Serial S01 - Ep. 1: The Alibi — Transcript
Full transcript
- 0:00[Music]
- 0:02this is a global tail link prepaid call
- 0:06[Music]
- 0:08from an inmate at a Maryland
- 0:11Correctional Facility it's from This
- 0:14American Life in wbe Chicago it's serial
- 0:17one story told week by week I'm Sarah
- 0:20[Music]
- 0:25kanig for the last year I've spent every
- 0:28working day trying to figure out where a
- 0:30high school kid was for an hour after
- 0:32school one day in 1999 or if you want to
- 0:35get technical about it and apparently I
- 0:36do where a high school kid was for 21
- 0:39minutes after school one day in
- 0:411999 this search sometimes feels
- 0:44undignified on my part I've had to ask
- 0:46about teenagers sex lives where how
- 0:48often with whom about notes they passed
- 0:51in class about their drug habits their
- 0:52relationships with their parents and I
- 0:54am not a detective or a private
- 0:56investigator not even a crime reporter
- 0:59but yes every every day this year I've
- 1:00tried to figure out The Alibi of a
- 1:0217-year-old boy before I get into why
- 1:05I've been doing this I just want to
- 1:06point out something I'd never really
- 1:08thought about before I started working
- 1:09on this story and that is it's really
- 1:12hard to account for your time in a
- 1:13detailed way I mean how'd you get to
- 1:15work last Wednesday for instance Drive
- 1:18walk bike was it raining are you sure
- 1:22did you go to any stores that day if so
- 1:24what did you buy who did you talk to the
- 1:26entire day name every person you talk to
- 1:30it's hard now imagine you have to
- 1:32account for a day that happened 6 weeks
- 1:34back cuz that's a situation in the story
- 1:36I'm working on in which a bunch of
- 1:38teenagers had to recall a day 6 weeks
- 1:40earlier and it was 1999 so they had to
- 1:42do it without the benefit of texts or
- 1:44Facebook or Instagram just for a lark I
- 1:47asked some teenagers to try it do you
- 1:48remember what you did on that Friday
- 1:51no not not at all I can't remember
- 1:55anything Wait nothing no I can't
- 1:58remember anything that far back
- 2:01I'm pretty I'm pretty I'm pretty sure I
- 2:02was in school I think no that's Tyler
- 2:06he's 18 I asked my nephew Sam he's 18
- 2:10too not clue uh in school probably I
- 2:13would be in school
- 2:16um actually I think I worked that day no
- 2:19yeah I worked that day and I went to
- 2:21school I was about it actually on second
- 2:24thought I don't think I went to school
- 2:25that day you don't think you went yeah
- 2:28no I didn't I definitely didn't here's
- 2:30Sam's friend Elliot he seemed to have
- 2:32better recall actually I may have gone
- 2:34to the movies that night later do you
- 2:37remember what you saw I'm thinking I'm
- 2:39sorry yeah I think I saw 22 jum Street
- 2:41okay and what did you go with friends
- 2:44yes I went with Sam and kid Sean Carter
- 2:49a bunch of people wait you Sam my my
- 2:52nephew Sam yeah yeah oh okay so Sam says
- 2:56he was at work oh then it wasn't that
- 2:58night then
- 3:01one kid did actually remember pretty
- 3:03well because it was the last day of
- 3:04State Testing at his school and he'd
- 3:06saved up to go to a nightclub that's the
- 3:09main thing I learned from this exercise
- 3:11which was no big shocker I guess is that
- 3:13if some significant event happened that
- 3:15day you remember that plus you remember
- 3:17the entire day much better if nothing
- 3:20significant happened then the answers
- 3:22get very general I most likely did this
- 3:24or I most likely did that these are
- 3:26words I've heard a lot
- 3:28lately here's here the case I've been
- 3:30working on almost 15 years ago on
- 3:33January 13th 1999 a girl named hymon Lee
- 3:37disappeared she was a senior at Woodland
- 3:39High School in Baltimore County in
- 3:40Maryland she was Korean she was smart
- 3:43and beautiful and cheerful and a great
- 3:44athlete she played field hockey in
- 3:46Lacrosse and she was responsible right
- 3:49after school she was supposed to pick up
- 3:51her little cousin from kindergarten and
- 3:53drop her home but she didn't show that's
- 3:56when Haley's family knew something was
- 3:57up when the cousin school called
- 4:00about a month later on February 9th
- 4:02Hay's body was found in a big Park in
- 4:04Baltimore really a rambling Forest a
- 4:07maintenance guy who said he'd stopped to
- 4:09take a leak on his way to work
- 4:10discovered her there he'd notice a bit
- 4:12of her black hair poking out of a
- 4:13shallow
- 4:15grave the cause of death was manual
- 4:17strangulation meaning someone did it
- 4:19with their
- 4:20hands a couple weeks after that so 6
- 4:23weeks after she first went missing Hay's
- 4:25ex-boyfriend a guy named Adnan Sayed was
- 4:28arrested for her murder
- 4:30he's been in prison ever
- 4:37since I first heard about this story
- 4:39more than a year ago when I got an email
- 4:40from a woman named Robia chowri Robia
- 4:43knows Adnan pretty well her younger
- 4:45brother sad is adan's best friend and
- 4:48they believe he's innocent Robbie was
- 4:50writing to me because way back when I
- 4:52used to be a reporter for the Baltimore
- 4:53son and she'd come across some stories
- 4:55I'd written about a well-known defense
- 4:57attorney in Baltimore who'd been
- 4:59disbarred for mishandling client money
- 5:02that attorney was the same person who
- 5:04defended Adan her last major trial in
- 5:06fact Robia told me she thought the
- 5:09attorney botched the case not just
- 5:11botched it actually but threw the case
- 5:12on purpose so she could get more money
- 5:14for the appeal the lawyer had died a few
- 5:16years later she'd been sick Robbie asked
- 5:19if I would please just take a look at
- 5:21adan's case I don't get emails like this
- 5:24every day so I thought sure why not I
- 5:26read a few newspaper clips about the
- 5:27case looked up a few trial records and
- 5:29on paper the case was like a
- 5:31Shakespearean mashup young lovers from
- 5:34different worlds thwarting their
- 5:35families secret assignations jealousy
- 5:38suspicion and honor B smirched the
- 5:40villain not a Moore exactly but a Muslim
- 5:42all the same and a final Act of
- 5:45murderous revenge in the main stage a
- 5:47regular old high school across the
- 5:49street from a
- 5:517-Eleven hi are you Robia hi am I saying
- 5:54your name correctly Robia okay I went to
- 5:57go see Robia she was surrounded by paper
- 6:00files loose Stacks binders some crappy
- 6:02looking boxes all court documents and
- 6:04attorney's files from adan's case some
- 6:07of the papers were warped and discolored
- 6:09why do they look wet they look wet these
- 6:11have been yeah these have been damaged
- 6:12because these she explained that it was
- 6:13because the boxes had been in her car on
- 6:15and off for 15 years Robbie is a lawyer
- 6:19herself she mostly does immigration
- 6:20stuff her office takes up the corner of
- 6:22a much larger open space that I think is
- 6:25a Pakistani travel agency though it's
- 6:27hard to tell it's in this little strip
- 6:29mall across a parking lot there's a new
- 6:31Pakistani restaurant an African
- 6:33Evangelical Church an Indian clothing
