study guide materials against adnan syed the … syed –convicted of killing hae mine lee, his...

The murder of Hae Min Lee and the case against Adnan Syed

Study Guide Materials

Name: ____________________________Hour: ___Table: ___

12/15/2018 Blank Sheet - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-f7kwM8tMELAff53peFzT5uPKV-IwG51DgteRO3pBI8/edit 1/1

Write a few sentences describing why you agree or disagree with each of the following statements. Be ready to share your opinions.

1. People’s memory is a reliable form of information

2. All people, regardless of race, are treated the same in court.

3. People are innocent until proven guilty.

4. Even if you know your friend has done something wrong, it is never ok to report them.

5. The death penalty should be used for some crimes.

6. Nobody is all bad or all good.

7. When the law does not succeed in punishing criminals, citizens should do so.

8. If you kill another person, you should always be punished.

9. If you are innocent, you have no need to fear the judicial system.5

6

Mosque

Foundation

Adamant

Staunch

Problematic

Tangible

Alibi

Confide

Affidavit

Undermine

Discredit

Bloodhound

Trawling

Diligence

Heinous

Demeanor

Elation

Manipulate

Besmirch

Chronicle

Fraught

Chastise

Betray

Humiliate

Vindictive

Angst

Pester

Dispel

Menace

Allege

Fabricate

Hijab

Duplicitous

Adamant

Refute

Affidavit

Subpoena

Discrepancy

Meticulous

Corroborate

Adnan Syed – Convicted of killing Hae Mine Lee, his ex-girlfriend. He was 17 and a senior at Woodlawn High School.

Jay – The State’s key witness against Adnan

Asia – Classmate of Adnan. Claims she saw him in the public library.

Nisha – Adnan’s friend, who lived in Silver Spring, Md.

Stephanie – Classmate and close friend of Adnan, and girlfriend of Jay

Jen – Friend of Jay from high school. Testified she saw Jay and Adnan on the night of the murder.

M. Cristina Gutierrez –Adnan’s trial attorney.

Det. Ritz and Det. MacGillivary – Lead homicide investigators.

Mr. S. – Discovered Hae’sbody in Leakin Park on Feb 9th.

Rabia – Family friend of Adnan and an attorney.

Don – Hae’s boyfriend at the time she disappeared.

Nisha – Adnan’s friend, who lived in Silver Spring, Md.

3

Focused on Thinking, Teachers Pay Teachers, November 2016.

SERIAL PEOPLE MAP

DET. RITZ AND

DET. MACGILLIVARY

JENN

JAY

Testified that she saw

Jay and Adnan the

night of the murder,

and that Jay told her

Adnan had killed Hae.

“CATHY”

Key witness against

Adnan. Says he helped

bury Hae’s body at Leakin

Park. Graduated a year

ahead of Adnan from

Woodlawn High School.

They smoked pot togeth-

er and were both close to

Stephanie, Jay’s girlfriend.

Jenn’s close friend. Testified

that Adnan and Jay came to

her house the night of the

murder and that she believed

Adnan was acting strangely.

She had not previously met

him.

CHRIS

Friend of Jay who also went to

Woodlawn H.S. He says Jay told

him that Adnan forced him to

help bury Hae, and threatened

to hurt Stephanie if Jay said any-

thing.

LAURA

STEPHANIE

Classmate and close

friend of Adnan. Jay’s

girlfriend. The day Hae

disappeared was her

birthday. Jay bor-

rowed Adnan’s car—

and cell phone—to

buy her a birthday

present.

Classmate and friend of Jay,

Stephanie, Adnan, and

Jenn. She never believed

Adnan was guilty, but also

doesn’t believe Jay would

lie about this.

CRISTINA GUTIERREZ

Adnan’s trial attorney who had a reputa-

tion as a tough defense lawyer. She was

disbarred for mismanaging client money in

2001, a year after Adnan’s trial. She died

after a series of health problems in 2004.

Lead homicide investigators who interviewed

Jay four times and were aware that his story

kept changing. Both are sure Adnan did it.

ADNAN SYED

ASIA

Classmate of Adnan who claims she saw him

at the public library at the supposed time of

Hae’s murder. She did not make a statement

in the trial; says no lawyer contacted her.

Convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in

Baltimore. He was seventeen, senior honors stu-

dent and athlete at Woodlawn High School when he

was arrested. He is serving a life sentence in prison.

His parents immigrated from Pakistan before he was

born.

NISHA

High school student in Silver Spring.

Adnan began calling her after they met

New Year’s Eve, 1998. A call from his

cell to her home was made at 3:22 pm

the day Hae disappeared. Adnan says

Jay had the phone at that time. But he

hasn’t been able to explain who, then,

made the call.

SAAD

Adnan’s best friend and Rabia’s brother. Both

were doing things young Muslim men weren’t

supposed to do, like dating.

RABIA

YASER

Friend of Adnan from the mosque. When an

anonymous caller told the police to

“concentrate on the victim’s boyfriend,” the

caller also said __ might know something about

it. Calls were placed from Adnan’s cell phone to

his number twice on Jan. 13.

Friend of Adnan’s family and a lawyer.

Her younger brother, Saad, is Adnan’s

best friend. She has tried to prove

Adnan’s innocence since 2000.

MR. S.

HAE

KRISTA

Classmate and friend of both

Hae and Adnan. Remembers

Adnan asking Haw for a ride on

the morning of Jan 13, 1999.

(Adnan says he didn’t.)

The murder victim, killed at age sev-

enteen. Adnan Syed was her ex-

boyfriend. She was an honors student

and athlete at Woodlawn High School

who immigrated in 1992 from South

Korea.

Maintenance worker at a

local school who discovered

Hae’s body Feb. 9th in Leakin

Park. Told police he was

driving to work when he

stopped at the park to pee

and then he found Hae’s

body. Police considered him

a suspect in the beginning.

BECKY

Classmate and friend of both Hae and Adnan.

Remembers Adnan and Hae talking after

school—that Hae told Adnan she couldn’t give

him a ride anywhere because she had some-

thing to do. She also told police she had seen

Adnan after school that day around 2:45pm.

