After listening to the first episode of Serial, I had an urge to learn more. I decided to continue listening to the podcast, which is written and narrated by Sarah Koenig. I have now listened to the first two episodes and I personally have a feeling that Adnan is innocent. However, I have found that Sarah is quite biased towards the idea that Adnan is innocent, so I have been trying to keep an open mind while listening and make sure that I seriously consider any potentially incriminating facts or pieces of evidence. I am a big fan of mysteries, especially when they are realistic. I loved reading the Sherlock Holmes stories, as well as watching BBC’s Sherlock. Forensic Files is also one of my favourite shows, as it is very evidence based.
The biggest reason for why I think that Adnan is innocent is that there is no physical evidence to prove that he is guilty (Koenig). Sarah mentioned in the first episode of the podcast that there was some of Adnan’s DNA found in Hae’s car, but this makes sense, since they were dating before the incident (Koenig). I think that it is ridiculous that Adnan was convicted when there was no tangible proof that he had even touched or been near Hae that night. In the second episode of the podcast, it is mentioned that Adnan had asked Hae for a ride home, but he got held up at school and she left without him (Koenig).
In the first episode, there is a lot of focus on Adnan’s alibi. Adnan can’t remember exactly where he was on the day of Hae’s murder, but his “friend” Jay seems to remember everything perfectly. I don’t personally trust Jay’s story and I definitely don’t think that the entire case should have been based on an 18-year-old’s memory. Jay claims that Adnan only went to track practice to been seen there, to create an alibi (Koenig). He also claims that Adnan had a plan of how he was going to kill Hae, and that Jay helped him bury the body (Koenig). However, a girl named Asia recalls talking to Adnan in a library at the time that Hae would have been killed (Koenig). This piece of potentially critical information was overlooked by Adnan’s lawyers at the time of the trial, or possibly even ignored (Koenig). If this alibi was used in the trial, I think that there is a much higher possibility that Adnan could have walked away without being convicted.
I also just don’t think that Adnan is the type of person who would kill his ex-girlfriend, and many people seem to agree. I obviously don’t know him personally, but in the audio clips of him talking he didn’t sound like he was lying. None of his friends, or even Hae’s friends thought that he had any ill-intent towards her after they broke up (Koenig). They said that they both moved on very quickly, and at the time of her death Hae was dating someone else (Koenig).
Let me know what you think in the comments!
Works Cited
Koenig, Sarah, prod. “The Alibi.” Episode #1. Serial. WBEZ Chicago, n.d 19 Apr. 2015. Web.
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