- 6:35shop a convenience store on the sidewalk
- 6:37outside I found a teeny weeny bag of
- 6:39marijuana Baltimore county is like this
- 6:42at least on the west side it's where a
- 6:43lot of middle class and workingclass
- 6:45people go many immigrants included to
- 6:47get their kids out of the badass City
- 6:49though the badass city is close by
- 6:51Robbie is 40 she's short and she's got a
- 6:53beautiful round face framed by hijab
- 6:56she's adorable looking but you
- 6:57definitely shouldn't mess with her she's
- 6:59very very smart and very tough and she
- 7:01could crush you her brother sad was at
- 7:03Robbie's office too the first time I
- 7:05went He's 33 mortgage broker more
- 7:07laidback than Ria they told me about
- 7:10Adnan Sayed their friend not just a good
- 7:13kid but an especially good kid smart
- 7:16kind goofy handsome so that when he's
- 7:18arrested for murder so many people who
- 7:21knew him were stunned he was like The
- 7:23community's Golden Child oh really talk
- 7:25more about that um he was an honor rooll
- 7:27student volunteer EMT he was like on the
- 7:30football team he was a star star uh
- 7:34runner on the track team he was uh the
- 7:37homecoming King he led prayers at the
- 7:40mosque uh so he was yeah he everybody
- 7:44knew Adan to be you know somebody who's
- 7:47going to do something really big I later
- 7:48fact checked all these accolades of
- 7:50course and learned that Robia was mostly
- 7:52right though she sometimes gets a little
- 7:53Loosey Goosey with the details Adnan was
- 7:56an EMT but he didn't volunteer he was
- 7:58paid for it he was on the track team but
- 8:00he wasn't a star he did play football
- 8:02and he did lead prayers on occasion he
- 8:05wasn't homecoming King but he was Prince
- 8:07of his Junior Prom and this at a high
- 8:09school that was majority black they
- 8:10picked the Pakistani Muslim kid so you
- 8:12get the picture he was incredibly
- 8:14likable and well-liked
- 8:16kid this conversation with Rabia and sad
- 8:19this is what launched me on this
- 8:21year-long obsession is maybe too strong
- 8:24a word let's say fascination with this
- 8:26case by the end of this hour you're
- 8:28going to hear different people different
- 8:29versions of what happened the day Haley
- 8:31was killed but let's start with the most
- 8:33important version of the story The One
- 8:35Robia told me first and that's the one
- 8:37that was presented at
- 8:38trial the state's case against Adan went
- 8:41like this he and hay had been going out
- 8:43since junior prom but Adan wasn't
- 8:45supposed to be dating at all Anan was
- 8:48born in the US but his parents are from
- 8:49Pakistan and they're conservative
- 8:51Muslims no drinking no smoking no girls
- 8:53all that sad and Robbie's parents are
- 8:56the same way their families are friends
- 8:58but even though Adnan and and sad and
- 8:59their buddies were Muslims they were
- 9:01also shall we say healthy American
- 9:03teenagers who were going to do what
- 9:04teenagers do so long as they didn't get
- 9:06caught so Adnan had to keep his
- 9:08relationship with hay secret the state
- 9:11used this against him in two ways first
- 9:14they argued he'd put everything on the
- 9:16line his family his relationships at the
- 9:18mosque to run around with this girl so
- 9:21that when she broke up with him 8 months
- 9:22later he was left with nothing and he
- 9:24was outraged he couldn't take it and he
- 9:26killed her and the second way they used
- 9:28it is they said look at what a liar he
- 9:30is how duplicitous he plays the good
- 9:32Muslim son at home and at the mosque but
- 9:34look what he was up to sad remembers the
- 9:37prosecutor's closing argument at trial
- 9:39his family didn't know that he actually
- 9:40drank he smoked he was having sex this
- 9:44was proof of bad character someone who
- 9:46could be a murderer but sad says if it
- 9:49n's guilty of anything it's of being a
- 9:50normal kid with immigrant parents so
- 9:53like the
- 9:54prosecution had painted aan as a totally
- 9:57like a bipolar or like a maniacal dual
- 10:01personality we all grew up with that
- 10:02dual personality it was forced I mean
- 10:04I'm the same way I was like they could
- 10:06paint the same thing because I was
- 10:08actually homecoming King which I don't
- 10:09know if my sister even knows she did not
- 10:12know so I mean I was dating a girl that
- 10:15was and why is homecoming King bad is
- 10:17that like a good thing we don't go to
- 10:19homecoming because it's a dance it's a
- 10:22dance it's a mixed gender so so I was in
- 10:24the same boat my parents my sister they
- 10:28didn't know about this at all I mean and
- 10:31right now 10 years more than 10 years
- 10:33later she's finding out you know I know
- 10:35I mean you know I'll admit you know on
- 10:38one side like my family thinks I'm a
- 10:39virgin but on the other hand I play you
- 10:41know but it's
- 10:43the see that like that right there I
- 10:46mean it's kind of making her feel
- 10:47uncomfortable you know she's like whoa
- 10:48whoa whoa so just on motive alone sad
- 10:51and Robbie have found the whole thing
- 10:53ridiculous as for physical evidence
- 10:55there was none nothing apart from some
- 10:58fingerprints in ha's car which Adan had
- 11:00been in many times there was nothing
- 11:02linking him to the crime no DNA no
- 11:04fibers no hairs no matching soil from
- 11:06the bottom of his boots instead what
- 11:09they had on Adan was one guy's story a
- 11:11guy named Jay he's the third person you
- 11:14need to remember in this crime story
- 11:15besides hey and Adnan Jay was a friend
- 11:18of Adnan they'd been in school together
- 11:20since middle school they weren't super
- 11:21close but they had mutual friends Jay
- 11:24sold weed and he had a nonm smoke
- 11:26together the story Jay told police had
- 11:28problems
- 11:29because it kept changing from telling to
- 11:31telling but they were able to bolster
- 11:34the main plot points using cell records
- 11:36from adnan's
- 11:37phone by the time I left Robbie's office
- 11:39that first day I understood only one
- 11:41thing clearly though maybe not the thing
- 11:43Robbie andad wanted me to understand but
- 11:46what I took away from the visit was
- 11:48somebody is lying here maybe Adnan
- 11:50really is Innocent but what if he isn't
- 11:53what if he did do it and he's got all
- 11:54these good people thinking he didn't so
- 11:57either it's Jay or it's Anan but someone
- 12:00is lying and I really wanted to figure
- 12:02out
- 12:02[Music]
- 12:10who in the early morning of February
- 12:1328th 1999 Adnan was arrested by
- 12:15Baltimore City detectives he was asleep
- 12:18in his bed when they showed up at his
- 12:19house they took him straight from his
- 12:21untidy bedroom to an interrogation room
- 12:23at homicide
- 12:24downtown what Adan didn't know is that
- 12:26just hours before they picked him up the
- 12:28cop had interviewed his friend Jay this
- 12:31is a taped interview of Jay black male
- 12:3419 years of age where at the offices of
- 12:37homicide specifically the Colonel's
- 12:39conference room the police recorded two
- 12:42taped interviews with Jay and I'm going
- 12:43to play you the second one from a couple
