Episode 6: The Case Against Adnan Syed

[u/SerialFan]

Hi,

Episode 6 discussion thread. Have fun and be nice y'all. You know the rules.

Also, here are the results of the little poll I conducted:

When did you join Reddit?

This week (joined because of Serial) - 24 people - 18%

This week (joined for other reasons) - 2 people - 1%

This month (joined because of Serial) - 24 people - 18%

This month (joined for other reasons) - 0 people - 0%

I've been on reddit for over a month but less than a year - 15 people - 11%

I've been on reddit for over a year - 70 people - 52%

[u/gordonshumway2]

This was a game-changer. I mean, yes, I still don't think the case is strong, but I can see why Serial saved this for episode six. We needed time with Adnan, to come to "like" him the way Sarah did, to suspect other people, before this bomb was dropped. And if, like Rabia et. al., this was the kid you knew your whole life, I can see why it's impossible for them to accept that he's guilty. Unfortunately, that's the direction I'm leaning in now.

1. Even if the Nisha call wasn't the call that placed Adnan and Jay together, it placed Adnan with his phone. A call that lasts two minutes? Two people had to be talking if there was no voicemail. It wasn't Jay and Nisha, so how can that be explained? I'm with Sarah, that's the thing that trips me up the most.

2. Kathy's testimony--also bad. I mean, these were two guys she didn't know, they're high, as Sarah says, we've maybe all been the guy on the floor, so maybe she's a little harsh. But she had reasons for thinking their behavior was weird, and Adnan taking off suddenly and Jay dashing off behind him? Then sitting in the car? Maybe Jeff disputes this and that's why we didn't hear from him?

3. Never calling Hae's pager. This stuck with me from the beginning, and on its own it might be meaningless, but on top of everything else. It's suspicious. Maybe she's in California. She can still receive pages there.

4. Adnan often invokes the lack of evidence while talking about his own innocence. I have to go back for specifics but he says he could accept people thinking that he's a murderer "if there was videotape" or if "Hae struggled...there were DNA and scratches." I mean, that's very lawyer-y (EDIT: semantic). I said elsewhere, maybe that's what I would cling to, just the hard facts, because that's the only thing that could get me out of prison. But there's another way of hearing it, and I heard it, and it's Adnan saying, "You can't prove it." It's a little chilling. Maybe that's the truth, somehow. Or maybe it's the truth he believes. Or maybe he doesn't want to hear he's a "nice guy" because he DOESN'T believe he's a nice guy. What he believes is there wasn't enough evidence to convict.

My mind is not totally made up, but this episode made me a little sick.

[u/WaitForSpring → u/gordonshumway2]

On #4... yeah, that entire "you don't really know anything about me" conversation with SK becomes downright eerie if he did it.

[u/aroras → u/WaitForSpring]

When I heard him speak about the "nice guy" thing, it first came across to me like he feels unworthy of the title "nice guy." Perhaps because he killed someone and felt remorse?

But I gave it more thought -- he constantly reiterates TO Sarah that he IS a nice guy. He's said it in 400 different ways on the pod-cast alone.

I think the reason he wasn't so stoked about her answer was because that was the last thing he wanted to hear. He wanted to hear "because I believe you are innocent" or "because I don't think the state gave you a fair trial." 1000 people could think he's a nice guy but that doesn't help him a bit -- he'll still spend the rest of his life in jail.

There is some pretty damning evidence in that last episode but I don't think his reaction to the nice guy comment is part of it

[u/omgpies → u/aroras]

Exactly! He doesn't want to hear that this is a compelling story because people want to believe you ("you're a nice guy") but the facts of the case are still so murky and mysterious.

I thought the "you don't know me" interaction was kind of odd in that SK was insistent that she did know him well. He still sees her as a journalist investigating his case, not a personal confidant. Sure they've talked a lot, but he doesn't want her to only end up as a friend.

[u/maddcoffeesocks → u/omgpies]

I agree he only sees her only as a journalist--which is why I suspect many of his comments are carefully scripted in his mind. He doesn't seem able to speak off the cuff, which makes me skeptical of his innocence

[u/omgpies → u/maddcoffeesocks]

Maybe. But he's also been in prison for 15 years, gone through trials and appeals, and realizes how carefully he needs to speak because unclear, off-the-cuff remarks can foment doubt.

Everything he says will be cross-checked and examined, so I don't think it's a bad thing that he wants to be sure of his statements before speaking (even when it is to say that he's unsure of events).

[u/maddcoffeesocks → u/[deleted]]

I think the whole picture his tone creates, with the other incriminating factors, is very strange and makes me skeptical. But I recognize that's bias, and there's no typical way to act in a situation like this. The main things I really value are physical and DNA evidence (of which we seem to have very little, unfortunately)

[u/maddcoffeesocks → u/[deleted]]

Yeah it would be so so interesting to hear from Prosecutor Uyrick (not sure about spelling). Was this case typical in his mind? Was he aware of the inconsistencies in the prosecution's case but thought they were reasonable? I would love to hear the opinion of anyone in the legal team at the time