AISHA

DEBBIE

DON

Hae’s boyfriend at the time of her disap-

pearance. They met at work at the Mall.

Classmate and friend of Hae.

Told police she saw Adnan after

school on Jan. 13 around 3:30

pm. Says Hae told her she was

going to see Don after school.

Classmate and best friend

of Hae. Says Adnan was

very possessive with Hae.

12/15/2018 Episode 1 - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17J9oo8PE14eh8ITFcgyzw90bzWaMdtXwWjTP9kZwKXU/edit 1/5

Episode 1: The Alibi

Listen to the podcast and answer the following. Some detailed sections are filled in for you.

1. What is the crucial time window that Adnan cannot account for?_____________ minutes.

2. Who is Rabia? Why is she involved in the case?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Setting: How is Baltimore described by Sarah Koenig? Consider how she describes the location of Rabia’s office.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why were people surprised Adnan was arrested? (Consider how others describe Adnan.)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Episode 1: The Alibi 1



5. What alternate point of view does Rabia give to the above accusations?

(Consider what she says about children of immigrant parents.) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Why is Jay’s story so important to the case?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________




7. Do you think the cop’s line of questioning is fair? Does he ask leading questions? Make statements that Jay agrees with? Does he assume things or infer things for Jay? (IE. “So Adnan was bragging then?”)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Do you think this impacts Jay’s testimony? If so, how? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Would you have asked Jay anything else? Do you believe Jay?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. How does Sarah describe Adnan? What impression does she give? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

11.When she says he has big brown eyes “like a dairy cow” what impression does that give of him?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

12.What was Adnan’s relationship with Hae like? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________




13. Sarah asks why Adnan cares if Jay got Stephanie a present. Adnan responds by saying that Stephanie was a close friend and he wanted to make sure she also got a gift from him because she wanted one from him. Why does Koenig ask this? What does it lead the listener to think? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. Why is the hour before track practice important to the case? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. Adnan uses words like “probably”, “sometimes”, and “usually” when describing what happened that day. What does this do for his story? Is this persuasive? Does it take away from his case? Is it understandable? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. What is important about Asia’s letters? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. Why is it important that Asia mentions that a lawyer didn’t contact her? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. What does Koenig do to try and verify Asia’s story? Do you think she has taken

the necessary steps to check this? Is there more she can do?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________




19. Can you trust Asia? Can you trust her memory 15 years later? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. What do you think of Adnan’s reaction to Koenig’s news about Asia? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________


12/15/2018 Memory Challenge - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x-zund85OQzZHdlshH4nk1z6NzcA5GPgme1c3urqUKE/edit 1/1

Memory Challenge: Sarah Koenig says it is difficult to account for our time in a detailed way. This is a major problem for Adnan’s case. Try the exercise below to understand the challenges Adnan faced when he was questioned. Answer the following questions about last Wednesday and the Wednesday 6 weeks ago. Because the podcast is about events that occurred in 1999, you must do this without modern technology‑ no phones, Facebook etc. that could tell you about what you were doing or, whom you were with.

Question Last Wednesday

6 weeks ago

Date: Date: How did you get to work/ school? Drive? Walk? Bike? Bus? What route did you take?

What was the weather like?

Did you go to any stores that day? If so, what did you buy?

Who did you talk to? The entire day, name every person you talked to.

Did you go out? With who? Where? Give details (eg. The name of the movie you saw).

Are you sure about your answers? Koenig notes that if a significant event happened that day you are more likely to remember the day and the event; if nothing significant happen answers are very general. Is this the case for your answers?

12/15/2018 Episode 2 the breakup - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xT62vUrLXXTJ35x4tXGkGNk3lUszXpOkwgAfucv1qtA/edit 1/4

Episode 2: The Breakup

In this episode, Koenig examines multiple pieces of evidence that were/ could be used against Adnan. However, she also gives the alternative “spin” on the evidence. Consider if each idea supports the State’s case, or is an unimportant detail. Which pieces of evidence (if any) best support Adnan’s motive according to the State? According to the State, Adnan’s motive to kill Hae is: _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Source and Evidence Accounts of Hae and Adnan’s Relationship

What Aisha Says: (Podcast time 8:00)(Podcast time 8:00) What others say: ( 9:40)( 9:40)

How it supports the motive Why it could be unimportant to the

case/ fails to support the motive Overall, is the evidence valuable?

1



Source and Evidence Hae’s Diary

Entry 1: May 15 th 1998 ( Podcast Time 10:40) I love him. It’s just all those things that stand in the middle. His Religion and Muslim customs are the main thing. It irks me to think I am against his religion. He called me a devil a few times. I know he was only joking. It’s somewhat true. Entry 2: July 1998 (11:10) I keep crying over the phone because I miss him so much. He told me that his religion means life to him. He tried to remain a faithful Muslim all his life, but he fell in love with me, which is a great sin. But he told me there is no way he’ll ever leave me, because he can’t imagine a life without me. Then he said that one day he would have to choose between me and his religion. I love him so much, and when it comes to choosing, I’m going to let him go his way. I hate the fact that I am the cause of his sin. He said that I shouldn’t feel that I was pulling him away from his religion, but hello, that’s exactly what I’m doing. How it supports the motive Why it could be unimportant to the

case/ fails to support the motive Overall, is the evidence valuable?

(Consider how this portrays Adnan in light of the proposed motive)

(Consider what Adnan has to say about this)

Evidence and Source How it supports the motive Why it could be

unimportant to the case/ fails to support the motive

Overall, is the evidence valuable?

Incident at homecoming: Adnan’s parents arrive disproving of his taking Hae to the dance (15:30 and 19:25- Aisha’s account)

Adnan’s cell phone bought 2 days before Hae disappears (17:40)

Adnan’s job (18:00)

Adnan’s poetry (18:30)

Episode 2: The Breakup 2



Evidence and Source

How it supports the motive Why it could be unimportant to the case/ fails to support the motive

Overall, is the evidence valuable ?

