And thats not necessarily mebut that is my family, that is my uncles and cousins. In the podcast Koenig pointedly challenged Jays account of events and his motivation for assisting Adnan. Hae Min Lee was last seen at about 3pm on 13 January 1999. Once the police made it clear that my drug dealing wasn't gonna affect the outcome of what was going on, I became a little bit more transparent.". Jay Wilds, the key witness in the Serial murder case, has broken his silence at last. I made him smoke one time, he got a little high, got a little weird. Ill call you from someone elses phone when Im done.. Now I dont wanna tell the people at Cathys that this guy Im with just killed his girlfriend and the cops just called because then they would all be a part of this fucked up thing. From the mall where he met Syed to the time, and even which friend's homes he visited the day of Lee's murder, there are questionable aspects of his testimony. It went national, but it was produced in Baltimore. Three days later, Baltimore Police . Baltimore City police detective Darryl Massey received two anonymous phone calls telling him to look into Lees ex-boyfriend as a possible suspect, Undisclosed: The State vs. Adnan Syed reported. When the Serial podcast premiered in October of 2014, many listeners were shocked to find that almost the entirety of the prosecutions case to convict Adnan Syed for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee hinged on the testimony of one witnessJay Wilds. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. It all revolves around Jay," lawyer and Syed family friend, Wilds, who gave police multipleinterviews and testified in court, was first questioned on Feb. 28, 1999, just hours before police arrested Syed on suspicion of Lees murder. Take my car, take my cellphone. Also Jay had no motive. Your login session has expired. It was just at the end of my junior year, so about 16. The following two series stepped away from the whodunnit intensity of the first, and went on to examine an American army deserter and the court system in Ohio. Syed is currently serving a life sentence. When did you two get closer to each other? I say, Well we need to part ways. I dont remember if he dropped me off at my house or if I got a ride from somebody else. "This was true in 1999 when he was a 17-year-old child. JayWilds and Adnan Syed may not have been close, butWilds' witness testimony would ultimately be key to convicting Syed of Hae Min Lee's murder. December 15, 1999: A mistrial is declared. Jay also worked at the Drug Emporium store a short walk from his home. The 18-year-old high school senior played varsity field hockey and lacrosse and managed the boys' wrestling team, and was due to graduate with honors with the class of 1999. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadnt done it? The police confirm to the press that they are. Wilds, who was an acquaintance of Syed, confessed to helping Syed bury. Heres everything we know about Jay Wilds before the premiere of HBOs documentary series, The Case Against Adnan Syed. Something definite in both media arguments is Wilds's change in story. maison d'amelie paris clothing. Jay Wilds, a former classmate who claimed to have assisted Syed in disposing of the victim's body, was the key witness in his trial. Investigators at the time determined that she died by . He seemed under alot of pressure to please. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Jay Wilds, key witness in Adnan Syed's murder trial, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Its been more than two decades since the body of Woodlawn High School senior .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Hae Min Lee was found at Leakin Park in West Baltimore, Maryland. You cant start drawing conclusions like that. Im also thinking, Whats making him think Im totally okay with this? Like if a car goes by, and I jump out and wave at them saying, Hey, this is a murderer right here. But I didnt. About a month later, police uncovered her body in a nearby park; an. When Woodlawn put in the magnet thing, they took out all the vocational classes. He recalls a tense meeting with Koenig, who was attempting to persuade him into participating in the podcast, and remembers Koenig telling him that there were new developments in the case. Here, we piece together the accounts as they reportedly happened in the 1999 teen murder case: While their relationship was kept a secret because of both religious and cultural differences, classmates Syed and Lee dated in 1998, and broke up in December of that year, according to court records. In Serial you are depicted as a petty weed dealer. From your perspective, what was Adnans reputation at Woodlawn? Syed has maintained his innocence since he was arrested for Lee's murder in February 1999, when he was a 17-year-old in high school. He has come to prominence in recent months. But this account somewhat differsfrom Jays second police interview, as well as his court testimony. Syed's case has been publicized in the podcast Serial, as well as the HBO true crime documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Hae Min Lee's body was found buried in a shallow grave in Maryland in February 1999. Lee had disappeared on Jan. 13, and almost a month later, on Feb. 9, her body was found by a passerby in Baltimores Leakin Park. Im going to be late for practice, so just drop me off. I was also running [drug] operations from my grandmothers house. Ok, so you arrive at Cathys with Adnan after he tells you he murdered Hae? He might really have just been bullshitting at the time. I had never known anybody who had killed anybody else, so theres no way I could have known. I dont know. Syed could be granted another trial, though, which could pull Wilds back into the spotlight. And then I would only give them information pertaining to my interaction with someone or where I was. ', Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee, Photo: Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, Adnan Syed's high school football photo; Photo: Courtesy of HBO, Youn Kim (r), mother of Hae Min Lee, is escorted from her daughter's Memorial Service by guidance counselor Gwen Kellam, on March 11, 1999, in Baltimore, Maryland; Photo: Elizabeth Malby/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, changed throughout his interviews and testimony, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. . Even to Serial, the podcast that detailed nearly every part of Syed's case, Wild remained off the record to provide background information, according to Rolling Stone. Meanwhile, Wilds version of the day changed throughout his interviews and testimony. . Just another site. In his testimony at the second trial, he says that he and Syed drove to Security Square Mall and claims that Syed reportedly told him he was going to kill Lee. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. His evidence was crucial to the state's case. Jays testimony was critical to the states case; indeed,without his testimony its virtually impossible that the state could have even brought Syed to trial. Baltimore City Circuit Court judge Melissa M. Phinn vacated Syed's conviction, effectively setting him free. Wilds' first taped interview with police occurred on February 28, 1999. April Wolfe. Anything thats going to make [Syed] innocent doesnt involve me. Clearly Sarah Koenig was leaning towards Adnans innocence and she got sidetracked by Jay a little bit, too. A big part of the Serial podcast is to speculate on Adnans motive. I knew him because I knew Muslims in the community from playing basketball at the mosque. In. Syed went on trial in February 2000 and was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. Getting them in trouble for anything that they knew or that I had told them I couldnt have that. On January 13th of 1999, a 17 year old Korean girl by the name of Hae Min Lee when missing after school in Baltimore, Maryland. But Wilds, who is not heard from outside of taped testimony in either Serial or the HBO documentary, stood by what he told police in a three-part interview with The Intercept in 2014 following the podcast airing. If you're a fan of Sarah Koenig's popular podcast, Serial, then you might already know that previously convicted murderer Adnan Syed whose case was the subject of the podcast's . .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger. Jay feels strongly that he was unfairly depicted by Koenig and that she painted a highly misleading portrayal of him and his role in the case. A December 1999 trial ended in mistrial. I was a bit of an outdoorsman, adventure seeker, fishing, camping, learned to ride a motorcycle. A majority of the state's evidence against Adnan comes from Jay Wilds' testimony. Well, according to Chaudra, Wilds attorney told her that the prosecutors threatened him by promising to prosecute him in a predominantly white county, and Wilds, who is black, was frightened enough to do what he was told. One big theory being floated around is that Wilds was the anonymous tipster who called Detective Massey and told police to focus on the ex-boyfriend. Wilds's testimony played a giant part in convicting Syed of murdering his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee in 1999. It wasnt just like I was selling a nickel bag here and there. Did you make the anonymous call to the police to tip them off about Adnan? Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Serial produced a time line which showed the conflicts betweeen just a few of Jays different versions of eventsfor January 13, 1999. I said, Alright, cool. I dropped him off at school, went to the mall, then when I was done, I go back to my friend Jenns house, where I normally go, sit and smoke with my friend. I dont think thats wrong, its high school, you know. At that age, it's intense and he never called Jay a liar, even in Serial. . They didnt have to go by us, except to come to lunch, and that was it. He just started opening up. He also claimedthat he felt like Koenig, whose account challenges his, tried to pressure him into giving an interview and created an evil archetype of him. Wilds' testimony in the murder trial was central to the conviction of Syed due to the nature of his account of events. Consider what the world of media would look like without The Intercept. Hae was dead before she got to my house. Didnt say that much. . He knew I was afraid of that. Her body was discovered in Leakin Park in Baltimore, Maryland, and a few weeks later her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud Syed, was . And soon after that, Syed was charged with her murder. He left in his car and I was trying to collect myself at my [grandmothers] house. Its just on the street. He'd previously refused to take part in Sarah Koening's podcast, which attempted to retrace the steps taken in. In The Case Against Adnan Syed, the filmmakers interviewed Jay in January 2019. Jay was pretty much convicted because he told the police he helped dispose of the body. Just after his arrest, McClain writes a letter to Syed and details talking to him in the library on January 13, Serial reported. Notably, Wilds declined to be a part of the podcast although he was offered an interview. Adnan's friend Jay Wilds testified that he helped Adnan bury Hae Min Lee's body back in 1999, but Adnan Syed mentions he had nothing to do with Hae's death. I didnt know it was that close. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. He had a professional job in high school, he was aparamedic or something [Ed. Syed was sentenced to life in prison. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Her family reported her missing after she failed to pick up her younger cousin from daycare around 3:15 p.m. Lee had attended Woodlawn High School that day and had been seen by several people leaving the campus at the end of the school day. