502. 19:29facial hair and sagging Jeans by now he
  503. 19:31was 32 he'd spent nearly half his life
  504. 19:34in prison becoming larger and properly
  505. 19:36bearded and the second thing which you
  506. 19:38can't miss about Adnan is that he has
  507. 19:40giant brown eyes like a dairy cow that's
  508. 19:43what prompts my most idiotic lines of
  509. 19:45inquiry could someone who looks like
  510. 19:47that really strangle his girlfriend
  511. 19:49idiotic I
  512. 19:50know when he first heard Jay's story of
  513. 19:53the crime Adnan didn't say well it
  514. 19:55didn't happen like that or I didn't mean
  515. 19:57for it to happen like that he said it
  516. 19:59didn't happen none of this is true at
  517. 20:02all he says he had nothing to do with
  518. 20:04Hayes murder and he doesn't know who
  519. 20:06did hey was a Nan's first serious
  520. 20:08relationship with a girl he says he
  521. 20:10loved her in the way of high school love
  522. 20:11but then also in the way of high school
  523. 20:13got over her so that when they broke up
  524. 20:15for good sometime before Christmas break
  525. 20:17of senior year he says he was sad for
  526. 20:19sure but not obsessed or anything I just
  527. 20:22sometimes wish like they could like look
  528. 20:23into my brain and see how I really felt
  529. 20:26about her and no matter what else
  530. 20:27someone would say they would see man
  531. 20:29this guy had no had no ill will towards
  532. 20:32it whatever the motivation is to kill
  533. 20:33someone I had absolutely it didn't exist
  534. 20:35in me you know what I mean no one can
  535. 20:38ever say why people can say why oh man
  536. 20:41he was mad this that or the other but no
  537. 20:42one can ever come with any type of proof
  538. 20:44or anecdote or anything to ever say that
  539. 20:48I was ever mad at her that I was ever
  540. 20:51angry with her that I ever threatened
  541. 20:53her you know that's the only thing I can
  542. 20:54really hold on to that is like my only
  543. 20:56firm handhold in this whole thing is
  544. 20:58that no one's ever been able to prove it
  545. 20:59no one ever's been able to provide any
  546. 21:01Shredder evidence that it had it had
  547. 21:03anything but friendship towards her like
  548. 21:05love and respect for her that's at the
  549. 21:07end of the day man the only thing I can
  550. 21:09ever say is man I had no reason to kill
  551. 21:11it he's adamant about this you can hear
  552. 21:13it right he's staunch the problem is
  553. 21:16when you ask Adan to go back and tell
  554. 21:18his version of what happened that day to
  555. 21:19refute Jay's story everything becomes a
  556. 21:23lot mushier yes he hung out with Jay on
  557. 21:25the 13th both during and after school
  558. 21:28but he doesn't remember exactly where
  559. 21:29they went or what they did or what time
  560. 21:31it was here's what he's got January 13th
  561. 21:35unfolded like any other day a normal
  562. 21:37mostly uneventful day he says there are
  563. 21:40a couple of things that do stand out
  564. 21:41though that day was Stephanie's birthday
  565. 21:44Stephanie was one of adan's best friends
  566. 21:46and also Jay's girlfriend Adan had
  567. 21:49gotten Stephanie a birthday present
  568. 21:51stuffed reindeer which he'd given to her
  569. 21:52in second period Miss Efron's English
  570. 21:54class and um uh one of uh it occurred to
  571. 21:59me that day that I was going to ask her
  572. 22:01boyfriend Jay did he get her a gift so
  573. 22:04sometime during the day uh before noon
  574. 22:08um wait and then just hold up for a
  575. 22:10second why sure why did you care whether
  576. 22:13Jay got Stephanie a a present like
  577. 22:15what's it to you well uh Stephanie was a
  578. 22:18very close friend of mine as I mentioned
  579. 22:20and it was just uh I just kind of wanted
  580. 22:23to make sure that she also got a gift
  581. 22:26from him you know she had mentioned to
  582. 22:27me that um she was looking forward to
  583. 22:29getting a gift from him she mentioned
  584. 22:31she was really happy to get the gift
  585. 22:33that I gave her so it just as I would
  586. 22:35with any friend I just kind of uh we
  587. 22:39know went to check on that I kind of had
  588. 22:40a feeling that maybe he didn't get her a
  589. 22:42gift and I had free periods during
  590. 22:45school so it wasn't like you know it it
  591. 22:47was not abnormal for me to leave school
  592. 22:49to go do something and then come
  593. 22:52back so I went to his house and I and I
  594. 22:56asked him you know did you happen to get
  595. 22:59a present for a Stephanie he said no so
  596. 23:01I said if you want to you can you can
  597. 23:03drop me back off to school you can
  598. 23:05borrow my car and uh you can go to the
  599. 23:07mall get her a gift or whatever and just
  600. 23:09come uh pick me up after track practice
  601. 23:12that day so then what
  602. 23:14happened well then uh when school was
  603. 23:18over I would have went to the library I
  604. 23:20know that I usually check well I didn't
  605. 23:22usually check but if I was going to
  606. 23:23check my email it would be at the using
  607. 23:25the library computer you know sometimes