Accounts of Adnan’s reaction to the break up (22:00-26)

(Jay’s testimony)

(Saad’s and Adnan’s perspectives)

In your opinion, which is the most important piece of evidence in the case? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Which is the least important? Why? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Given the above evidence, do you think Adnan had a motive to kill Hae? Explain. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Koenig doesn’t buy the motive for the murder. What are her reasons for this? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is her alternative motive for this case? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3



Why do you think Koenig mentions this entry? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What is the “detail that doesn’t look good for Adnan”? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Who confirms this detail? What do they say? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Who contradicts this statement? What do they say? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Adnan gives 2 different stories regarding his final interaction with Hae, specifically if he did or did not ask for a ride from Hae. Why is this contrast significant? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ How might someone use this contrast to prove Adnan is guilty? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What might account for the difference in this story? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Koenig considers this a red flag. Why does she think that? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Do you agree or disagree with Koenig on this point? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Episode 2: The Breakup 4


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xOMPTbvEFV4HsCUlQC3Zd0gSS0gQNrUH9oNDLi6fFzM/edit 1/3

Episode 3: Leakin Park

1. How do others describe Leakin Park? What is its reputation? Why might this be

important to the case? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why does Koenig spend time asking people, specifically Rabia and Saad, where

Leakin Park is located? How do their answers support Adnan’s statements about the park? (5:00)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Case Against Mr. S (6:0020:00)

3. “Mr. S” comes to the Police Station with important information about Hae’s case‑ specifically, the whereabouts of Hae’s body. The police interview Mr. S about his discovery, and seem to build a case against him. What information about Mr. S, and his answers in the interview, present him as suspicious, and a potential suspect?

Episode 3: Leakin Park 1



4. Do you think it’s fair for the police to consider Mr. S a suspect to this point? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Do you think Mr. S is a reliable source? Explain your reasoning. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is Koenig’s opinion of Mr. S? (24:00) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Narrative Elements of Serial

8. How does Koenig end of the podcast? Why do you think she does this? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Consider the rhetorical questions that Koenig uses (below). What does she want the audience to conclude?

He didn’t need to head toward the log to find a spot to pee, there so many other choices. And if you’re walking through brush and brambles, wouldn’t you sort of naturally avoid a big log you would need to step over? (10:30) Audience’s conclusion:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So here’s a guy who’s looking for the body, who knows where it’s supposed to be, who can see there’s a bunch of people standing around it, and still he can’t find it. So does it seem reasonable that Mr. S, who apparently wasn’t looking for anything besides as secluded place to pee, discovered it? Just like that? (13:15) Audience’s conclusion: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________




10. Is Koenig’s use of rhetorical questions effective in making a point? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Koenig presents contrasting descriptions about Leakin Park when she goes to investigate what 127 feet looks like.

[The sign] says “This area patrolled. Dumpers will be prosecuted.” You could barely read it. It’s hard to read a sign that’s covered in graffiti and pierced with seven bullet holes. In fact the cops found twenty cartridge casings in right about this spot when they collected evidence in 1999. Still I felt the park itself was quite lovely. Brambles and trees. It’s rocky near the stream. It’s uneven terrain, not hilly but it’s not flat either. (15:20)

11. Why might she give these descriptions? (Consider the park connected to the

suspects.) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. Does this change your first impression of the park?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At this point in the series, who do you think is most suspect? Explain.



https://docs.google.com/document/d/162TLxA08LzhtL3e5ZXXj5i8D2quHH_62An1U5o2IAG4/edit 1/3

Episode 4: Inconsistencies

1. What does the anonymous caller tell the police?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Why is the anonymous call significant to the case?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Compare what Jen and Jay tell the police during their interviews. Circle anything that is significantly different between them.

Jenn’s interview with the police (9:15) Feb. 27 th and 28 th 1999

Jay’s interview with the police (11:45) Feb. 28 th 1:30 am

If Jen’s testimony is correct, why is it strange that she drives Jay to get rid of the clothes he wore the night before? (10:40)

What do you make of Jay and Adnan’s relationship? Why is it strange that they don’t seem like good friends?

Episode 4: Inconsistencies 1



4. According to Jay and the prosecution at trial, why would Adnan call Jay for help with the crime? (18:30)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Does this explanation make sense to you? Explain. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. The cops ask Jay why he helped Adnan and why he didn’t call the police. What does Jay say? (19:00)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Is this reasonable? Does this make Jay believable? Explain. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Jay says he feels badly for his part in Hae’s death. Do you believe him? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Use the chart on the next page to compare the changes in Jay’s story.

8. Jay admits that he lied to the police because he assumes there were cameras at Best Buy and he didn’t want to be associated with the crime. Why is this nonsensical according to Koenig?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Although the police point out that Jay changes his story multiple times, why

do they ultimately believe him? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Do you believe Jay? If not, what kind of evidence would you need to see to believe him?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________




Jay’s story changes slightly each time he tells it. Compare the details of his story

here. Which are significant changes? Which are not?

Detail 1 st taped interview 2 nd taped interview Trials Significance : Rate and explain Rate(1 not significant‑ 3 very significant)

What they did that morning

Shopped at Westview Mall

Shopped at Security Square Mall

Driving around T1: Both got high T2: Only Jay

Getting food At a restaurant At a friend’s

Digging grave Jay refused to help Both dug the hole

Adnan’s plan

Adnan told Jay that day he was going to kill Hae

Adnan had talked about it beforehand

(4‑5 before)

Back to first version

Visit to park Happened nishes from narrative

Where Jay saw the body

3:45pm off the strip mall on Edmondson

At Best Buy

Which do you think is the most important change? Explain. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Which is the least important change? Explain. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________



https://docs.google.com/document/d/1faxjYcEyXJhSLeBI1nBGNSy_AtuThfwyah9bfgj5xrU/edit 1/4

Episode 5: Route Talk

In this episode, Koenig and Dana attempt to replicate the day’s events according to Jay and the state. She also examines the significance of the cell phone records as related to the route.