- 12:45weeks later only because the sound
- 12:46quality is much better just a warning
- 12:49that the tape is a little upsetting to
- 12:50hear in
- 12:51Parts why don't you go ahead and tell
- 12:54us what you know about the death of Hale
- 12:58okay
- 13:00um had uh left out went shopping with a
- 13:05friend of mine an ex-friend of mine ad
- 13:09on we had had a conversation um during
- 13:13the conversation he stated um that he
- 13:17was going to kill that [ __ ] referring
- 13:18to
- 13:19Haley
- 13:21uh I didn't
- 13:23I took it with context it didn't stand
- 13:26out my head any uh Jay says didn't take
- 13:29it too seriously the cops have him start
- 13:32again from the top on the morning of the
- 13:3413th Jay says Adan had left school and
- 13:36driven to Jay's house Jay had graduated
- 13:39from school the year before and was
- 13:40working but not on that day January 13th
- 13:43happens to be the birthday of Jay's
- 13:45girlfriend Stephanie and Jay who didn't
- 13:47have his own car needed to go buy
- 13:49something for her so Adan comes over
- 13:51according to Jay they go shopping at the
- 13:53mall what did you do that um he left the
- 13:57mall I took him to school I dropped him
- 14:00off in the back of the
- 14:02school he went up to class he left his
- 14:04cell phone and car with me told me he'd
- 14:06call me um I went back to my friend
- 14:10Jen's house and waited for him to call
- 14:12okay now at this point you know why he's
- 14:15leaving the car with you yes and why is
- 14:18that cuz he said he was going to kill
- 14:20Haye and the reason you have the car and
- 14:23the cell phone was why to pick him up
- 14:26from wherever he was going to do this
- 14:28there
- 14:29okay and you had talked about this while
- 14:33you were
- 14:34shopping that day the details of uh the
- 14:38car and all the events how they were
- 14:40going to plan out he he did the that day
- 14:43he told me yes he told me um I'm going
- 14:45to leave you with my cell phone and my
- 14:47car I need you to come get me yes after
- 14:51after he killed hey yes okay later that
- 14:53afternoon the Call Comes you receive a
- 14:56phone call from Adon yes on his cell
- 14:58phone yes which is in your possession
- 15:00yes and the conversation was
- 15:04what um that [ __ ] is dead come and get
- 15:08me I'm at Best Buy Jay drives to Best
- 15:11Buy and sees a Naan in the parking lot I
- 15:14notic he wasn't with him um I park next
- 15:16to him he asked me to get out the car I
- 15:18get out the car he asked me am I ready
- 15:20for this um and I say ready for what and
- 15:25he uh takes the keys he opens the trunk
- 15:27and all I can see is uh like his lips
- 15:32are all blue and she's like pretzel up
- 15:34in the back of the trunk and she's dead
- 15:36they leave the parking lot adnan's
- 15:38driving Hayes car with her body in the
- 15:40trunk Jay is driving adnan's car they
- 15:42ditch Hayes car at the I70 parking ride
- 15:45and then to hear Jay tell it they just
- 15:46kind of tool around Baltimore County
- 15:48together for a while as if nothing had
- 15:49happened buy some weed cruise around
- 15:52make some calls after a while Jay drives
- 15:54Adan back to woodlon high school why did
- 15:57you take him back to school he told me
- 15:59that I had to take him back to school
- 16:00because he needed to be seen there so he
- 16:05was he going to a certain event I it's
- 16:06practice track practice track practice
- 16:08yeah so he wanted an Albi yeah he wanted
- 16:11to be seen by the people at track yeah
- 16:14and you guys had discuss that he just
- 16:17told me that he need to be seen yeah he
- 16:19told me that he needed to be seen at
- 16:21track practice he took him back yes are
- 16:24you having any conversation with Adnan
- 16:27at time um
- 16:30to the effect yes don't tell
- 16:32anyone um he said that he couldn't
- 16:35believe he killed somebody with his bare
- 16:36hands that all the other mother
- 16:38[ __ ] referring to like hoods
- 16:40and Thugs and stuff think they're
- 16:41hardcore but he just killed a person
- 16:43with his bare hands so at this point
- 16:45he's bragging about it
- 16:49basically he was proud of
- 16:52it
- 16:54yes after track practice Jay picks a na
- 16:57up again they drive around more by this
- 17:00time ha's family was worried and they'
- 17:02called the police who in turn called a
- 17:04couple of ha's friends including Adan
- 17:07the call comes in on his cell the cops
- 17:08ask if he's seen hay or knows where she
- 17:10is Jay says after the call they drive to
- 17:13Jay's to get some shovels go retrieve
- 17:15ha's car from the parking ride they
- 17:17drive around some more and finally end
- 17:19up at lean Park where Adan proceeds to
- 17:22bury hay it's evening by now maybe 7 or
- 17:258 p.m. and uh he asked me if I was going
- 17:30to help and I told him [ __ ] no and he
- 17:32starts just shoveling dirt on top of
- 17:35him I believe leave there
- 17:39um
- 17:41uh let me stop a minute
- 17:44yes you helped him dig the hole
- 17:48yes how long did it take you both uhuh
- 17:52to dig the
- 17:53hole 20 25 minutes how deep did you make
- 17:56the hole oh maybe
- 18:006 in at the
- 18:01most it wasn't very deep at all who did
- 18:04most of the digging
- 18:07uh it
- 18:09was both of you yeah equal work I
- 18:13wouldn't say that but yeah okay so those
- 18:16are the key points Adan told Jay in
- 18:18advance he was going to do it he did it
- 18:20they buried her Jay's story wasn't just
- 18:23the foundation of the state's case
- 18:25against Adan it was the state's case
- 18:27against Adan and the picture Jay Drew
- 18:30it's cold I mean he's not describing a
- 18:32crime of passion here this is something
- 18:34much darker to methodically map out the
- 18:36death of your friend to strangle her
- 18:38with your own hands so close up like
- 18:40that that would mean a nan wasn't just a
- 18:43killer but a master liar and manipulator
- 18:45a psychopath
- 18:49[Music]
- 18:53probably adan's in a Maximum Security
- 18:56Prison in Western Maryland he calls me
- 18:58at my Quest about twice a week he talks
- 19:00to me from a Bank Of Eight payones in
- 19:02the wreck Hall a pretty large room where
- 19:04other guys are sitting at tables with
- 19:05metal seats attached to them playing
- 19:07chess or cards or using the microwave or
- 19:09watching TV and get a little loud
- 19:11sometimes once I asked if all eight
- 19:13phones were always occupied and he said
- 19:14usually not because guys who've been in
- 19:16for a long time often they have no one
- 19:18to call when I first met Adan in person
- 19:21I was struck by two things he was way
- 19:23bigger than I expected Barrel chested
- 19:25and tall in the photos I'd seen he was
- 19:27still a lanky teenager with struggling
- 19:29facial hair and sagging Jeans by now he
- 19:31was 32 he'd spent nearly half his life
- 19:34in prison becoming larger and properly
- 19:36bearded and the second thing which you
- 19:38can't miss about Adnan is that he has
- 19:40giant brown eyes like a dairy cow that's
- 19:43what prompts my most idiotic lines of
- 19:45inquiry could someone who looks like
- 19:47that really strangle his girlfriend
- 19:49idiotic I