  608. 23:27I would go there
  609. 23:29because um track practice didn't start
  610. 23:31until around maybe 3:00 or 3:30ish so it
  611. 23:35didn't start right after school so there
  612. 23:37was a period of time of almost like an
  613. 23:39hour hour and a change um you know that
  614. 23:42was kind of free
  615. 23:43time this hour and change after school
  616. 23:46this is the crucial window this is the
  617. 23:49time when the state says hay was killed
  618. 23:52school got out at 2:15 people remember
  619. 23:54seeing her after her last class heading
  620. 23:56to her car according to J's story and
  621. 23:59the cell phone records she was dead by
  622. 24:012:36
  623. 24:02p.m. so sometime in those 21 minutes
  624. 24:05between 2:15 and 236 she was
  625. 24:08strangled so that's obviously the same
  626. 24:10window Adnan needed to account for to
  627. 24:13quote Adnan my case lived and died in
  628. 24:15those 21
  629. 24:16minutes so where does itan say he was
  630. 24:20well maybe the library but nobody
  631. 24:22testify to that at trial then to track
  632. 24:24practice he does remember being at track
  633. 24:26one day when it was snowing which might
  634. 24:28have been that day the coach testified
  635. 24:30that Anan probably was there but he
  636. 24:31can't be 100% sure cuz as a rule he
  637. 24:33didn't take
  638. 24:34attendance after school is when his
  639. 24:36memories become
  640. 24:38non-specific usually we did this or we
  641. 24:40probably would have done that probably
  642. 24:42track practice would ended like I say
  643. 24:444:30 Jay did come to pick up Adan after
  644. 24:47track that part Adan seems to more or
  645. 24:48less remember it was Ramadan so Adnan
  646. 24:51would have been fasting all day and
  647. 24:52hungry it probably would have been close
  648. 24:54to time for me to break fast um he would
  649. 24:57have came and picked me up and we would
  650. 24:59have went to go get something to eat and
  651. 25:00we would have smok some weed after right
  652. 25:02and then I would have had to have gone
  653. 25:03uh been home by like around 7 8:00
  654. 25:07right or usually like the last 10 nights
  655. 25:10of Ramadan my father would spend a night
  656. 25:11at the mosque so a lot of times I would
  657. 25:13take him food other my mother would make
  658. 25:15food for him and I would take it like
  659. 25:17usually before 8:00 right because that's
  660. 25:18the last evening prayer did you ever
  661. 25:22leave the campus before the end of track
  662. 25:25practice did you
  663. 25:27ever okay
  664. 25:29no you're
  665. 25:31sure uh I want to say that I'm 99% sure
  666. 25:35okay the reason why I can't say 100 is
  667. 25:37because I mean I do kind of understand
  668. 25:39that it comes across as I don't know if
  669. 25:41it does or it doesn't but it seems like
  670. 25:42I remember things that are beneficial to
  671. 25:44me with things that aren't beneficial to
  672. 25:45me I can't remember it's just that I
  673. 25:47don't I don't really know what to say
  674. 25:49you know beyond the fact that a lot of
  675. 25:50the day that I do remember it's bits and
  676. 25:53pieces that comes from what other people
  677. 25:55have said you know that they remember
  678. 25:56right and they kind of JS my
  679. 25:59memory yeah I really know what to say
  680. 26:02and I completely understand how that
  681. 26:03comes across I mean the only thing I can
  682. 26:05say is man it was just a normal day to
  683. 26:07me there was absolutely nothing abnormal
  684. 26:09about that day to me aan knows better
  685. 26:11than anyone how unhelpful this all is
  686. 26:14how problematic because it plays both
  687. 26:16ways if he's innocent right it's any
  688. 26:18other day of course he doesn't remember
  689. 26:20but you can also read it as how
  690. 26:22convenient he doesn't remember the day
  691. 26:25so no one can fact check him or poke
  692. 26:26holes in his story because has no story
  693. 26:29and I definitely understand that someone
  694. 26:32could look at this and say oh man you
  695. 26:33know he must be lying it's so
  696. 26:34coincidental that he doesn't remember
  697. 26:36what he did at this particular time I
  698. 26:38mean I completely understand that and I
  699. 26:40get that that's you know like I said
  700. 26:42that's the you know the biggest the
  701. 26:43hardest thing I've dealt with for these
  702. 26:44past 15 years is that I don't if there
  703. 26:48there's nothing tangible I can do to
  704. 26:51remember that day it's the truth there's
  705. 26:53nothing I can do you know to Make Me
  706. 26:55Remember You know I poured through the
  707. 26:57trans scripts I've looked through the um
  708. 27:00telephone records um you know I mean
  709. 27:03this just what what else can I do
  710. 27:04there's nothing I can do so it's just
  711. 27:06you know perhaps I'll never be able to
  712. 27:08explain it and it is what it is if
  713. 27:10someone believes me or not you know I
  714. 27:12have no control over
  715. 27:18it adan's trial was a long ordeal Jay
  716. 27:21was on the stand for something like 5
  717. 27:23days a cell phone expert testified for 2
  718. 27:25days a lifetime when you're discussing