Label each part of the map with how long Koenig spent there. (1:0014:00)

1. The Police interview Adnan’s friend Ju’uan who says they sometimes went to Best Buy to smoke because “Nobody’s going to be over there”. This happens after Hae’s murder. Why is this significant? (7:00) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What does Koenig do to try and confirm the existence of a pay phone at Best Buy? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why does she go to all of this trouble? Why is this significant to the case? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Episode 5: Route Talk 1



Route Part 2: After Murder Before Track

(15:00)

4. THE NISHA CALL: Why does Koenig say this call is significant? Do you think

there is an explanation for this? (17:08) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Patapsco State park: What is the problem with the timeline for the park stop? (19:00) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What happens to this stop when Jay tells this story during the trial? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________




7. Why does Will think it is unlikely that Adnan was late for track? (26:00) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Dana notes that although the State tested 14 cell phone tower sites, they only bring up _________ in trial. Why do they omit the others? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. What is wrong with Jay’s story about the time between 12:07 and 6:07? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. What happens with the cell tower testimony that might affect the jury? How might this affect the outcome of the trial? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. The cell tower tests that are brought up are about Kathy’s apartment‑ that one is ok‑ matches the cell tower, call log, Jay’s Adnan’s and Kathy’s timelines. Why is the 6:24 pm call significant? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. What is important about the calls between 6:24 and 8:05? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. The most incriminating are Leakin Park pings (7:09 and 7:16). Dana says that it is possible that they were somewhere else‑ close to that tower like Patrick’s or a strip mall, but she thinks that they were probably at Leakin Park. Why does she think that? (35:08) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________




14. Does this mean then that Dana thinks Jay is telling the truth? Do you agree? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. Why does this look bad for Adnan? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. How does the cell phone record undermine Jay’s story? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. What are the things Jay has been consistent about with his stories? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Understanding Media: Audience Connection 1. How might Koenig’s attempting to recreate the route appeal to its target

audience? (*hint* consider how a teen compared to an adult would understand leaving after school).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. An audience listening to this podcast has a lot of information to think about: call logs, multiple testimonies from different people, trial evidence, how the persecution uses all of this information and how it all matches or fails to match…). Given this information, what visual aids would be useful listening to this podcast?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. If you were to make this podcast a video, what images would you show? Choose 3 key moments from this episode and explain.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How do Koenig and Dana maintain the audience’s attention throughout the podcast given the multitude of information being presented? Is this effective?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________


12/15/2018 Adnan cell logs - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IlXzrsnbMJVx7azrxl5N-p9yS62tNsGGsEiTH13KjYc/edit# 1/1

Adnan’s Cell Records (adapted from Serial website)

Cell Tower Covers L651C Best Buy, Adnan’s House, Mosque, Leakin Park L651B Jenn’s house L651A Woodlawn High School January 13 th 1999

Call #

Person called

Call time Duration Cell Tower Ping

1 Ann 10:30 pm 1:44 L651C 2 Saad 10:29 0:18 L651C 3 Yasser cell 10:02 0:06 L698B 4 Nisha 9:57 0:24 L651C 5 Krista 9:10 8:41 L651C 6 Krista 9:03 5:28 L651C 7 Nisha 9:01 1:24 L651C 8 Jenn pager 8:05 0:13 L65C3 9 Jenn pager 8:04 0:32 L653A 10 Incoming 7:16 0:32 L698B 11 Incoming 7:09 0:33 L698B 12 Jenn pager 7:00 0:23 L651A 13 Yaser cell 6:59 0:27 L651A

14 Incoming 6:24 4:15 L6D8C 15 Incoming 6:09 0:53 L6D8C 16 Incoming 6:07 0:56 L655A 17 Krista 5:38 0:02 L653C 18 #+ Adnan

cell 5:14 1:07 BLTM2

19 Incoming 5:14 1:07 WB443 20 Incoming 4:58 0:19 L654C 21 Incoming 4:27 2:56 L654C 22 Jenn home 4:12 0:28 L689A 23 Patrick 3:59 0:25 L651A 24 Phil 3:48 1:25 L651A 25 Nisha 3:32 2:22 L651C 26 Jenn home 3:21 0:42 L651C 27 Incoming 3:15 0:20 L651C 28 Incoming 2:36 0:05 L651B 29 Incoming 12:43 0:24 L652A

12/15/2018 Cell tower Map and legend - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17_fjrZEJgB95-lnoXth9QimBpJCxMzO7lJ0yzJfizkk/edit 1/1


https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yeRjj-YwFOHBJEFzYRDQALGi2l2z8HSj4WBQYJ7KvvM/edit 1/4

Episode 6: The Case Against Adnan Syed

Review “Spin”: 1. What does it mean to “spin” something? What pieces of evidence did the prosecution “spin” to use against Adnan? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. So far, what do you think are the biggest pieces of evidence against Adnan? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

In this episode, Koenig examines all of the evidence that could be/ was used against Adnan in court. Consider the validity and significance of each piece of evidence. Rate 1 (not important) to 3 (very important)

Evidence (Record Details )

How it can be used against Adnan Why it may be insignificant Level of significance

“Palm print” on map book

Adnan asking for a ride in Hae’s car

Adnan’s lack of memory

Adnan’s contact/ lack of contact with Hae

Episode 6: The Case Against Adnan Syed 1



Evidence How it can be used against Adnan Why it may be insignificant Level of significance

Hae’s letter/ Adnan’s note to Aisha (7:39)

Dave’s call to the police (9:18)

“Cathy’s” account of the evening (13:15)

Jenn’s account of the evening (24:00)




Evidence How it can be used against Adnan Why it may be insignificant Level of significance

The Nisha Call 26:30

3. Koenig implies that Cathy is objective in this case. Do you agree? Is her testimony worthy more because she doesn’t know Neither Adnan nor Jay well? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Koenig notes that the Nisha call is what makes her question Adnan when she can rationalize everything else away. Do you think it is as important as Koenig makes it out to be? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What bothers Adnan most about how people perceive him? Can you relate to Adnan on this point? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Adnan says not everyone has the ability to do something cruel and heinous like this, at least not without a good reason (self defense, protecting their kids). Do you agree? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________




7. Can you relate to how Koenig feels in being unsure about her feelings about the case and her understanding of what happened? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. So much is put on Adnan’s character, on him as a person. Do you think this is an important detail in the case? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. After reviewing the evidence against Adnan, do you think he is being honest about the evening Hae is killed? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. Have your opinions about Adnan changed over time? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________