- 19:50know when he first heard Jay's story of
- 19:53the crime Adnan didn't say well it
- 19:55didn't happen like that or I didn't mean
- 19:57for it to happen like that he said it
- 19:59didn't happen none of this is true at
- 20:02all he says he had nothing to do with
- 20:04Hayes murder and he doesn't know who
- 20:06did hey was a Nan's first serious
- 20:08relationship with a girl he says he
- 20:10loved her in the way of high school love
- 20:11but then also in the way of high school
- 20:13got over her so that when they broke up
- 20:15for good sometime before Christmas break
- 20:17of senior year he says he was sad for
- 20:19sure but not obsessed or anything I just
- 20:22sometimes wish like they could like look
- 20:23into my brain and see how I really felt
- 20:26about her and no matter what else
- 20:27someone would say they would see man
- 20:29this guy had no had no ill will towards
- 20:32it whatever the motivation is to kill
- 20:33someone I had absolutely it didn't exist
- 20:35in me you know what I mean no one can
- 20:38ever say why people can say why oh man
- 20:41he was mad this that or the other but no
- 20:42one can ever come with any type of proof
- 20:44or anecdote or anything to ever say that
- 20:48I was ever mad at her that I was ever
- 20:51angry with her that I ever threatened
- 20:53her you know that's the only thing I can
- 20:54really hold on to that is like my only
- 20:56firm handhold in this whole thing is
- 20:58that no one's ever been able to prove it
- 20:59no one ever's been able to provide any
- 21:01Shredder evidence that it had it had
- 21:03anything but friendship towards her like
- 21:05love and respect for her that's at the
- 21:07end of the day man the only thing I can
- 21:09ever say is man I had no reason to kill
- 21:11it he's adamant about this you can hear
- 21:13it right he's staunch the problem is
- 21:16when you ask Adan to go back and tell
- 21:18his version of what happened that day to
- 21:19refute Jay's story everything becomes a
- 21:23lot mushier yes he hung out with Jay on
- 21:25the 13th both during and after school
- 21:28but he doesn't remember exactly where
- 21:29they went or what they did or what time
- 21:31it was here's what he's got January 13th
- 21:35unfolded like any other day a normal
- 21:37mostly uneventful day he says there are
- 21:40a couple of things that do stand out
- 21:41though that day was Stephanie's birthday
- 21:44Stephanie was one of adan's best friends
- 21:46and also Jay's girlfriend Adan had
- 21:49gotten Stephanie a birthday present
- 21:51stuffed reindeer which he'd given to her
- 21:52in second period Miss Efron's English
- 21:54class and um uh one of uh it occurred to
- 21:59me that day that I was going to ask her
- 22:01boyfriend Jay did he get her a gift so
- 22:04sometime during the day uh before noon
- 22:08um wait and then just hold up for a
- 22:10second why sure why did you care whether
- 22:13Jay got Stephanie a a present like
- 22:15what's it to you well uh Stephanie was a
- 22:18very close friend of mine as I mentioned
- 22:20and it was just uh I just kind of wanted
- 22:23to make sure that she also got a gift
- 22:26from him you know she had mentioned to
- 22:27me that um she was looking forward to
- 22:29getting a gift from him she mentioned
- 22:31she was really happy to get the gift
- 22:33that I gave her so it just as I would
- 22:35with any friend I just kind of uh we
- 22:39know went to check on that I kind of had
- 22:40a feeling that maybe he didn't get her a
- 22:42gift and I had free periods during
- 22:45school so it wasn't like you know it it
- 22:47was not abnormal for me to leave school
- 22:49to go do something and then come
- 22:52back so I went to his house and I and I
- 22:56asked him you know did you happen to get
- 22:59a present for a Stephanie he said no so
- 23:01I said if you want to you can you can
- 23:03drop me back off to school you can
- 23:05borrow my car and uh you can go to the
- 23:07mall get her a gift or whatever and just
- 23:09come uh pick me up after track practice
- 23:12that day so then what
- 23:14happened well then uh when school was
- 23:18over I would have went to the library I
- 23:20know that I usually check well I didn't
- 23:22usually check but if I was going to
- 23:23check my email it would be at the using
- 23:25the library computer you know sometimes
- 23:27I would go there
- 23:29because um track practice didn't start
- 23:31until around maybe 3:00 or 3:30ish so it
- 23:35didn't start right after school so there
- 23:37was a period of time of almost like an
- 23:39hour hour and a change um you know that
- 23:42was kind of free
- 23:43time this hour and change after school
- 23:46this is the crucial window this is the
- 23:49time when the state says hay was killed
- 23:52school got out at 2:15 people remember
- 23:54seeing her after her last class heading
- 23:56to her car according to J's story and
- 23:59the cell phone records she was dead by
- 24:012:36
- 24:02p.m. so sometime in those 21 minutes
- 24:05between 2:15 and 236 she was
- 24:08strangled so that's obviously the same
- 24:10window Adnan needed to account for to
- 24:13quote Adnan my case lived and died in
- 24:15those 21
- 24:16minutes so where does itan say he was
- 24:20well maybe the library but nobody
- 24:22testify to that at trial then to track
- 24:24practice he does remember being at track
- 24:26one day when it was snowing which might
- 24:28have been that day the coach testified
- 24:30that Anan probably was there but he
- 24:31can't be 100% sure cuz as a rule he
- 24:33didn't take
- 24:34attendance after school is when his
- 24:36memories become
- 24:38non-specific usually we did this or we
- 24:40probably would have done that probably
- 24:42track practice would ended like I say
- 24:444:30 Jay did come to pick up Adan after
- 24:47track that part Adan seems to more or
- 24:48less remember it was Ramadan so Adnan
- 24:51would have been fasting all day and
- 24:52hungry it probably would have been close
- 24:54to time for me to break fast um he would
- 24:57have came and picked me up and we would
- 24:59have went to go get something to eat and
- 25:00we would have smok some weed after right
- 25:02and then I would have had to have gone
- 25:03uh been home by like around 7 8:00
- 25:07right or usually like the last 10 nights
- 25:10of Ramadan my father would spend a night
- 25:11at the mosque so a lot of times I would
- 25:13take him food other my mother would make
- 25:15food for him and I would take it like
- 25:17usually before 8:00 right because that's
- 25:18the last evening prayer did you ever
- 25:22leave the campus before the end of track
- 25:25practice did you
- 25:27ever okay
- 25:29no you're
- 25:31sure uh I want to say that I'm 99% sure
- 25:35okay the reason why I can't say 100 is
- 25:37because I mean I do kind of understand
- 25:39that it comes across as I don't know if
- 25:41it does or it doesn't but it seems like
- 25:42I remember things that are beneficial to
- 25:44me with things that aren't beneficial to
- 25:45me I can't remember it's just that I
- 25:47don't I don't really know what to say
- 25:49you know beyond the fact that a lot of
- 25:50the day that I do remember it's bits and
- 25:53pieces that comes from what other people