  719. 27:27cel to technology there were absences
  720. 27:30and some bad weather closed the courts
  721. 27:32so it was 6 weeks before both sides
  722. 27:34rested but the jury they moved like
  723. 27:36lightning after just a few hours
  724. 27:38including a lunch break they convicted a
  725. 27:41nan of first-degree
  726. 27:42murder Robbie a chalry was there in the
  727. 27:44courtroom when it happened she says his
  728. 27:46mother was crying she was crying Robia
  729. 27:49hadn't set through the whole trial so
  730. 27:51the first time she fully understood that
  731. 27:52the case came down to those 21 minutes
  732. 27:55was during closing arguments when the
  733. 27:57prosecutor brought out a dummy's head
  734. 27:58and strangled it in front of the jury
  735. 28:01that evening after the verdict Robbie
  736. 28:02went to see Adnan in lock up and so I
  737. 28:05went to go see him so this is the same
  738. 28:06day he's been convicted and this is the
  739. 28:08first time I actually had a conversation
  740. 28:09with him about you know what's going on
  741. 28:12and and I was like you know ad the whole
  742. 28:13thing is turning on these 20 25 minutes
  743. 28:16like you know where were you and he's
  744. 28:17like she disappeared in January you know
  745. 28:20in March you're asking me like where
  746. 28:21were you after school for 20 minutes on
  747. 28:23a specific day like no all the days are
  748. 28:25the same to me you know U he's but then
  749. 28:28he mentions that there was this one girl
  750. 28:31an alibi girl uh he's like the only
  751. 28:33thing um I could offer is he's like I
  752. 28:35remember he's like there's a girl I go
  753. 28:37to school with who uh her name is Asia
  754. 28:39mlan um he's like right after I got
  755. 28:41arrested she wrote me um a couple of
  756. 28:44letters and she said she also wanted to
  757. 28:46see my family and she said she
  758. 28:48specifically remembers me being um at
  759. 28:50the library at the public library right
  760. 28:52after school the woodon public library
  761. 28:54is just across the parking lot from
  762. 28:56woodon high school it's not techn part
  763. 28:58of the campus but it might as well be he
  764. 29:00said I gave those letters to Christina
  765. 29:02Gutierrez to my attorney he's like but
  766. 29:04you know apparently it didn't really
  767. 29:05check out so he's like I don't know so
  768. 29:07they're not helpful to us so this is the
  769. 29:10first time I heard of this girl um Asia
  770. 29:13mlan I had never heard of her before
  771. 29:14nobody had mentioned her before were you
  772. 29:16like floor like wait wait wait wait what
  773. 29:19I mean what like I wasn't Flor at the
  774. 29:21time because I thought I thought if he
  775. 29:24if this girl wrote and the attorney what
  776. 29:27criminal defense attorney is not going
  777. 29:28to check out a potential
  778. 29:30Alibi so I asked him I said do you have
  779. 29:32a copy of those letters he said yeah I
  780. 29:33have a copy I said send me a copy a nan
  781. 29:36sends the letters to Ria and here's what
  782. 29:37she reads the first letter the first of
  783. 29:40two is dated March 1st 1999 that is one
  784. 29:43day after Anan was arrested at the top
  785. 29:45of the letter she notes I just came from
  786. 29:47your house an hour ago dear Adan I hope
  787. 29:51I spelled it right I'm not sure if you
  788. 29:53remember talking to me in the library on
  789. 29:55January 13th but I remember chatting
  790. 29:57with you
  791. 29:58she says qu we aren't really close
  792. 30:00friends but I want you to look into my
  793. 30:02eyes and tell me of your innocence if I
  794. 30:04ever find otherwise I will hunt you down
  795. 30:06and whip your ass okay friend at the
  796. 30:08bottom she added a little note my
  797. 30:10boyfriend and his best friend remember
  798. 30:11seeing you there too that's letter
  799. 30:14number one then the next day on March
  800. 30:162nd she writes it on another letter this
  801. 30:18one's typed it's chattier she talks
  802. 30:20about the gossip in school the bits and
  803. 30:22pieces of evidence about the crime that
  804. 30:23are circulating what the students are
  805. 30:25saying what the teachers are saying
  806. 30:27about her visit to house quote your
  807. 30:29brothers are nice I don't think I Met
  808. 30:30Your Mother I think I met your dad does
  809. 30:32he have a big gray beard they gave me in
  810. 30:34Justin soda and Cake there's a whole
  811. 30:36bunch of people at your house I didn't
  812. 30:38know who they were I also didn't know
  813. 30:39that Muslims take their shoes off in the
  814. 30:41house thank God they didn't make me take
  815. 30:42mine off my stinky feet probably would
  816. 30:44have knocked everyone out cold why
  817. 30:46haven't you told anyone about talking to
  818. 30:48me in the library she asks him did you
  819. 30:50think it was unimportant you didn't
  820. 30:52think that I would remember or did you
  821. 30:54just totally forget
  822. 30:55yourself Adan says now that he does in
  823. 30:58fact remember seeing Asia in the library
  824. 31:00the thing he remembers about it is so
  825. 31:02high
  826. 31:03school Asia used to go out with a non's