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Then what happens, and what time is it roughly? How old were you when you first met Adnan Syed? By the time I graduated [Woodlawn] high school in 1998, I wasnt exactly angry, but I did resent the school. Syed went on trial in February 2000 and was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. I had cops show up and harass me before at my house. The motion to set aside Adnan's conviction stated prosecutors no longer trusted Jay Wilds's wildly inconsistent testimony. However he ended up doing itwhether it was premeditated, an involuntary reaction at that point in timehe just couldnt come to grips with being a loser and failing. I told [Adnan] that I wouldnt touch her car, or any of her possessions, and I say, Fuck it. You Can Stream Every 'Rocky' Movie Right Now, 'WoF' Fans Say This Is the 'Biggest Choke' on Show, Daisy Jones & the Six Is a Rock Epic in 10 Parts, See Mariska Hargitays Emotional Tribute on IG. So that would ruin her life too. The way she moved and went about her day. Family friend and attorney Rabia Chaudry asks McClain to write an affidavit after Syed is convicted, Serial reported. Even though he and Syed were allegedlyjust acquaintances, Wilds police interviews and witness testimony would ultimately be key to convicting Syed despite his storys inconsistencies and contradictions. note: Adnan worked as an emergency medical technician, not a paramedic.]. In September, a legal team formed to represent Wilds and also quickly worked out a plea deal to testify against Syed. Jay was credible on the main facts, and also for the ones saying it some random killer or Don, they are forgetting that Jay knew where the car was. From the statements Wilds made in 2014 with The Intercept, it seems unlikely he would do so. August 19, 2019: The Supreme Court is asked to look at the case. There is a specific point where I became involved in this. Psychology class 1:27 p.m. He exited the Baltimore courthouse to deafening cheers. and 4p.m. I rode BMX freestyle. Dissatisfying is the best word I can use for that, she said in an interview with, But Wilds, who is not heard from outside of taped testimony in either Serial or the HBO documentary, stood by what he told police in a three-part interview with, It helped fan the flames of this story that people had already moved on from, Wilds told, Meanwhile,Maryland's highest court denied a new trialfor Syed earlier this month, according to. "The Case Against Adnan Syed" also notes that Wilds contradicted himself on the witness stand when it came to the story he told police about helping Syed dig the hole: At first, he said he met Syed at a mall parking lot and then went to Leakin Park to bury the body, but later, Wilds said Syed showed him Lees corpse in a Best Buy parking lot. He failed; he lost the girl. This is the same day Adnan was arrested, at the age of 17. Got called an Oreo. . She had been strangled. Went canoeing. Adnan did not know that Jay had spoken to the police. He claimed Syed had spoken about killing Lee a week before her actual murder and disappearance. COMING NEXT: PART 2, Jays theory on the anonymous caller, why he agreed to testify in the states case against Adnan, and how Serial showed up at his front door. But his case is now being reviewed after featuring in podcast Serial. You follow me some of the way, and then Ill take care of it.. He knows that none of us are basically giving up. I met him while I was still at Woodlawn, so around 1998. 'Serial' Subject Takes HBO, 'Serial' Subject Adnan Syed Will Get a New Trial. in January 1999 . In a sudden twist, the Maryland Court of Appeals votes 4 to 3 to reverse the decision, denying a new trial saying, There is not a significant or substantial possibility that the verdict would have been different, the Associated Press reported. Is Riley Keough Singing in Daisy Jones & The Six? The star witness at Syeds trial was Jay Wilds, a former classmate who testified that he helpedSyed dispose of Lees body. Wilds' first taped interview with police occurred on February 28, 1999. Jay told the filmmakers that Adnan showed up at his house and thats where he saw Haes body, not Best Buy as he had previously stated. Syed then picks up food on his way to meet his dad at the mosque for evening prayers, Serial reported. He just couldnt come to grips with those feelings. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. I also ran the operation out of my grandmothers house and that also put my family at risk. Syed was 17 at the time that Lee was murdered in January 1999. I played lacrosse, was a bit of a jock. Thats led to some wild and totally unproven ideas on reddit, notably that Adnan hired Jay as a kind of hitman. To better understand this, we need to look back at Feb. 12 . "I don't know if she said something he couldn't handle, and he went off the edge or if he had been seriously speculating about it. And Wilds was also a professed accomplice to Syeds crime, which further complicated his role as the prosecutions sole witness. I thought at worst hed throw a rock through her window or something. how old was jay wilds in 1999. mercer county community college basketball roster. December 30, 2013: Syed's petition for post-conviction relief is denied. The teacher, Mr. Brown, didnt know either Syed or Lee, raising eyebrows at his participation in the investigation. But, like I said, I dont know how to come up with this story about how Adnan did it, why he did it, what he was thinking, how he was thinking, and why he was thinking that. than she was letting on. When the Serial podcast premiered in October of 2014, many listeners were shocked to find that almost the entirety of the . I wake up as soon as they put it on, he said. Wilds also makes clear in the interview that Baltimore isnt the place where one who ran afoul with the law wanted to get hooked by the cops or work with them both options were not good. Syed's classmate Jay Wilds, who said at trial that he helped Syed bury Lee's body, became the central figure in the national conversation over Syed's guilt. It wasnt until they made it clear they werent interested in my procurement of pot that I began to open up any. He might be needed back in court soon. Police take evidence from the scene and interview several people in an attempt to find the killer. Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Adnan Syed went to trial in December 2000. We may earn a commission through links on our site. Following a six-week trial and two-hour jury deliberation, Syed is found guilty. What happened on this particular day depends on who you talk to. He just seemed like someone who didnt smoke weed too much. Wilds has stayed private since the 2014 interview. Meanwhile,Maryland's highest court denied a new trialfor Syed earlier this month, according to The Associated Press. Wilds looms large in Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyders reporting about the trial. I didnt tell the cops it was in front of my house because I didnt want to involve my grandmother. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion, 'Serial' Recap: Everything About Adnan Syed's Case, Who Is Adnan Syed? This is the first part in a multipart interview. The short version: On January 13th, 1999, Lee was supposed to pick up her younger cousin from daycare at 3:15 p.m. She never showed, which immediately set off alarm bells among those who knew her. Photo credit: HBO. Sellers had a previous record as an alleged streaker. On January 13, 1999, Korean-American high school student Hae Min Lee, 18, was reported missing by her family after failing to come home. READ MORE ON CRIME July 1, 2016. He also said he helpedSyed dispose of Lees body in Leakin Park, where she was found four weeks after she was last seen alive on January 13, 1999. He came back with no tools or anything. For instance, during one of his police interviews highlighted in The Case Against Adnan Syed,an officer asks Wilds, Youre sure its the 13th because we told you got these calls on the 13th? Jay responds in the affirmative. Wilds was also an adult who sold marijuana to high school kids, which made him vulnerable. He has a lot of public support and walking away is not an option.. Matt Tinoco provided research for this interview. Posted on July 4, 2022 by . Syed has maintained his innocence during his decades in prison, yet a 2019 attempt to hear an appeal for a new trial was turned down by the Supreme Court. Jay is the center of gravity in this case. In 1999 18-year-old high school student Hae Min Lee was murdered. The podcast attracted global attention, and had gained more than 100 million downloads by June 2016. Before you would just go down there for drafting, shop, and everyone would co-mingle, and all the students interacted. But their gym, lockers, parking, was down in the magnet wing. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. And hes like, Ive gotta put her car somewhere. So I follow him around for a few minutes, and he just picks a place at random behind some row houses, leaves her car, gets into his car, takes me home. Jay firmly believes that he was wrongfully represented on the podcast. But that, according to what I learned later, is probably not what happened. McClain has fought for Syed's innocence since the case had originally opened. View our online Press Pack. Three days later, Baltimore Police received an anonymous tip that Syed was responsible for the murder. Jay Wilds, Adnan Syed's former classmate who was called as a star witness in the latter's murder trial, reportedly testified that he helped his friend hide the victim's body. Additionally, two other potential suspects with questionable backgrounds have surfaced. I guess I was being kind of a jury on whether or not people needed to be involved or whatever, but these people didnt have anything to do with it, and I knew they didnt have anything to do with it. But there was a grand jury hearing on this case,andI have an idea who might have based on that hearing. It helped fan the flames of this story that people had already moved on from, Wilds told The Intercept. He has a great legal team. Wilds's testimony played a giant part in convicting Syed of murdering his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee in 1999. Going to work on February 9, 1999, a school maintenance worker stops at Leakin Park to urinate and finds Hae's body. Mr. Syed, 41, had been serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of his high school classmate Hae Min Lee. CrimeStoppers rewards are apparently paid out the following month after the police report that months official indictments. I saw her body later, in front ofof my grandmothers house where I was living. The first season of Serial examined the complex case of the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, in which there seemed to be much evidence but no conclusive proof of what happened. June 6, 2000: Lees mother gives an emotional testimony and Syed is given a life sentence. Syeds lawyers asked the nations highest court to look into reversing the states decision. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. Adnan Syed is a 36 year old who had been convicted of first degree murder at the age of 17 on February 28, 1999. And then in his Intercept interview, Wilds said the body was actually in front of his grandmas house, but he told police it was at the Best Buy, because he didnt want to involve his grandma. Though Wilds testimony seemed to have been trusted implicitly by Syeds jury, the Serial podcast shining a light on the key details of Wilds claims led many listeners to believe Wilds was not exactly truthful and that even the slightest bit of questioning could have unraveled his story. He calls me and says Im outside, so I come outside to talk to himand followed him to a different car, not his. The one interview Wilds gave was to The Intercept in 2014.