- 25:55have said you know that they remember
- 25:56right and they kind of JS my
- 25:59memory yeah I really know what to say
- 26:02and I completely understand how that
- 26:03comes across I mean the only thing I can
- 26:05say is man it was just a normal day to
- 26:07me there was absolutely nothing abnormal
- 26:09about that day to me aan knows better
- 26:11than anyone how unhelpful this all is
- 26:14how problematic because it plays both
- 26:16ways if he's innocent right it's any
- 26:18other day of course he doesn't remember
- 26:20but you can also read it as how
- 26:22convenient he doesn't remember the day
- 26:25so no one can fact check him or poke
- 26:26holes in his story because has no story
- 26:29and I definitely understand that someone
- 26:32could look at this and say oh man you
- 26:33know he must be lying it's so
- 26:34coincidental that he doesn't remember
- 26:36what he did at this particular time I
- 26:38mean I completely understand that and I
- 26:40get that that's you know like I said
- 26:42that's the you know the biggest the
- 26:43hardest thing I've dealt with for these
- 26:44past 15 years is that I don't if there
- 26:48there's nothing tangible I can do to
- 26:51remember that day it's the truth there's
- 26:53nothing I can do you know to Make Me
- 26:55Remember You know I poured through the
- 26:57trans scripts I've looked through the um
- 27:00telephone records um you know I mean
- 27:03this just what what else can I do
- 27:04there's nothing I can do so it's just
- 27:06you know perhaps I'll never be able to
- 27:08explain it and it is what it is if
- 27:10someone believes me or not you know I
- 27:12have no control over
- 27:18it adan's trial was a long ordeal Jay
- 27:21was on the stand for something like 5
- 27:23days a cell phone expert testified for 2
- 27:25days a lifetime when you're discussing
- 27:27cel to technology there were absences
- 27:30and some bad weather closed the courts
- 27:32so it was 6 weeks before both sides
- 27:34rested but the jury they moved like
- 27:36lightning after just a few hours
- 27:38including a lunch break they convicted a
- 27:41nan of first-degree
- 27:42murder Robbie a chalry was there in the
- 27:44courtroom when it happened she says his
- 27:46mother was crying she was crying Robia
- 27:49hadn't set through the whole trial so
- 27:51the first time she fully understood that
- 27:52the case came down to those 21 minutes
- 27:55was during closing arguments when the
- 27:57prosecutor brought out a dummy's head
- 27:58and strangled it in front of the jury
- 28:01that evening after the verdict Robbie
- 28:02went to see Adnan in lock up and so I
- 28:05went to go see him so this is the same
- 28:06day he's been convicted and this is the
- 28:08first time I actually had a conversation
- 28:09with him about you know what's going on
- 28:12and and I was like you know ad the whole
- 28:13thing is turning on these 20 25 minutes
- 28:16like you know where were you and he's
- 28:17like she disappeared in January you know
- 28:20in March you're asking me like where
- 28:21were you after school for 20 minutes on
- 28:23a specific day like no all the days are
- 28:25the same to me you know U he's but then
- 28:28he mentions that there was this one girl
- 28:31an alibi girl uh he's like the only
- 28:33thing um I could offer is he's like I
- 28:35remember he's like there's a girl I go
- 28:37to school with who uh her name is Asia
- 28:39mlan um he's like right after I got
- 28:41arrested she wrote me um a couple of
- 28:44letters and she said she also wanted to
- 28:46see my family and she said she
- 28:48specifically remembers me being um at
- 28:50the library at the public library right
- 28:52after school the woodon public library
- 28:54is just across the parking lot from
- 28:56woodon high school it's not techn part
- 28:58of the campus but it might as well be he
- 29:00said I gave those letters to Christina
- 29:02Gutierrez to my attorney he's like but
- 29:04you know apparently it didn't really
- 29:05check out so he's like I don't know so
- 29:07they're not helpful to us so this is the
- 29:10first time I heard of this girl um Asia
- 29:13mlan I had never heard of her before
- 29:14nobody had mentioned her before were you
- 29:16like floor like wait wait wait wait what
- 29:19I mean what like I wasn't Flor at the
- 29:21time because I thought I thought if he
- 29:24if this girl wrote and the attorney what
- 29:27criminal defense attorney is not going
- 29:28to check out a potential
- 29:30Alibi so I asked him I said do you have
- 29:32a copy of those letters he said yeah I
- 29:33have a copy I said send me a copy a nan
- 29:36sends the letters to Ria and here's what
- 29:37she reads the first letter the first of
- 29:40two is dated March 1st 1999 that is one
- 29:43day after Anan was arrested at the top
- 29:45of the letter she notes I just came from
- 29:47your house an hour ago dear Adan I hope
- 29:51I spelled it right I'm not sure if you
- 29:53remember talking to me in the library on
- 29:55January 13th but I remember chatting
- 29:57with you
- 29:58she says qu we aren't really close
- 30:00friends but I want you to look into my
- 30:02eyes and tell me of your innocence if I
- 30:04ever find otherwise I will hunt you down
- 30:06and whip your ass okay friend at the
- 30:08bottom she added a little note my
- 30:10boyfriend and his best friend remember
- 30:11seeing you there too that's letter
- 30:14number one then the next day on March
- 30:162nd she writes it on another letter this
- 30:18one's typed it's chattier she talks
- 30:20about the gossip in school the bits and
- 30:22pieces of evidence about the crime that
- 30:23are circulating what the students are
- 30:25saying what the teachers are saying
- 30:27about her visit to house quote your
- 30:29brothers are nice I don't think I Met
- 30:30Your Mother I think I met your dad does
- 30:32he have a big gray beard they gave me in
- 30:34Justin soda and Cake there's a whole
- 30:36bunch of people at your house I didn't
- 30:38know who they were I also didn't know
- 30:39that Muslims take their shoes off in the
- 30:41house thank God they didn't make me take
- 30:42mine off my stinky feet probably would
- 30:44have knocked everyone out cold why
- 30:46haven't you told anyone about talking to
- 30:48me in the library she asks him did you
- 30:50think it was unimportant you didn't
- 30:52think that I would remember or did you
- 30:54just totally forget
- 30:55yourself Adan says now that he does in
- 30:58fact remember seeing Asia in the library
- 31:00the thing he remembers about it is so
- 31:02high
- 31:03school Asia used to go out with a non's
- 31:05friend Justin and Justin had confided
- 31:07that Asia was a proper young lady in
- 31:10other words Justin wasn't getting any so
- 31:13Adan remembers thinking he would now get
- 31:14to tease Justin about seeing Asia with
- 31:16her new boyfriend maybe the new guy was
- 31:18getting lucky haha anyway Robia calls
- 31:22Asia up it's been a year since she wrote
- 31:24the letters but she agrees to meet and
- 31:25she told me uh that day after school I
- 31:29went to the LI public library and Adan
- 31:31was sitting at a computer checking email
- 31:33or something and I sat down next to him