  827. 31:05friend Justin and Justin had confided
  828. 31:07that Asia was a proper young lady in
  829. 31:10other words Justin wasn't getting any so
  830. 31:13Adan remembers thinking he would now get
  831. 31:14to tease Justin about seeing Asia with
  832. 31:16her new boyfriend maybe the new guy was
  833. 31:18getting lucky haha anyway Robia calls
  834. 31:22Asia up it's been a year since she wrote
  835. 31:24the letters but she agrees to meet and
  836. 31:25she told me uh that day after school I
  837. 31:29went to the LI public library and Adan
  838. 31:31was sitting at a computer checking email
  839. 31:33or something and I sat down next to him
  840. 31:34we started chatting and um Adon was a
  841. 31:37very popular boy in school he's handsome
  842. 31:39and you know popular with the ladies so
  843. 31:42she was speaking to him and her
  844. 31:43boyfriend shows up a little bit later
  845. 31:44with a friend and um she said her
  846. 31:47boyfriend was really angry at her cuz
  847. 31:48he's like why are you talking to him you
  848. 31:50know his high school kids you know why
  849. 31:51are you talking to him is he hitting on
  850. 31:53you um and she remembered very
  851. 31:55specifically that that day she went home
  852. 31:57with her she went to her boyfriend's
  853. 31:58house with him um and they got snowed in
  854. 32:02and that snowed really heavily that
  855. 32:03night and um she remembered that for the
  856. 32:06following two days school was closed so
  857. 32:09she had very specific details about um
  858. 32:11why she remembered that day Asia wrote
  859. 32:13out an affidavit on the spot in it she
  860. 32:16says she and aan spoke for about 15 to
  861. 32:1820 minutes while she was waiting for her
  862. 32:19boyfriend to give her a ride quote we
  863. 32:21left around 240 unquote remember he is
  864. 32:25supposed to be dead by
  865. 32:26236 and then the kicker no attorney has
  866. 32:30ever contacted me about January 13th
  867. 32:321999 and the above
  868. 32:35information so benefit of the doubt for
  869. 32:38a second maybe Adnan never actually
  870. 32:40showed the letters to Christina
  871. 32:41Gutierrez his attorney sure he said he
  872. 32:44did but who knows well I know deep
  873. 32:47inside gutierrez's notes on the case I
  874. 32:49have boxes and boxes of such stuff
  875. 32:51there's this in her handwriting Asia
  876. 32:54plus boyfriend saw him in library 215 to
  877. 32:5735 15 then there's another note dated
  878. 33:00July 13th it's more than 4 months after
  879. 33:03adan's arrest this is written by one of
  880. 33:05gutierrez's law clerks who visited Anan
  881. 33:07in jail quote Asia mlan saw him in the
  882. 33:10library at 3 Asia boyfriend saw him too
  883. 33:14Library may have
  884. 33:16cameras why oh why was this person never
  885. 33:19heard from a trial a solid non-crazy
  886. 33:22detail oriented Alibi witness in a case
  887. 33:24that so sorely needed Alibi Witnesses I
  888. 33:28can't ask Christina Gutierrez because
  889. 33:29she died in 2004 so I put that question
  890. 33:32to a few defense attorneys and they
  891. 33:34saidwell Alibi witnesses can be tricky
  892. 33:36especially if it's just one person
  893. 33:38because then it becomes one person's
  894. 33:39word over another a single witness like
  895. 33:41that can backfire under
  896. 33:42cross-examination or they might take the
  897. 33:44jury's Focus away from the weaknesses in
  898. 33:46the states case so there are conceivable
  899. 33:49strategic reasons why Christina
  900. 33:51Gutierrez might not have wanted to put
  901. 33:52Asia mlan on the stand but what is
  902. 33:55inconceivable they all said is to not
  903. 33:58ever contact Asia mlan to never make the
  904. 34:01call never check it out never find out
  905. 34:03if her story helps or hurts your case
  906. 34:05that makes no sense whatsoever that is
  907. 34:07not a strategy that is a [ __ ] up when I
  908. 34:11first heard about the long lost Asia
  909. 34:12letters and the lawyer mistake I thought
  910. 34:14well their fight is over right they've
  911. 34:16got an alibi witness who was never heard
  912. 34:18from it's such a slam dunk they're done
  913. 34:21ad non's Family hired a new attorney who
  914. 34:23filed a petition in court based on the
  915. 34:25Asia affidavit his argument was that
  916. 34:27anan's trial could have turned out
  917. 34:29differently if Gutierrez had checked out
  918. 34:31Asia's story and so Adan should get some
  919. 34:33form of what's called postconviction
  920. 34:36relief the new lawyer figures he'll get
  921. 34:38Asia to come to the hearing she'll vouch
  922. 34:39for her story by this time Asia had
  923. 34:42finished school and moved away he finds
  924. 34:43an address on the west coast tries
  925. 34:45calling sending messages nothing finally
  926. 34:48he writes a letter to her and gives it
  927. 34:49to a private investigator who goes out
  928. 34:51to Asia's house and hopes of delivering
  929. 34:53it Asia's fiance comes to the door opens
  930. 34:56it partway tells investigator that she
  931. 34:58cannot speak to Asia but that from what
  932. 35:01he knows of adnan's case Adnan is guilty
  933. 35:03and deserve the punishment he got later