12/15/2018 Episode 7 Opposite - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HDlIvhn7e7TEgTkma0bSecUB8cnxX1QfaW3Yg9h1y_U/edit 1/3

Episode 7: The Opposite of Prosecution Before listening to this episode, familiarize yourself with Wolfe’s case. What are some similarities between Wolfe’s case and Adnan’s? In this episode, Koenig reaches out to expert Deirdre Enright who works with Virginia’s Innocence Project. Enright gives insight into Adnan’s case. 1. Why does Koenig spend time examining the Wolfe case? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. How does it relate/ is it similar to Adnan’s case? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is Deirdre Enright’s first impression of Adnan’s case? (4:00)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What are some of her questions as she reads through Adnan’s case? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the “big black hole” according to Enright? Do you agree or disagree given what you know about the case thus far. (5:15) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Episode 7: The Opposite of Prosecution 1



6. Enright tells about the cell records in the Wolfe case. She says “everybody’s calling each other all the time” and that “those calls that are infused with meaning by the prosecution’s theory have no meaning in space.” How do these statements relate to Adnan’s case? Be specific. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What does Enright say about innocent clients? How might this relate to Adnan? (8:30) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Why was it unusual that Adnan went to a jury? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. How does Enright make Koenig feel ok about her own conflicting theories? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. What does Enright think about the state’s case? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Koenig asks, “but isn’t the fact that they did put him away mean they had enough to put him away?” What does Enright say about this? (15:00) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. Enright reads an e‑mail regarding the evidence in Adnan’s case. What is the

main point of this? (19:00)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________




13. What is the value of being optimistic? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. What is the first thing the Innocence team does when they begin? Why is this significant? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. If you were sitting on a jury, would you need to know the answer to who did commit said crime, or just who didn’t do it? (i.e. Do you think the team will have to prove who did kill Hae, instead of just showing Adnan is innocent?) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. What do Enright’s students think of Adnan’s case? What are their reasons for this? (23:00‑30:00) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. Both Koenig and Enright have important information, Koenig as the narrator, and Enright as an expert. Who do you consider more effective in providing information? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________


12/15/2018 Making Connections with episode 7 - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fCzVjpsxMqv4ceLdPIs4KkQoerY2Bcu9P76LUSjvjgU/edit 1/5

Making Connections: 2 trails, 2 murders, 2 convictions…

In Episode 7 of Serial, Koenig compares Adnan’s case to Justin Wolfe’s. Below is an [abbreviated] article about Wolfe’s case. As you read, annotate the text. Focus on the similarities and differences between Adnan’s case and Wolfe’s. If it helps, colour code your annotations. The following article is an abridged version of Drew Lindsay’s 2009 article “An Innocent Man on Death Row?” published by Washingtonian.

An Innocent Man on Death Row? Owen Barber pulled the trigger ten times and told a Northern Virginia jury that his friend Justin Wolfe had hired him to do it. Barber cut a deal with prosecutors and got 28 years. Wolfe got the death penalty. Now, he’s no longer on death row… By Drew Lindsay | March 1, 2009

In January 2002, nearly two months before his 21st birthday, Justin Wolfe was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. He arrived at Sussex as the state’s youngest death‑row inmate. His face, as round and smooth as it was in his Chantilly High School graduation photos, still might get him carded at a bar.

The murder victim was 21‑year‑old Daniel Petrole Jr., a 1998 graduate of Centreville High, a student at Northern Virginia Community College, and a delivery man for a Herndon florist. On the night of March 15, 2001, Petrole was gunned down in his car on a cul‑de‑sac near Manassas, where he had just bought a three‑story brick townhouse.

In Petrole’s car and house after his death, police found $140,000 in cash and 46 pounds of marijuana worth some $200,000 on the street. Petrole, authorities soon learned, was the kingpin in one of Northern Virginia’s biggest drug rings, moving half a million dollars’ worth of dope every month. The son of a retired Secret Service agent who had guarded Presidents Carter and Reagan, Petrole was clearing more than $100,000 a month, yet he led a double life so convincing that his parents had put up $10,000 to help him buy the townhouse.

Prince William County commonwealth’s attorney Paul Ebert, who has sent more people to death row than any other prosecutor in Virginia, handled the murder. At trial, Ebert and his team claimed that Justin Wolfe was a lieutenant in Petrole’s drug operation who, owing Petrole more than $80,000, had hired a friend to kill him. Wolfe, they told jurors, was a violent drug lord who had ordered the hit as if Petrole were “a bug on a windshield,” then celebrated at a Dom Pérignon–fueled bash at a DC nightclub. Drugs lead to greed, they said, and greed leads to murder.

The jury returned a guilty verdict in less than two hours, then handed down a death sentence in just five.

Seven years later, Justin Wolfe hopes to do what is rarely done in Virginia: win a death‑penalty appeal. Courts in Virginia are the least likely in the country to reverse a capital conviction or sentence. Barring DNA proof, a governor’s clemency, or a legal miracle, a death sentence in Virginia is final.

http://www.washingtonian.com/authorprofiles/drew-lindsay.php



There’s no DNA evidence in Wolfe’s case, but he and his lawyers argue that a miracle, or at least Governor Tim Kaine’s intervention, is warranted. Not long after Wolfe’s conviction, the law license of his trial attorney, John Partridge, was revoked. Hired on the recommendation of a stripper, Partridge had never handled a capital‑murder trial. Jurors called him Mr. Potato Head. In the sentencing phase, he turned the case over to an associate who’d had her law license for one year. It was her first time in front of a jury.

New facts also have surfaced contradicting key testimony. Most compelling are revelations from Owen Barber, the 21‑year‑old gunman who confessed to killing Petrole. Barber was the prosecution’s star witness—the only witness to tie Justin Wolfe directly to a murder‑for‑hire scheme. Without Barber’s testimony, Ebert told reporters at the time, “Justin Wolfe never would have been prosecuted.”

But in a sworn affidavit filed nearly four years after the trial, Barber said Wolfe was not involved in the murder. There was no arrangement to kill Petrole, he said; Wolfe knew nothing and paid him nothing. Barber said he had fingered Wolfe chiefly to avoid the death penalty himself.

“Justin had nothing to do with the killing,” he said in the affidavit.

