Remay‌‌Berhane‌ 

Heyne‌ 

HSB‌‌II‌  ‌

09‌‌March‌‌2021‌ 

Adnan‌‌Syed‌‌Is‌‌Innocent‌  ‌

In‌‌Baltimore,‌‌January‌‌13th‌‌of‌‌1999,‌‌a‌‌high‌‌school‌‌senior‌‌by‌‌the‌‌name‌‌of‌‌Hae‌‌Min‌‌Lee,‌‌
 

disappeared.‌‌Around‌‌six‌‌weeks‌‌later,‌‌Adnan‌‌Syed,‌‌her‌‌ex-boyfriend,‌‌is‌‌arrested‌‌for‌‌her‌‌murder.‌‌
 

The‌‌police‌‌say‌‌her‌‌body‌‌was‌‌found‌‌at‌‌Leakin‌‌Park,‌‌and‌‌she‌‌was‌‌strangled‌‌to‌‌death.‌‌Adnan‌‌claims‌‌
 

he‌‌is‌‌innocent,‌‌but‌‌he‌‌has‌‌no‌‌alibi,‌‌and‌‌cannot‌‌remember‌‌what‌‌he‌‌was‌‌doing‌‌on‌‌that‌‌day.‌‌The‌‌only‌‌ 

person‌‌that‌‌can‌‌prove‌‌where‌‌he‌‌was,‌‌has‌‌disappeared‌‌without‌‌a‌‌trace.‌‌I‌‌believe‌‌that‌‌Adnan‌‌is‌ 

innocent‌‌due‌‌to‌‌2‌‌main‌‌reasons.‌‌The‌‌fact‌‌that‌‌Jay‌‌admitted‌‌he‌‌was‌‌stretching‌‌the‌‌truth‌‌in‌‌his‌‌ 

stories‌‌and‌‌the‌‌time‌‌of‌‌death‌‌and‌‌how‌‌long‌‌it‌‌took‌‌to‌‌go‌‌through‌‌with‌‌it‌‌(the‌‌timeline).‌  ‌

The‌‌police‌‌based‌‌Adnan’s‌‌jail‌‌time‌‌on‌‌his‌‌friend‌‌Jay’s‌‌story.‌‌If‌‌that‌‌is‌‌the‌‌main‌‌piece‌‌of‌‌ 

evidence‌‌keeping‌‌Adnan‌‌in‌‌jail‌‌and‌‌Jay‌‌admitted‌‌he‌‌lied,‌‌how‌‌does‌‌that‌‌keep‌‌Adnan‌‌guilty?‌‌ 

Many‌‌times‌‌throughout‌‌the‌‌podcast,‌‌Jay‌‌tells‌‌his‌‌story,‌‌and‌‌each‌‌time,‌‌it‌‌changes.‌‌At‌‌first,‌‌he‌‌
 

made‌‌many‌‌inconsistencies‌‌such‌‌as‌‌switching‌‌up‌‌the‌‌locations‌‌in‌‌his‌‌story.‌‌He‌‌might‌‌have‌‌just‌‌ 

been‌‌forgetful,‌‌but‌‌some‌‌of‌‌these‌‌inconsistencies‌‌were‌‌too‌‌big‌‌to‌‌be‌‌just‌‌coincidences.‌‌A‌‌vital‌‌ 

piece‌‌of‌‌evidence‌‌was‌‌where‌‌Adnan‌‌supposedly‌‌showed‌‌Jay‌‌Hae’s‌‌body.‌‌But‌‌that‌‌location‌‌ 

changed‌‌at‌‌least‌‌twice.‌‌At‌‌first,‌‌Jay‌‌says‌‌Adnan‌‌showed‌‌him‌‌Hae's‌‌body‌‌at‌‌Edmondson‌‌Avenue,‌‌ 

then‌‌he‌‌says‌‌at‌‌the‌‌Best‌‌Buy‌‌parking‌‌lot.‌‌He‌‌also‌‌says‌‌that‌‌he‌‌“was‌‌not‌‌telling‌‌you‌‌(the‌‌
 