  934. 35:05the investigator gets a call from the
  935. 35:07fiance we don't have to talk to you
  936. 35:09leave us
  937. 35:10alone so adan's lawyer calls off the
  938. 35:13search for Asia figuring once a witness
  939. 35:15turns on you like that it's too risky to
  940. 35:17keep pushing and then at anan's hearing
  941. 35:20on the new petition it comes out that
  942. 35:22Asia had done the very thing they
  943. 35:23dreaded Asia had called one of the
  944. 35:26prosecutors in a non's case a guy named
  945. 35:28Kevin urick and undermined her own
  946. 35:30statement this is from a recording of
  947. 35:32the hearing Mr urick is testifying on
  948. 35:34the witness stand how did you learn that
  949. 35:38the defendant this
  950. 35:40position a young lady named Asia called
  951. 35:44me and U what did she say she was
  952. 35:47concerned because she was being asked
  953. 35:49questions about an affidavit she'd
  954. 35:51written back at the time of the trial
  955. 35:53she told me that she'd only written it
  956. 35:55because she was getting pressure from
  957. 35:57the family and she basically wrote it to
  958. 35:59pleasee them and get them off her
  959. 36:01back it was it's I don't know what
  960. 36:04happened to her and why she would do
  961. 36:06this here's Robia again she says it's
  962. 36:09not true that Asia was bullied into
  963. 36:10writing that statement 15 years ago and
  964. 36:12she can't fathom why Asia would
  965. 36:14discredit her own statement like that I
  966. 36:15don't know why though they were the
  967. 36:17affidavit was written voluntarily I mean
  968. 36:20I I'm an attorney I'm a licensed
  969. 36:22attorney I work on homeland security ISS
  970. 36:24like I have no reason to make something
  971. 36:26like this up you know I didn't even know
  972. 36:28she existed until um until after the
  973. 36:32conviction so what do you think happened
  974. 36:34why why would they have this sort of
  975. 36:35violent reaction to helping out a na now
  976. 36:40I don't know uh it was just really odd
  977. 36:46so who knows what would have happened if
  978. 36:47Asia had shown up maybe it wouldn't have
  979. 36:49made a difference after all they had the
  980. 36:51original letters and the affidavit
  981. 36:53that's all that should have mattered but
  982. 36:55it didn't look good it'd be natural for
  983. 36:57the Jud to wonder why can't the defense
  984. 36:59produce this Asia person why is she
  985. 37:01making this call to a prosecutor I mean
  986. 37:04anyone would wonder I wondered I
  987. 37:06wondered if maybe she was pressured into
  988. 37:07writing that affidavit and I wondered if
  989. 37:09she was hiding something like maybe
  990. 37:11she'd lied in those 1999 letters maybe
  991. 37:14she didn't really see Adnan at the
  992. 37:16library that day and I just wanted to
  993. 37:17insert herself into something exciting
  994. 37:20and maybe now that she was grown up she
  995. 37:21wanted nothing to do with any of
  996. 37:23it so 3 4 months after I'd first sat
  997. 37:26down with Robia I'd be I'm fixated on
  998. 37:28finding Asia I'm like a blood hound on
  999. 37:30this thing because the whole case seemed
  1000. 37:33to me to be teetering on her memories of
  1001. 37:35that afternoon I have to know if Adnan
  1002. 37:37really was in the library at 2:36 p.m.
  1003. 37:41because if he was well Library equals
  1004. 37:43innocent it's so maddeningly simple and
  1005. 37:46maybe I can crack it if I can just talk
  1006. 37:48to Asia I write her a long gentle
  1007. 37:51pleading letter and send it off to an
  1008. 37:52address I find online I'm calling people
  1009. 37:55who know her or who I think might know
  1010. 37:57her I'm checking the same Loop of
  1011. 37:59Facebook my life LinkedIn sites over and
  1012. 38:01over trolling for clues about where she
  1013. 38:03might be or how she might think if
  1014. 38:06you're wondering why I went so nuts on
  1015. 38:07this story versus some other murder case
  1016. 38:10the best I can explain is this is the
  1017. 38:12one that came to me it wasn't halfway
  1018. 38:14across the world or even next door it
  1019. 38:17came right to my lap and if I could help
  1020. 38:19get to the bottom of it shouldn't I
  1021. 38:22try I start running down all the other
  1022. 38:24information in Asia's 1999 letters
  1023. 38:28she mentioned there were security
  1024. 38:29cameras inside the Library so my
  1025. 38:31producer and I went to see the very nice
  1026. 38:33manager there Michelle ham was there a
  1027. 38:35security system back in 99 that could
  1028. 38:37have been checked at the time probably
  1029. 38:40yes I'm going to say yes okay and what
  1030. 38:43system was it I have no
  1031. 38:45idea it was a old system so but you
  1032. 38:49think probably video it was video okay
  1033. 38:51and that was part of setup every morning
  1034. 38:53you put a videotape in so that's and
  1035. 38:55were you guys recycling the vide tapes
  1036. 38:57yes okay I think it ran for you know a
  1037. 39:00week so you had a Monday tape a Tuesday
  1038. 39:02tape a Wednesday tape and so forth so so
  1039. 39:05even if on the very day that Asia had
  1040. 39:07written her first letter adan's lawyer