Barber has since disavowed his recantation. And coming from a confessed killer and now a confessed liar, it might be easy to dismiss. But the affidavit, with other facts uncovered after the trial, seem to raise enough doubt to warrant a second look at Wolfe’s conviction. Several jurors now say they suspected during the trial that the full story of the murder wasn’t being told.

Sports, Divorce, and Dope

Despite its stresses, the [Wolfe] family had happy times. There were family dinners most nights along with baths and story time. “I tried to keep things normal—as normal as you could,” Terri says.

Young Justin was a standout athlete. He quarterbacked his PeeWee football team and played shortstop and pitcher on a top area Little League team. Though only five‑foot‑seven, as a sophomore he was a reserve running back and linebacker on the 1996 Chantilly High state‑champion football team.

“He was a nice kid,” a neighbor said at his trial. “Justin was always one of the first ones to jump in and give you a hand.”

Justin says he smoked pot for the first time when he was in eighth grade at St. Timothy Catholic School in Chantilly. A friend got some from his older brother and shared it with Justin. “We just walked around the neighborhood and smoked,” he says.

At Chantilly High the following year, Justin began dealing to his friends. Later he moved up and began selling “chronic,” also called “kind bud,” high‑grade marijuana that tastes sweeter and is more potent than regular pot, often called “schwag.” Chronic sold for as much as $5,000 a pound—five times more than schwag.

In the fall of 1997, Justin’s junior year, police—apparently tipped off that he was dealing—raided his father’s house and found scales and small bags of marijuana in Justin’s bedroom. Only 16, he was charged with possession to distribute but pleaded guilty to possession and got a year’s probation. He violated probation several times.



While on probation, Justin returned to live with his mother… Justin’s behavior was better. He helped around the house, cared for his siblings, and coached youth basketball.

Before and after graduating from Chantilly High, Justin worked for a home‑improvement company selling windows, siding, and roofing. After each sale, he called his mother to report his commission. When she did laundry, she checked his pockets and sniffed his clothes but found nothing.

His senior year at Chantilly, Justin dated the daughter of the head of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Washington regional office, who saw him as a kid with potential.

“I wish I could say something bad about him, but it didn’t show itself,” the agent told the Washington Post after Justin’s indictment in Petrole’s murder.

But even as his manners and clean‑cut looks impressed adults, he expanded his drug business. By the time of the murder almost two years later, Justin was known as Chantilly’s “top gun” for chronic, according to court testimony; he had dozens of regular customers and made as much as $10,000 a month. He took exotic vacations and often dropped $2,000 or $3,000 at clubs buying booze and drugs for friends. …

Manhunt for a Murderer

Danny Petrole’s murder looked to be an execution: ten bullets fired at close range from a 9‑millimeter Smith & Wesson semiautomatic, shattering the passenger‑side window of Petrole’s Honda Civic. Nine found their mark, cutting through his lungs, liver, and kidney and severing his spine.

It didn’t take Prince William County investigators long to identify a suspect. The night of the murder, police found a gun by the side of the road not far from Petrole’s townhouse. …

Owen Barber and Justin Wolfe had known each other since freshman year at Chantilly. They’d met through Justin’s cousin, who lived near Owen and shared his love of skateboarding and tinkering with cars. Owen and Justin both sold marijuana, but Justin made more money because he peddled the high‑grade chronic. …

Justin’s mother didn’t like Owen. “He seemed shady to me,” she says. “But Justin said, ‘Mom, he’s harmless. Nobody likes him, but what are we supposed to do? Be mean to him?’ ”

Days after Danny Petrole’s murder, Owen Barber fled Northern Virginia. He was the subject of a nationwide manhunt for nearly three weeks before US marshals arrested him April 5 at a beachfront hotel in San Diego. …

Justin Wolfe also left the area days after the murder, catching a ride to Florida with a friend. But he returned within a week and went to Prince William County police headquarters for questioning.

According to a police transcript of the interview, four officers spoke with Wolfe, along with Rick Conway, an assistant commonwealth’s attorney. Police knew that hours before the murder, Wolfe had met Petrole for a drug buy. Conway offered Wolfe limited immunity on drug‑dealing charges in exchange for information about the murder. A lawyer Wolfe had retained asked for a broader agreement, but Conway, a gruff former Falls Church police officer, refused; the motive for Petrole’s murder, he said, might lie in Wolfe’s drug dealing. …



“We Got to Shoot Him”

The trial established with certainty that Owen Barber had killed Danny Petrole. About 9:45 on the night of March 15, 2001, as Justin Wolfe and Petrole made a drug deal inside the Centreville apartment of Wolfe’s girlfriend, Barber waited nearby in a borrowed red Ford Escort…Barber then followed Petrole for nearly an hour as the dealer made another drug delivery near the courthouse in Fairfax City; Petrole then returned via I‑66 to his townhouse near Manassas.

When Petrole pulled up to the curb around 11, Barber stopped as well, got out, and walked up to Petrole’s car. A friend of Petrole’s in the house mistook the gunshots for someone banging on a hollow pipe—vandals at a construction site down the road, he figured…

It was Wolfe who had proposed killing Petrole, Barber testified. While they were having drinks at the Blue Iguana, a bar and restaurant in the Fair Lakes area of Fairfax, Wolfe “asked me if I wanted to get his chronic man,” he said. He thought Wolfe was suggesting a robbery, but Wolfe, he claimed, had other ideas. “You can’t rob him,” Wolfe said, according to Barber. “We got to shoot him because he knows too many people.”

Barber testified that he and Wolfe followed Petrole several times, hoping for an opportunity to move on him. Eventually, Barber said, Wolfe called for the hit to take place on March 15, after his buy from Petrole.

Prosecutors walked Barber through his cell‑phone records that day. They showed half a dozen calls between Barber and Wolfe in the 90 minutes surrounding the murder. Barber testified that those calls were to update Wolfe as he followed Petrole. The last, he said, was to let him know the job was done.

In exchange for the murder, Barber said, Wolfe forgave him a debt of $3,000 as well as money he owed for more than four pounds of pot. He also promised a half pound of chronic and $10,000 in cash—a payoff worth about $20,000…

In exchange for Barber’s testimony against Wolfe, prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty against him. After Wolfe’s trial, Barber pleaded guilty to first‑degree murder and was sentenced to 60 years in prison, with 22 years suspended.