investigators)‌‌everything,”‌‌in‌‌his‌‌cross-examination‌‌after‌‌Gutierrez‌‌asks‌‌him‌‌“In‌‌your‌‌second‌‌
 

interview‌‌on‌‌tape,‌‌you‌‌were‌‌not‌‌telling‌‌the‌‌truth‌‌were‌‌you‌‌not?”‌‌He‌‌admits‌‌he‌‌was‌‌lying,‌‌again,‌‌ 

after‌‌Gutierrez‌‌tells‌‌him,‌‌“he‌‌was‌‌telling‌‌them‌‌lies,‌‌were‌‌you‌‌not?”‌‌saying,‌‌“some,”‌‌as‌‌in‌‌he‌‌was‌‌ 
telling‌‌some‌‌lies.‌‌(episode‌‌8)‌‌This‌‌is‌‌why‌‌Jay‌‌is‌‌not‌‌a‌‌reliable‌‌source,‌‌nor‌‌is‌‌he‌‌one‌‌to‌‌base‌‌the‌‌ 

sentence‌‌off‌‌of.‌  ‌

Next‌‌is‌‌how‌‌the‌‌murder‌‌was‌‌carried‌‌out,‌‌and‌‌how‌‌long‌‌it‌‌took.‌‌The‌‌police‌‌believe‌‌that‌‌ 

Hae‌‌was‌‌killed‌‌in‌‌the‌‌time‌‌frame‌‌between‌‌2:15‌‌and‌‌2:36.‌‌If‌‌she‌‌was‌‌killed‌‌by‌‌2:36,‌‌then‌‌that‌‌ 

means‌‌she‌‌was‌‌killed‌‌21‌‌minutes‌‌after‌‌school‌‌ended‌‌for‌‌both‌‌her‌‌and‌‌Adnan.‌‌Although‌‌I‌‌believe‌‌
 

this‌‌is‌‌way‌‌too‌‌short‌‌of‌‌a‌‌time‌‌frame‌‌to‌‌murder‌‌someone‌‌and‌‌hide‌‌the‌‌body,‌‌Sarah‌‌wanted‌‌to‌‌try‌‌ 

and‌‌go‌‌through‌‌it,‌‌to‌‌see‌‌if‌‌it‌‌was‌‌possible.‌‌I‌‌don’t‌‌think‌‌it‌‌is‌‌possible,‌‌because‌‌if‌‌they‌‌have‌‌to‌‌
 

leave‌‌school,‌‌there‌‌would‌‌be‌‌obstacles‌‌in‌‌their‌‌way.‌‌Some‌‌would‌‌be‌‌the‌‌students.‌‌Since‌‌it‌‌was‌‌ 

right‌‌after‌‌school,‌‌there‌‌would‌‌have‌‌been‌‌hundreds‌‌of‌‌students‌‌blocking‌‌the‌‌hallways‌‌and‌‌exits.‌‌
 

To‌‌add‌‌on‌‌to‌‌that‌‌Adnan‌‌states‌‌“there‌‌is‌‌a‌‌ton‌‌of‌‌traffic.”‌‌He‌‌also‌‌explains‌‌how‌‌there‌‌are‌‌multiple‌‌ 

buses‌‌at‌‌his‌‌school,‌‌so‌‌to‌‌leave,‌‌you‌‌would‌‌have‌‌to‌‌wait‌‌for‌‌those‌‌buses‌‌to‌‌leave‌‌(episode‌‌five).‌‌ 