  1041. 39:09had run out to find the security tape it
  1042. 39:11probably would have been non-existent by
  1043. 39:13then asked me but what about the
  1044. 39:14computer Adnan was supposedly using to
  1045. 39:16check his email um to use a computer did
  1046. 39:19people have to sign in like write their
  1047. 39:21name down they did and what was the
  1048. 39:24system then um piece of paper and pencil
  1049. 39:28and those by any chance weren't logged
  1050. 39:30meticulously and kept for 15 years were
  1051. 39:32they
  1052. 39:34no bummer all right we got nothing then
  1053. 39:39there was the mystery of Asia's
  1054. 39:41boyfriend Derek and his friend Gerard
  1055. 39:43all winter and spring every time I went
  1056. 39:45to Baltimore I went to dereck's Mom's
  1057. 39:47house looking for him and to Gerard's
  1058. 39:49window tinting business and then finally
  1059. 39:52all right so you are gerro Johnson yes I
  1060. 39:54am you don't know how excited we are to
  1061. 39:57be talking I've been looking for you for
  1062. 39:58like four months you didn't do anything
  1063. 40:01but we were hoping maybe you remembered
  1064. 40:03this
  1065. 40:04moment on January 13th
  1066. 40:091999 do you H have any memory by any
  1067. 40:14miracle that you went to woodlon public
  1068. 40:19library branch near woodon high school
  1069. 40:22to pick up Asia mlan with your friend
  1070. 40:25Derek I have no idea de asiia mlan is
  1071. 40:29that a person or a
  1072. 40:32book it's a person no no recollection of
  1073. 40:37it scratch Gerard Derek was my last hope
  1074. 40:41eventually I caught him at home
  1075. 40:42considering I woke him up he was
  1076. 40:44exceedingly courteous he showed me a
  1077. 40:46photo of asan him all dressed up they
  1078. 40:48dated most of senior year what's up here
  1079. 40:50this is our Senor PR yeah you guys both
  1080. 40:53look really beautiful mhm yeah that's my
  1081. 40:56uh that's Asia yeah but Derek couldn't
  1082. 40:59remember that day either shocking I know
  1083. 41:02he used to pick Asia up from school
  1084. 41:04almost every day back then either from
  1085. 41:05the library or from the front of the
  1086. 41:07school and he says he spoke to a lot of
  1087. 41:09her friends just to be polite and um
  1088. 41:12it's uh it's very possible that um we I
  1089. 41:15could have spoken to the gentleman and
  1090. 41:16her on that day um but it's very hard to
  1091. 41:20remember you know 15 years later but it
  1092. 41:23it it sounds you know very uh it sounds
  1093. 41:26like this definitely could have happened
  1094. 41:28yeah I don't think AIA Asia's not the
  1095. 41:29type of person that would lie just to
  1096. 41:31you that's what I'm wondering she's
  1097. 41:32definitely not that type of person you
  1098. 41:34know to get involved with a lie you know
  1099. 41:37she's not that type of person so she uh
  1100. 41:41it it it seems pretty credible to
  1101. 41:44[Music]
  1102. 41:48me one day I get a call on my cell phone
  1103. 41:51from a blocked number you guessed it
  1104. 41:54Asia I wish I could say that my charming
  1105. 41:57persuasive letter is what prompted Asia
  1106. 41:59to call but the truth is she never got
  1107. 42:01my letter I had the wrong address but
  1108. 42:03she was calling because I'd followed up
  1109. 42:04weeks later with a on line email and she
  1110. 42:06was responding to that a little confused
  1111. 42:09this is crazy
  1112. 42:13um I mean I have a couple minutes if you
  1113. 42:16want to chat about it I recorded our
  1114. 42:19conversation on the cell which is why
  1115. 42:21the sound quality is so bad sorry about
  1116. 42:23that Asia is now a 33-year-old
  1117. 42:25stay-at-home mother and she has not
  1118. 42:27spent the last 15 years worrying about
  1119. 42:29Adnan and whether he's guilty I trust
  1120. 42:32the court systems to do their due
  1121. 42:34diligence and I because I I mean I was
  1122. 42:39never I was never questioned I was never
  1123. 42:42informed of anything pertaining to the
  1124. 42:45case I don't know why he was
  1125. 42:48convicted Asia said she was spooked when
  1126. 42:51the private investigator came to her
  1127. 42:52house I don't know if that's why she
  1128. 42:54didn't testify at the hearing or why she
  1129. 42:56made the call to the process secutor but
  1130. 42:57she told me that when she got the knock
  1131. 42:59at the door that was not cool because to
  1132. 43:02her if Adnan did do it the last thing
  1133. 43:04you want is a murderer being pissed off
  1134. 43:06at you knowing where you live but she
  1135. 43:09had a remarkably clear memory of what
  1136. 43:11happened on January 13th 1999 she had an
  1137. 43:14internship at the time and so she got
  1138. 43:16out of school much earlier than everyone
  1139. 43:17else Derek was supposed to come get her
  1140. 43:19at the library along with gerro but they
  1141. 43:21were very late she rememb seeing Adnan
  1142. 43:23come in after woodlon let out for the
  1143. 43:25day ad came in and he sat at the table
  1144. 43:28and like we weren't like really close
  1145. 43:31friends or anything like that but you
  1146. 43:33know um we I you know we knew each other
  1147. 43:38and you know we just he chatted or