As part of the plea bargain, Ebert also dropped charges against Barber’s girlfriend, Jennifer Pasquariello, who had been arrested for conspiracy‑after‑the‑fact.

Plea deals are a staple of criminal prosecution. As Ebert told the jury, the state sometimes “has to pet a skunk in order to catch another.”

But several potential jurors…were puzzled as to why the state had sought the death penalty for the defendant who hadn’t pulled the trigger. “That doesn’t really make sense to me,” one said. “I guess I would have a hard time agreeing with that.” Those potential jurors were dismissed.

Whatever questions the plea deal raised about Barber, the shooter, his account fit other evidence. One woman testified that her husband told her he and Wolfe had taken her handgun with them to collect drug debts. The two once had hatched a plan to rob a supplier, she said, even buying ski masks and duct tape to tie up the dealer.



Chad Hough, a prosecution witness then facing charges of drug dealing, testified that during forays to the racetrack and strip clubs in West Virginia, Wolfe had talked about robbing other drug dealers. Once, Hough said, Wolfe proposed arranging a buy at “a chick’s house.” Hough was to wait outside, then follow the dealer and rob him. “I didn’t take it seriously,” Hough said….

“I Ain’t Never Hurt Nobody”

[Wolfe] also testified about the cell‑phone calls with Barber the night of the murder. Barber, he said, was pestering him to find out exactly when Petrole was going to deliver the drugs and when Barber could pick up his supply. That wasn’t unusual—several of Wolfe’s customers wanted quick pickups of drugs. Only later, Wolfe said, did he realize that Barber had used him to set up Petrole.…

But other evidence seemed to fit Barber’s story, particularly the cell‑phone records from the night of the murder. “The phone records were the clincher—definitely a clincher,” says jury foreman Myles Ganley. “During the course of that night, they were on the phone with each other every five minutes. It was just too much.”

In the end, there was little disagreement among the jurors. After hearing from more than 30 witnesses over just six days of trial, they deliberated for 90 minutes before returning the verdict: Wolfe was guilty on all counts.

When the jurors turned to the matter of Wolfe’s sentence, they agreed to the prosecution’s request for the maximum 30 years on the drug‑dealing and firearms charges.

Lindsay, Drew. "An Innocent Man on Death Row?" Washingtonian 1 Mar. 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/an‑innocent‑man‑on‑death‑row/>.

12/15/2018 Episode 8 The Deal with Jay - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1APvelX9umjfHzmHW1UrpE6ZX4nCa5D8crOGxHMhDxfs/edit 1/5

Episode 8: The Deal with Jay

You’ve been waiting for it! Koenig takes a closer look at the suspicious person of Jay. Before Listening:

1. What are your impressions of Jay thus far? How would you describe him? (Give examples.) What do you think his role is in the murder? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

See if your opinion changes at the end of the episode.

1. Much like Adnan and the evidence against him, Koenig provides multiple perspectives of Jay. As you listen, record the positive and negative attributes of Jay’s character in the chart on the separated page.

2. Jay’s credibility was the State’s case so Adnan’s lawyer tried to “rip it to shreds”.

How did she attempt to do this? (Consider strategies, word choice…) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Do you think her attempts were effective? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What does Jim Trainum, the “real detective”, think about how the case was handled? (11:00‑

12:52)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Episode 8: The Deal with Jay 1



5. What are Trainum’s opinions about Adnan and Jay?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What is “bad evidence”? (16:30)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. How might “bad evidence” factor into Jay’s testimony?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What do you make of the argument Chris describes between himself and Jay where Jay tries to stab him? Is this serious? Joking? What do you think of Jay in this example? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________

9. What did Jay tell Chris about the evening of Hae’s murder? (28:17)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. How does Chris’s story match Asia’s alibi for Adnan? (29:30)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. Like there are multiple sides to Jay, Chris and Patrick describe a different side of Adnan. What do they say about him? ( 32:58) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. What happens at Jay’s sentencing? Do you agree with the decision made? Explain.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________




Elements of Literature and Media

13. At the end of the episode, Koenig plays a clip of Laura describing her reaction to the case. Koenig does this because she can relate. Laura: Well then who the fuck did it? Like, why would, like why would it doesn’t make sense. Why would (stuttering)why would... Hae was I can’t I’m probably just as confused as you are. (38:50) How does Laura’s use of sentence fragments and short sentences portray emotion? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. How are both primary and secondary sources used in this episode? Provide an example of each a primary and secondary source. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. In what ways are primary sources helpful to understanding the case and the people involved? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. What are some problems with primary sources?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. In what ways are secondary sources helpful to understanding the case and the people involved? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. What are some problems with secondary sources?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

19. In this episode, do you think primary or secondary sources are most useful?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________________




As you listen, record the positive and negative attributes of Jay’s character in the chart. When possible, also record the source and an example. Remember, an opinion is only as good as the evidence to support it. The first one is done for you. Use the chart for the entire episode.

The Deal with Jay Positive characteristics Negative characteristics

Source: Juror Description and example:

● “Streetwise” got around in the neighborhood, able to take care of himself. He’s the friend if you got in trouble you would call. It was believable that he would be the guy Adnan would turn to.




Consider the evidence:

1. Who do you think are the best sources for understanding Jay as a person? What do they say about him?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Has your opinion of Jay changed? Are you considering a different aspect of his personality? Explain.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Based on your understanding of Jay, what do you think about his testimony in court?

To what extent is it true?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________


12/15/2018 Episode 9 To Be Suspected - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O-gVJJ832gV1QatW0CjPdhYdZMsGhBP7gKSmAJ7mhWE/edit 1/6

Episode 9: To Be Suspected

As the podcast develops an audience, those who knew the people involved begin to contact Koenig. What is the new information Koenig discovers? How is Koenig’s narrative being influenced by real time events?