So,‌‌Sarah‌‌tries‌‌to‌‌reenact‌‌the‌‌crime,‌‌starting‌‌at‌‌2:15,‌‌that’s‌‌when‌‌the‌‌school’s‌‌last‌‌bell‌‌rings.‌‌It‌‌
 

takes‌‌her‌‌exactly‌‌two‌‌minutes‌‌to‌‌reach‌‌her‌‌car,‌‌she‌‌gets‌‌to‌‌it‌‌at‌‌2:17.‌‌She‌‌then‌‌has‌‌to‌‌wait‌‌for‌‌the‌‌
 

buses‌‌to‌‌leave,‌‌and‌‌go‌‌around‌‌to‌‌the‌‌front‌‌of‌‌the‌‌school.‌‌That‌‌makes‌‌the‌‌time‌‌11‌‌minutes.‌‌Then,‌‌
 

after‌‌all‌‌the‌‌intersections‌‌and‌‌traffic,‌‌it’s‌‌18‌‌minutes.‌‌When‌‌she‌‌reaches‌‌the‌‌store,‌‌the‌‌21‌‌minutes‌‌ 

are‌‌probably‌‌up‌‌by‌‌then.‌‌By‌‌the‌‌time‌‌she‌‌gets‌‌there,‌‌she‌‌would‌‌still‌‌need‌‌to‌‌“call‌‌Jay”‌‌and‌‌
 

“strangle‌‌and‌‌‘put‌‌away’‌‌Hae.”‌‌This‌‌would‌‌have‌‌taken‌‌around‌‌10‌‌minutes.‌‌This‌‌timeline‌‌seems‌‌ 

absolutely‌‌impossible‌‌and‌‌it‌‌seems‌‌improbable‌‌that‌‌this‌‌all‌‌happened‌‌in‌‌21‌‌minutes.‌  ‌

In‌‌summation,‌‌I‌‌do‌‌believe‌‌that‌‌Adnan‌‌is‌‌innocent,‌‌due‌‌to‌‌the‌‌fact‌‌that‌‌Jay‌‌lied‌‌in‌‌his‌‌ 

stories,‌‌and‌‌that‌‌the‌‌timeline‌‌of‌‌the‌‌crime‌‌seems‌‌entirely‌‌impracticable.‌‌I‌‌feel‌‌like‌‌there‌‌could‌‌
 

have‌‌been‌‌many‌‌more‌‌suspects‌‌if‌‌the‌‌investigators‌‌and‌‌police‌‌had‌‌looked‌‌more‌‌into‌‌it.‌‌I‌‌feel‌‌like‌‌ 

Don‌‌should‌‌have‌‌been‌‌investigated‌‌more,‌‌the‌‌mystery‌‌person‌‌from‌‌Deidre’s‌‌team‌‌(episode‌‌12),‌‌ 

and‌‌Jay‌‌should‌‌have‌‌been‌‌as‌‌well.‌‌I‌‌also‌‌did‌‌a‌‌bit‌‌of‌‌research‌‌and‌‌found‌‌out‌‌the‌‌mystery‌‌man’s‌‌
 
name‌‌is‌‌Ronald‌‌Lee‌‌Moore.‌‌He‌‌had‌‌been‌‌convicted‌‌for‌‌murder‌‌and‌‌rape‌‌before,‌‌and‌‌gotten‌‌
 

released‌‌“on‌‌accident.”‌‌He‌‌seems‌‌more‌‌likely‌‌to‌‌do‌‌this‌‌than‌‌Adnan.‌‌I‌‌do‌‌hope‌‌in‌‌the‌‌future,‌‌that‌‌
 

the‌‌person‌‌who‌‌really‌‌took‌‌Hae’s‌‌life‌‌gets‌‌imprisoned,‌‌Adnan’s‌‌innocence‌‌is‌‌proven,‌‌and‌‌he‌‌gets‌‌ 

set‌‌free.‌  ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌

 ‌
  ‌

Bibliography‌  ‌

McBride,‌‌Jessica.‌‌“Ronald‌‌Lee‌‌Moore,‌‌Serial‌‌Suspect:‌‌5‌‌Fast‌‌Facts‌‌You‌‌Need‌‌to‌‌Know.”‌‌ 

Heavy.com‌,‌‌Heavy.,‌‌16‌‌Feb.‌‌2020.‌‌
 

<heavy.com/news/2020/02/ronald-lee-moore/#:~:text=He%20died%20on%20January%20‌

4,Louisiana%2C%20the%20newspaper%20article%20states.‌‌>‌  ‌

 ‌

 ‌