- 31:34we started chatting and um Adon was a
- 31:37very popular boy in school he's handsome
- 31:39and you know popular with the ladies so
- 31:42she was speaking to him and her
- 31:43boyfriend shows up a little bit later
- 31:44with a friend and um she said her
- 31:47boyfriend was really angry at her cuz
- 31:48he's like why are you talking to him you
- 31:50know his high school kids you know why
- 31:51are you talking to him is he hitting on
- 31:53you um and she remembered very
- 31:55specifically that that day she went home
- 31:57with her she went to her boyfriend's
- 31:58house with him um and they got snowed in
- 32:02and that snowed really heavily that
- 32:03night and um she remembered that for the
- 32:06following two days school was closed so
- 32:09she had very specific details about um
- 32:11why she remembered that day Asia wrote
- 32:13out an affidavit on the spot in it she
- 32:16says she and aan spoke for about 15 to
- 32:1820 minutes while she was waiting for her
- 32:19boyfriend to give her a ride quote we
- 32:21left around 240 unquote remember he is
- 32:25supposed to be dead by
- 32:26236 and then the kicker no attorney has
- 32:30ever contacted me about January 13th
- 32:321999 and the above
- 32:35information so benefit of the doubt for
- 32:38a second maybe Adnan never actually
- 32:40showed the letters to Christina
- 32:41Gutierrez his attorney sure he said he
- 32:44did but who knows well I know deep
- 32:47inside gutierrez's notes on the case I
- 32:49have boxes and boxes of such stuff
- 32:51there's this in her handwriting Asia
- 32:54plus boyfriend saw him in library 215 to
- 32:5735 15 then there's another note dated
- 33:00July 13th it's more than 4 months after
- 33:03adan's arrest this is written by one of
- 33:05gutierrez's law clerks who visited Anan
- 33:07in jail quote Asia mlan saw him in the
- 33:10library at 3 Asia boyfriend saw him too
- 33:14Library may have
- 33:16cameras why oh why was this person never
- 33:19heard from a trial a solid non-crazy
- 33:22detail oriented Alibi witness in a case
- 33:24that so sorely needed Alibi Witnesses I
- 33:28can't ask Christina Gutierrez because
- 33:29she died in 2004 so I put that question
- 33:32to a few defense attorneys and they
- 33:34saidwell Alibi witnesses can be tricky
- 33:36especially if it's just one person
- 33:38because then it becomes one person's
- 33:39word over another a single witness like
- 33:41that can backfire under
- 33:42cross-examination or they might take the
- 33:44jury's Focus away from the weaknesses in
- 33:46the states case so there are conceivable
- 33:49strategic reasons why Christina
- 33:51Gutierrez might not have wanted to put
- 33:52Asia mlan on the stand but what is
- 33:55inconceivable they all said is to not
- 33:58ever contact Asia mlan to never make the
- 34:01call never check it out never find out
- 34:03if her story helps or hurts your case
- 34:05that makes no sense whatsoever that is
- 34:07not a strategy that is a [ __ ] up when I
- 34:11first heard about the long lost Asia
- 34:12letters and the lawyer mistake I thought
- 34:14well their fight is over right they've
- 34:16got an alibi witness who was never heard
- 34:18from it's such a slam dunk they're done
- 34:21ad non's Family hired a new attorney who
- 34:23filed a petition in court based on the
- 34:25Asia affidavit his argument was that
- 34:27anan's trial could have turned out
- 34:29differently if Gutierrez had checked out
- 34:31Asia's story and so Adan should get some
- 34:33form of what's called postconviction
- 34:36relief the new lawyer figures he'll get
- 34:38Asia to come to the hearing she'll vouch
- 34:39for her story by this time Asia had
- 34:42finished school and moved away he finds
- 34:43an address on the west coast tries
- 34:45calling sending messages nothing finally
- 34:48he writes a letter to her and gives it
- 34:49to a private investigator who goes out
- 34:51to Asia's house and hopes of delivering
- 34:53it Asia's fiance comes to the door opens
- 34:56it partway tells investigator that she
- 34:58cannot speak to Asia but that from what
- 35:01he knows of adnan's case Adnan is guilty
- 35:03and deserve the punishment he got later
- 35:05the investigator gets a call from the
- 35:07fiance we don't have to talk to you
- 35:09leave us
- 35:10alone so adan's lawyer calls off the
- 35:13search for Asia figuring once a witness
- 35:15turns on you like that it's too risky to
- 35:17keep pushing and then at anan's hearing
- 35:20on the new petition it comes out that
- 35:22Asia had done the very thing they
- 35:23dreaded Asia had called one of the
- 35:26prosecutors in a non's case a guy named
- 35:28Kevin urick and undermined her own
- 35:30statement this is from a recording of
- 35:32the hearing Mr urick is testifying on
- 35:34the witness stand how did you learn that
- 35:38the defendant this
- 35:40position a young lady named Asia called
- 35:44me and U what did she say she was
- 35:47concerned because she was being asked
- 35:49questions about an affidavit she'd
- 35:51written back at the time of the trial
- 35:53she told me that she'd only written it
- 35:55because she was getting pressure from
- 35:57the family and she basically wrote it to
- 35:59pleasee them and get them off her
- 36:01back it was it's I don't know what
- 36:04happened to her and why she would do
- 36:06this here's Robia again she says it's
- 36:09not true that Asia was bullied into
- 36:10writing that statement 15 years ago and
- 36:12she can't fathom why Asia would
- 36:14discredit her own statement like that I
- 36:15don't know why though they were the
- 36:17affidavit was written voluntarily I mean
- 36:20I I'm an attorney I'm a licensed
- 36:22attorney I work on homeland security ISS
- 36:24like I have no reason to make something
- 36:26like this up you know I didn't even know
- 36:28she existed until um until after the
- 36:32conviction so what do you think happened
- 36:34why why would they have this sort of
- 36:35violent reaction to helping out a na now
- 36:40I don't know uh it was just really odd
- 36:46so who knows what would have happened if
- 36:47Asia had shown up maybe it wouldn't have
- 36:49made a difference after all they had the
- 36:51original letters and the affidavit
- 36:53that's all that should have mattered but
- 36:55it didn't look good it'd be natural for
- 36:57the Jud to wonder why can't the defense
- 36:59produce this Asia person why is she
- 37:01making this call to a prosecutor I mean
- 37:04anyone would wonder I wondered I
- 37:06wondered if maybe she was pressured into
- 37:07writing that affidavit and I wondered if
- 37:09she was hiding something like maybe
- 37:11she'd lied in those 1999 letters maybe
- 37:14she didn't really see Adnan at the
- 37:16library that day and I just wanted to
- 37:17insert herself into something exciting
- 37:20and maybe now that she was grown up she
- 37:21wanted nothing to do with any of
- 37:23it so 3 4 months after I'd first sat
- 37:26down with Robia I'd be I'm fixated on
- 37:28finding Asia I'm like a blood hound on
- 37:30this thing because the whole case seemed
- 37:33to me to be teetering on her memories of
- 37:35that afternoon I have to know if Adnan
- 37:37really was in the library at 2:36 p.m.