  1148. 43:41whatever and I can't
  1149. 43:45remember I think I must have asked him
  1150. 43:48how he was doing or whatever and he said
  1151. 43:50fine and you know he told me that him
  1152. 43:52and hey I broke up and and I was like oh
  1153. 43:56look that that's a and and I was like
  1154. 43:58what happened and he was like oh well
  1155. 44:01she was seeing this other guy some some
  1156. 44:05white dude
  1157. 44:07and you know but he was pretty chill
  1158. 44:10about it he just he was just like you
  1159. 44:13know well if you know she doesn't want
  1160. 44:15to be with me then that's fine I you
  1161. 44:17know I just wish the best for her and
  1162. 44:19that kind of attitude and I'm not sure
  1163. 44:22why Asia's memory of this interaction is
  1164. 44:23so clear all these years later my best
  1165. 44:26guess is that because she wrote it down
  1166. 44:27at the time in those letters and then
  1167. 44:29the affidavit that the details somehow
  1168. 44:31stuck do you remember what time you were
  1169. 44:34talking this would have happened in the
  1170. 44:36library do you remember what time that
  1171. 44:38conversation would have
  1172. 44:43happened I don't because I know school
  1173. 44:46let out around 2:15 so it was probably
  1174. 44:50around
  1175. 44:51230 cuz you had said you you got out of
  1176. 44:54school earlier than other people so were
  1177. 44:57you there were you at the library before
  1178. 45:002:15 oh yeah I have been at the library
  1179. 45:02for a few hours oh
  1180. 45:04wow yeah I was pretty piss when Derek
  1181. 45:07showed up and and and you know and he
  1182. 45:10asked me who who Adon was and you know
  1183. 45:13you know jealous teenager white language
  1184. 45:17he's like you know who the hell is
  1185. 45:19that and I said don't even start with me
  1186. 45:21because you you know you're a few hours
  1187. 45:23late don't worry about who that is you
  1188. 45:26know
  1189. 45:29I remember that day because that was the
  1190. 45:32the um day that it snowed were there
  1191. 45:37snow days after that do you
  1192. 45:40remember I I want to say there was
  1193. 45:42because that was I think that was like
  1194. 45:44the first snow of the
  1195. 45:47year I wouldn't have even remembered if
  1196. 45:50it hadn't been for the snow and the
  1197. 45:53whole you know I just remember being so
  1198. 45:57pissed about Derek being late and then
  1199. 46:00getting snowed in at his house and it
  1200. 46:02was the first snow of that year the snow
  1201. 46:05is important he disappeared on a
  1202. 46:07Wednesday that night there was a huge
  1203. 46:09ice storm which is unusual in Maryland
  1204. 46:11it ended up being a state emergency and
  1205. 46:13school was closed for the rest of the
  1206. 46:15week Asia started asking me questions
  1207. 46:17about the case wasn't there DNA evidence
  1208. 46:20and what exactly was Jay's part in the
  1209. 46:21whole thing she wasn't sure Adnan was
  1210. 46:24guilty she said things I've now heard
  1211. 46:26from from so many people since he seemed
  1212. 46:29like he cared about hay he didn't seem
  1213. 46:31angry or upset I thought there was more
  1214. 46:33proof even that day it did you know I
  1215. 46:36didn't walk away like oh I just started
  1216. 46:39something you know what I mean yeah if
  1217. 46:42you want to R his innocent off of his
  1218. 46:44composure at that moment I would say
  1219. 46:47he's innocent
  1220. 46:48but I mean I'm 32 years old now and I
  1221. 46:52know that you know there's people out
  1222. 46:55there capable of hanging
  1223. 46:57acts that can keep a calm demeanor you
  1224. 47:00know yeah and I know that there are
  1225. 47:03people who flip out on a moment's notice
  1226. 47:06and do something that you know they
  1227. 47:09regret for the rest of their Liv so I
  1228. 47:12you know don't really yeah even now it
  1229. 47:16would be nice if there was some
  1230. 47:17technicality something that would prove
  1231. 47:19his innocence great you know one less
  1232. 47:23evil person I've met in my life you know
  1233. 47:26but but I think I think Asia like you
  1234. 47:29might be that technicality do you see
  1235. 47:31what I mean like you're if you're saying
  1236. 47:34you saw him on this day at that time
  1237. 47:37that means the states timeline for their
  1238. 47:40this whole their whole theory of the
  1239. 47:42case doesn't make any
  1240. 47:44sense it's a
  1241. 47:46possibility because they're saying he
  1242. 47:49was in the car with her at the very time
  1243. 47:53that you're saying no I saw him at the
  1244. 47:54library and we were talking do you know
  1245. 47:57what I mean like that's exactly the
  1246. 47:58window where they're saying she was
  1247. 48:04murdered in case you couldn't hear that
  1248. 48:06it was a sigh and I completely
  1249. 48:09understand that sigh it's how I feel a
  1250. 48:11lot of the time because I talk to it non
  1251. 48:13regularly and he just doesn't seem like
  1252. 48:16a
  1253. 48:17[Music]
  1254. 48:22murderer few minutes after I hung up
  1255. 48:24with Asia Adnan called on schedule hey
  1256. 48:27Sarah how you doing um I'm good I'm good
  1257. 48:31um I so I was just talking to asiia