- 37:41because if he was well Library equals
- 37:43innocent it's so maddeningly simple and
- 37:46maybe I can crack it if I can just talk
- 37:48to Asia I write her a long gentle
- 37:51pleading letter and send it off to an
- 37:52address I find online I'm calling people
- 37:55who know her or who I think might know
- 37:57her I'm checking the same Loop of
- 37:59Facebook my life LinkedIn sites over and
- 38:01over trolling for clues about where she
- 38:03might be or how she might think if
- 38:06you're wondering why I went so nuts on
- 38:07this story versus some other murder case
- 38:10the best I can explain is this is the
- 38:12one that came to me it wasn't halfway
- 38:14across the world or even next door it
- 38:17came right to my lap and if I could help
- 38:19get to the bottom of it shouldn't I
- 38:22try I start running down all the other
- 38:24information in Asia's 1999 letters
- 38:28she mentioned there were security
- 38:29cameras inside the Library so my
- 38:31producer and I went to see the very nice
- 38:33manager there Michelle ham was there a
- 38:35security system back in 99 that could
- 38:37have been checked at the time probably
- 38:40yes I'm going to say yes okay and what
- 38:43system was it I have no
- 38:45idea it was a old system so but you
- 38:49think probably video it was video okay
- 38:51and that was part of setup every morning
- 38:53you put a videotape in so that's and
- 38:55were you guys recycling the vide tapes
- 38:57yes okay I think it ran for you know a
- 39:00week so you had a Monday tape a Tuesday
- 39:02tape a Wednesday tape and so forth so so
- 39:05even if on the very day that Asia had
- 39:07written her first letter adan's lawyer
- 39:09had run out to find the security tape it
- 39:11probably would have been non-existent by
- 39:13then asked me but what about the
- 39:14computer Adnan was supposedly using to
- 39:16check his email um to use a computer did
- 39:19people have to sign in like write their
- 39:21name down they did and what was the
- 39:24system then um piece of paper and pencil
- 39:28and those by any chance weren't logged
- 39:30meticulously and kept for 15 years were
- 39:32they
- 39:34no bummer all right we got nothing then
- 39:39there was the mystery of Asia's
- 39:41boyfriend Derek and his friend Gerard
- 39:43all winter and spring every time I went
- 39:45to Baltimore I went to dereck's Mom's
- 39:47house looking for him and to Gerard's
- 39:49window tinting business and then finally
- 39:52all right so you are gerro Johnson yes I
- 39:54am you don't know how excited we are to
- 39:57be talking I've been looking for you for
- 39:58like four months you didn't do anything
- 40:01but we were hoping maybe you remembered
- 40:03this
- 40:04moment on January 13th
- 40:091999 do you H have any memory by any
- 40:14miracle that you went to woodlon public
- 40:19library branch near woodon high school
- 40:22to pick up Asia mlan with your friend
- 40:25Derek I have no idea de asiia mlan is
- 40:29that a person or a
- 40:32book it's a person no no recollection of
- 40:37it scratch Gerard Derek was my last hope
- 40:41eventually I caught him at home
- 40:42considering I woke him up he was
- 40:44exceedingly courteous he showed me a
- 40:46photo of asan him all dressed up they
- 40:48dated most of senior year what's up here
- 40:50this is our Senor PR yeah you guys both
- 40:53look really beautiful mhm yeah that's my
- 40:56uh that's Asia yeah but Derek couldn't
- 40:59remember that day either shocking I know
- 41:02he used to pick Asia up from school
- 41:04almost every day back then either from
- 41:05the library or from the front of the
- 41:07school and he says he spoke to a lot of
- 41:09her friends just to be polite and um
- 41:12it's uh it's very possible that um we I
- 41:15could have spoken to the gentleman and
- 41:16her on that day um but it's very hard to
- 41:20remember you know 15 years later but it
- 41:23it it sounds you know very uh it sounds
- 41:26like this definitely could have happened
- 41:28yeah I don't think AIA Asia's not the
- 41:29type of person that would lie just to
- 41:31you that's what I'm wondering she's
- 41:32definitely not that type of person you
- 41:34know to get involved with a lie you know
- 41:37she's not that type of person so she uh
- 41:41it it it seems pretty credible to
- 41:44[Music]
- 41:48me one day I get a call on my cell phone
- 41:51from a blocked number you guessed it
- 41:54Asia I wish I could say that my charming
- 41:57persuasive letter is what prompted Asia
- 41:59to call but the truth is she never got
- 42:01my letter I had the wrong address but
- 42:03she was calling because I'd followed up
- 42:04weeks later with a on line email and she
- 42:06was responding to that a little confused
- 42:09this is crazy
- 42:13um I mean I have a couple minutes if you
- 42:16want to chat about it I recorded our
- 42:19conversation on the cell which is why
- 42:21the sound quality is so bad sorry about
- 42:23that Asia is now a 33-year-old
- 42:25stay-at-home mother and she has not
- 42:27spent the last 15 years worrying about
- 42:29Adnan and whether he's guilty I trust
- 42:32the court systems to do their due
- 42:34diligence and I because I I mean I was
- 42:39never I was never questioned I was never
- 42:42informed of anything pertaining to the
- 42:45case I don't know why he was
- 42:48convicted Asia said she was spooked when
- 42:51the private investigator came to her
- 42:52house I don't know if that's why she
- 42:54didn't testify at the hearing or why she
- 42:56made the call to the process secutor but
- 42:57she told me that when she got the knock
- 42:59at the door that was not cool because to
- 43:02her if Adnan did do it the last thing
- 43:04you want is a murderer being pissed off
- 43:06at you knowing where you live but she
- 43:09had a remarkably clear memory of what
- 43:11happened on January 13th 1999 she had an
- 43:14internship at the time and so she got
- 43:16out of school much earlier than everyone
- 43:17else Derek was supposed to come get her
- 43:19at the library along with gerro but they
- 43:21were very late she rememb seeing Adnan
- 43:23come in after woodlon let out for the
- 43:25day ad came in and he sat at the table
- 43:28and like we weren't like really close
- 43:31friends or anything like that but you
- 43:33know um we I you know we knew each other
- 43:38and you know we just he chatted or
- 43:41whatever and I can't
- 43:45remember I think I must have asked him
- 43:48how he was doing or whatever and he said
- 43:50fine and you know he told me that him
- 43:52and hey I broke up and and I was like oh
- 43:56look that that's a and and I was like
- 43:58what happened and he was like oh well
- 44:01she was seeing this other guy some some
- 44:05white dude
- 44:07and you know but he was pretty chill
- 44:10about it he just he was just like you
- 44:13know well if you know she doesn't want
- 44:15to be with me then that's fine I you
- 44:17know I just wish the best for her and
- 44:19that kind of attitude and I'm not sure
- 44:22why Asia's memory of this interaction is
- 44:23so clear all these years later my best
- 44:26guess is that because she wrote it down
- 44:27at the time in those letters and then
- 44:29the affidavit that the details somehow
- 44:31stuck do you remember what time you were
- 44:34talking this would have happened in the
- 44:36library do you remember what time that
- 44:38conversation would have
- 44:43happened I don't because I know school
- 44:46let out around 2:15 so it was probably
- 44:50around
- 44:51230 cuz you had said you you got out of
- 44:54school earlier than other people so were
- 44:57you there were you at the library before
- 45:002:15 oh yeah I have been at the library
- 45:02for a few hours oh
- 45:04wow yeah I was pretty piss when Derek
- 45:07showed up and and and you know and he