  1258. 48:36mlan
  1259. 48:39okay you don't sound very
  1260. 48:43excited I had a well I mean I really you
  1261. 48:48know this was not the reaction I
  1262. 48:50expected I felt like I just interviewed
  1263. 48:52an ivory build woodpecker but when I
  1264. 48:55told a nonan what Asia remembered
  1265. 48:57instead of being excited a non said it
  1266. 48:59was heartbreaking I mean on a personal
  1267. 49:01level I'm happy because in a sense it's
  1268. 49:05you know that I'm not making this up and
  1269. 49:07at least it's nothing else and kind of
  1270. 49:08like at least someone other than Ria
  1271. 49:11knows that you know this did take place
  1272. 49:14anything that can kind of support what
  1273. 49:15I'm saying to be the truth that I didn't
  1274. 49:17do this is great but from a legal
  1275. 49:20perspective it's like I wish she would
  1276. 49:21have came to this realization maybe like
  1277. 49:24a year and a half ago you know what I
  1278. 49:25mean because it's kind of like you
  1279. 49:28know I mean it's too
  1280. 49:31late I'm sorry I mean I I definitely
  1281. 49:34appreciate it you know I definitely kind
  1282. 49:36of hear the Elation of your voice but
  1283. 49:37now I feel like I punctured your balloon
  1284. 49:39no no I mean I I see I totally I see I
  1285. 49:42see what you're saying I I hadn't
  1286. 49:43thought about it in that
  1287. 49:48way when I told Robbie I'd talk to Asia
  1288. 49:51she immediately burst into tears because
  1289. 49:53they were all correct it was too late
  1290. 49:56the Jud ruled on ad Nan's petition a few
  1291. 49:58weeks before I spoke to Asia denied the
  1292. 50:01judge wrote in his opinion that
  1293. 50:03Christina gz's decision not to use Asia
  1294. 50:05mlan as an alibi witness was strategic
  1295. 50:09after all Asia's original letters didn't
  1296. 50:11specify an exact time and Gutierrez
  1297. 50:13could have reasonably concluded that
  1298. 50:15Asia was offering to lie in order to
  1299. 50:17help Anan and finally he wrote Asia's
  1300. 50:20letter contradicted adan's own Alibi
  1301. 50:22Asia said she saw him at the public
  1302. 50:24library but Adnan said he was on the
  1303. 50:26school camp the whole afternoon maybe
  1304. 50:28the judge didn't understand that
  1305. 50:30Woodland library is basically part of
  1306. 50:31the campus but
  1307. 50:33anyway Asia's story then is legally
  1308. 50:36worthless a witness who says she saw you
  1309. 50:39at the exact moment when the state
  1310. 50:41contends you were strangling a young
  1311. 50:42woman in a car is
  1312. 50:45worthless a few days after I spoke to
  1313. 50:47Asia she wrote me an email I've been
  1314. 50:50thinking a lot about Adnan she wrote all
  1315. 50:52this time I thought the courts proved it
  1316. 50:53was Adnan that killed her I thought he
  1317. 50:55was where he deserved to be now I'm not
  1318. 50:58so sure hey was our friend too and it
  1319. 51:00sucks feeling like you don't know who
  1320. 51:02really killed your friend hey was the
  1321. 51:04sweetest person ever if he didn't kill
  1322. 51:06hay we owe it to him to try to make that
  1323. 51:08clear and if he did kill her then we
  1324. 51:11need to put this to rest I just hope
  1325. 51:13that Anan isn't some sick bastard just
  1326. 51:15trying to manipulate his way out of jail
  1327. 51:18I wrote back believe me I'm on exactly
  1328. 51:22the same
  1329. 51:25page
  1330. 51:27[Laughter]
  1331. 51:30coming up this season on
  1332. 51:31cereal I think that there are other
  1333. 51:34people involved like maybe I think maybe
  1334. 51:36he was set up I think he was set up
  1335. 51:37somehow clearly you could tell something
  1336. 51:40was going on that wasn't good I mean it
  1337. 51:42was just strange behavior for anybody
  1338. 51:44basically threaten me like you know what
  1339. 51:46happened to hey this is what's going to
  1340. 51:47happen to you that's how I felt that day
  1341. 51:50what are you thinking right now you have
  1342. 51:51the same smile I do I'm literally
  1343. 51:53thinking like could like could he have
  1344. 51:55gone crazy
  1345. 51:57Jay told me he was being blackmailed by
  1346. 51:59adnot cuz adnot knew that Jay couldn't
  1347. 52:02go to the police like if this works and
  1348. 52:04he I mean every question we've had for
  1349. 52:07the past 8 months he knows it yeah I
  1350. 52:13mean who else did it you know there's
  1351. 52:15like running out of
  1352. 52:19[Music]
  1353. 52:22suspect serials produced by Julie SNY
  1354. 52:25Dana chibis and me Emily conon is our
  1355. 52:27production and operations manager Ira
  1356. 52:28Glass is our editorial adviser editing
  1357. 52:30help from Nancy Updike factchecking by
  1358. 52:32Karen fala Smith special thanks to Lou
  1359. 52:35Teddy Jane Marie Seth Lind Elise
  1360. 52:36bergerson and the entire staff of This
  1361. 52:38American Life and to my in-laws Ethan
  1362. 52:40shrier and Janet LaVine for putting me
  1363. 52:42up in Baltimore so many times in the
  1364. 52:44past
  1365. 52:45[Music]
  1366. 52:47year serial's a production of This
  1367. 52:50American Life and WBEZ
  1368. 52:55Chicago

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