- 45:10asked me who who Adon was and you know
- 45:13you know jealous teenager white language
- 45:17he's like you know who the hell is
- 45:19that and I said don't even start with me
- 45:21because you you know you're a few hours
- 45:23late don't worry about who that is you
- 45:26know
- 45:29I remember that day because that was the
- 45:32the um day that it snowed were there
- 45:37snow days after that do you
- 45:40remember I I want to say there was
- 45:42because that was I think that was like
- 45:44the first snow of the
- 45:47year I wouldn't have even remembered if
- 45:50it hadn't been for the snow and the
- 45:53whole you know I just remember being so
- 45:57pissed about Derek being late and then
- 46:00getting snowed in at his house and it
- 46:02was the first snow of that year the snow
- 46:05is important he disappeared on a
- 46:07Wednesday that night there was a huge
- 46:09ice storm which is unusual in Maryland
- 46:11it ended up being a state emergency and
- 46:13school was closed for the rest of the
- 46:15week Asia started asking me questions
- 46:17about the case wasn't there DNA evidence
- 46:20and what exactly was Jay's part in the
- 46:21whole thing she wasn't sure Adnan was
- 46:24guilty she said things I've now heard
- 46:26from from so many people since he seemed
- 46:29like he cared about hay he didn't seem
- 46:31angry or upset I thought there was more
- 46:33proof even that day it did you know I
- 46:36didn't walk away like oh I just started
- 46:39something you know what I mean yeah if
- 46:42you want to R his innocent off of his
- 46:44composure at that moment I would say
- 46:47he's innocent
- 46:48but I mean I'm 32 years old now and I
- 46:52know that you know there's people out
- 46:55there capable of hanging
- 46:57acts that can keep a calm demeanor you
- 47:00know yeah and I know that there are
- 47:03people who flip out on a moment's notice
- 47:06and do something that you know they
- 47:09regret for the rest of their Liv so I
- 47:12you know don't really yeah even now it
- 47:16would be nice if there was some
- 47:17technicality something that would prove
- 47:19his innocence great you know one less
- 47:23evil person I've met in my life you know
- 47:26but but I think I think Asia like you
- 47:29might be that technicality do you see
- 47:31what I mean like you're if you're saying
- 47:34you saw him on this day at that time
- 47:37that means the states timeline for their
- 47:40this whole their whole theory of the
- 47:42case doesn't make any
- 47:44sense it's a
- 47:46possibility because they're saying he
- 47:49was in the car with her at the very time
- 47:53that you're saying no I saw him at the
- 47:54library and we were talking do you know
- 47:57what I mean like that's exactly the
- 47:58window where they're saying she was
- 48:04murdered in case you couldn't hear that
- 48:06it was a sigh and I completely
- 48:09understand that sigh it's how I feel a
- 48:11lot of the time because I talk to it non
- 48:13regularly and he just doesn't seem like
- 48:16a
- 48:17[Music]
- 48:22murderer few minutes after I hung up
- 48:24with Asia Adnan called on schedule hey
- 48:27Sarah how you doing um I'm good I'm good
- 48:31um I so I was just talking to asiia
- 48:36mlan
- 48:39okay you don't sound very
- 48:43excited I had a well I mean I really you
- 48:48know this was not the reaction I
- 48:50expected I felt like I just interviewed
- 48:52an ivory build woodpecker but when I
- 48:55told a nonan what Asia remembered
- 48:57instead of being excited a non said it
- 48:59was heartbreaking I mean on a personal
- 49:01level I'm happy because in a sense it's
- 49:05you know that I'm not making this up and
- 49:07at least it's nothing else and kind of
- 49:08like at least someone other than Ria
- 49:11knows that you know this did take place
- 49:14anything that can kind of support what
- 49:15I'm saying to be the truth that I didn't
- 49:17do this is great but from a legal
- 49:20perspective it's like I wish she would
- 49:21have came to this realization maybe like
- 49:24a year and a half ago you know what I
- 49:25mean because it's kind of like you
- 49:28know I mean it's too
- 49:31late I'm sorry I mean I I definitely
- 49:34appreciate it you know I definitely kind
- 49:36of hear the Elation of your voice but
- 49:37now I feel like I punctured your balloon
- 49:39no no I mean I I see I totally I see I
- 49:42see what you're saying I I hadn't
- 49:43thought about it in that
- 49:48way when I told Robbie I'd talk to Asia
- 49:51she immediately burst into tears because
- 49:53they were all correct it was too late
- 49:56the Jud ruled on ad Nan's petition a few
- 49:58weeks before I spoke to Asia denied the
- 50:01judge wrote in his opinion that
- 50:03Christina gz's decision not to use Asia
- 50:05mlan as an alibi witness was strategic
- 50:09after all Asia's original letters didn't
- 50:11specify an exact time and Gutierrez
- 50:13could have reasonably concluded that
- 50:15Asia was offering to lie in order to
- 50:17help Anan and finally he wrote Asia's
- 50:20letter contradicted adan's own Alibi
- 50:22Asia said she saw him at the public
- 50:24library but Adnan said he was on the
- 50:26school camp the whole afternoon maybe
- 50:28the judge didn't understand that
- 50:30Woodland library is basically part of
- 50:31the campus but
- 50:33anyway Asia's story then is legally
- 50:36worthless a witness who says she saw you
- 50:39at the exact moment when the state
- 50:41contends you were strangling a young
- 50:42woman in a car is
- 50:45worthless a few days after I spoke to
- 50:47Asia she wrote me an email I've been
- 50:50thinking a lot about Adnan she wrote all
- 50:52this time I thought the courts proved it
- 50:53was Adnan that killed her I thought he
- 50:55was where he deserved to be now I'm not
- 50:58so sure hey was our friend too and it
- 51:00sucks feeling like you don't know who
- 51:02really killed your friend hey was the
- 51:04sweetest person ever if he didn't kill
- 51:06hay we owe it to him to try to make that
- 51:08clear and if he did kill her then we
- 51:11need to put this to rest I just hope
- 51:13that Anan isn't some sick bastard just
- 51:15trying to manipulate his way out of jail
- 51:18I wrote back believe me I'm on exactly
- 51:22the same
- 51:25page
- 51:27[Laughter]
- 51:30coming up this season on
- 51:31cereal I think that there are other
- 51:34people involved like maybe I think maybe
- 51:36he was set up I think he was set up
- 51:37somehow clearly you could tell something
- 51:40was going on that wasn't good I mean it
- 51:42was just strange behavior for anybody
- 51:44basically threaten me like you know what
- 51:46happened to hey this is what's going to
- 51:47happen to you that's how I felt that day
- 51:50what are you thinking right now you have
- 51:51the same smile I do I'm literally
- 51:53thinking like could like could he have
- 51:55gone crazy
- 51:57Jay told me he was being blackmailed by
- 51:59adnot cuz adnot knew that Jay couldn't
- 52:02go to the police like if this works and
- 52:04he I mean every question we've had for
- 52:07the past 8 months he knows it yeah I
- 52:13mean who else did it you know there's
- 52:15like running out of
- 52:19[Music]
- 52:22suspect serials produced by Julie SNY
- 52:25Dana chibis and me Emily conon is our
- 52:27production and operations manager Ira
- 52:28Glass is our editorial adviser editing
- 52:30help from Nancy Updike factchecking by
- 52:32Karen fala Smith special thanks to Lou
- 52:35Teddy Jane Marie Seth Lind Elise
- 52:36bergerson and the entire staff of This
- 52:38American Life and to my in-laws Ethan
- 52:40shrier and Janet LaVine for putting me
- 52:42up in Baltimore so many times in the
- 52:44past
- 52:45[Music]
- 52:47year serial's a production of This
- 52:50American Life and WBEZ
- 52:55Chicago
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