1. What does Laura say about phones at Best Buy? Is she a reliable source? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What does Summer say about the timeline the state proposes? Is she a reliable source? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Koenig suggests that with this new evidence there could be no way Hae was

murdered by 2:36pm. The State, however, based their entire case around this call. Who do you think is most correct? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. How does she refute Chris’s suggestions that this happened at the library? Do you

agree? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Who does Koenig thinks called Adnan at “Cathy’s” that night? How does that change

our understanding of “Cathy’s” memory? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Episode 9: To Be Suspected 1



6. How does Adnan describe his experience during the trial? About finding out about Hae’s death? (12:00‑14:45) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. What does Krista say about the night they find out about Hae? What does she say that shocks Koenig? Are you surprised? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What are the two ways Koenig can interpret this action? How does this connect to

Poe’s The Tell Tale Heart ? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. How did other people describe Adnan’s reaction to Hae’s death? (16:08) What does

Detective Tranium say about this? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

10.When the police come to question Adnan, what is he most concerned about? What

would he tell his 17 year old self? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

11.What does Adnan focus on during the trials? (24:00) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. How does Adnan describe his social life in the prison? What can we learn about him? Do you think this is important to understanding the case? (26:50) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________




13.What does Adnan say about the process of the trial and sentencing? (30:00)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

14. How does Adnan react to the public defender’s speech during sentencing? Does this make you believe Adnan? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

15.Why does Adnan say he is lucky? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

16.Why does he consider the situation his own fault? Do you agree?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. The prosecution says that Adnan can’t admit to the crime after all these years. His

parents have put too much time and money into defending him. What does Adnan say about this? Do you agree or disagree? (39:21) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Koenig ends by telling us that despite the evidence, she has reasonable doubt that Adnan committed the crime because of his character. Given Adnan’s insistence that only evidence be looked at, and Trainum’s advice to discount character descriptions in deciding guilt or innocence, do you think it is fair that Koenig comes to this conclusion? Do you agree or disagree with her conclusion? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________




19. Koenig pieces the case and her podcast together as it is being published. How does this affect the narrative structure? (Consider if it fits the plot graph, or mostly breaks from the traditional linear narrative.) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. Do you think it is effective in developing the story or suspense? Should Koenig have waited to get all of the information before beginning the podcast? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. Best Buy gets attention through the podcast as a potential sight of Hae’s murder. The issue of determining if payphones were at the location is a major task for the producers of the podcast. On December 11 th 2014, Best Buy uses the notoriety from the podcast to produce its brand with the following tweet:

22. Many people were upset by Best Buy’s comment. Why do you think people were upset? Were their concerns reasonable? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Read the article on the following page. Consider the responsibilities of a company in maintaining professionalism and ethical decisions.




Best Buy Tweets Moderately Funny Joke About Serial . Internet Outrage Ensues. By Alison Griswold

Screenshot from Twitter

So tweeted Best Buy a bit before 4 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, to the simultaneous delight and outrage of the Internet. (While I was writing this post, the tweet was taken down, and Best Buy issued an apology .) In case you haven't been listening to Serial , the hit spinoff of This American Life about the murder of teenager Hae Min Lee, that joke is somewhat funny because a pay phone in the parking lot of a Maryland Best Buy plays a crucial role in the state's case against its suspect. According to the state, Adnan Syed placed a call for a ride to a friend from that pay phone shortly after he allegedly murdered Lee. The question Serial has been trying to answer: Is there evidence that pay phone existed? You see Best Buy's joke—it can offer everything you need, except a pay phone. Serial 's massive popularity, according to a story published Wednesday in the Huffington Post , has apparently turned the site of that question into something of a fan/tourist destination. "So many people have inquired about the phone that the general manager of the store, who hadn't heard of Serial until people started coming in to ask about it, has started listening," the Huffington Post reports. Clearly Best Buy has already been getting increased attention from the podcast. So why has its decision to capitalize on that attention spurred a wave of Internet outrage? The short answer is that corporate jokes about Serial rub people wrong. Serial , after all, is a podcast about a real murder, and a subject that sensitive is generally not great fodder for a marketing push. People don't like to think of companies as exploiting someone's death for their own gain. On the other hand, Best Buy is not the first company or brand to attempt this kind of marketing spin. In late November, Cheerios decided to make the cereal/ Serial joke on Twitter, tweeting, "Discovering the truth can be tough when you're hungry." (That tweet has also since been taken down.) This week, Sesame Street tweeted in anticipation of Serial 's next episode: "Is it Thursday yet? Bert is so excited for his Thursday morning CEREAL."


http://www.slate.com/authors.alison_griswold.html

https://twitter.com/BestBuy/status/543145338320609281

https://twitter.com/BestBuy/status/543162093701066753

http://www.slate.com/topics/s/serial.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/10/serial-best-buy_n_6302900.html

https://twitter.com/sesamestreet/status/542794195107213313



Why is it OK for Sesame Street —a children's show, for goodness' sake—to make this kind of jest, but not Best Buy? Well, even though Sesame Street is a business, it's also a nonprofit with plenty of accrued good faith and a long history of engaging in cultural commentary. Best Buy is a big company that sells electronics and exists to make money. So: When Sesame Street makes this sort of joke it has a pass for creative license and snark that Best Buy just doesn't get. It probably doesn't matter what Best Buy says about Serial . As long as it appears to be using an element of the show for its own monetary gain, people are bound to get annoyed. Whether this attitude is fair is a potentially endless discussion, but I'd suggest that it's not. Here's why. Yes, it's true that Serial is a journalistic enterprise about a real, serious event. It's also true that, on some level, it feels wrong for a brand to exploit that. But at this point in the series, Serial is much more than a journalism project. It is a cultural phenomenon. The show's episodes have been downloaded and streamed more than 5 million times .* Thousands are parsing the details of its case on Reddit . People aren't just listening to Serial because it's important and weighty and informative—they're listening to Serial because it's entertaining. I think we all agree that pop culture and entertainment are fair game for brands to market on. If we accept that Serial has crossed into that territory, it seems hypocritical to treat it as strictly off-limits. *Correction, Dec. 15, 2014: This post originally misstated that 5 million people have downloaded and streamed episodes of Serial. The show has multiple episodes, which have been downloaded and streamed more than 5 million times combined. Slate 14 Dec. 2014. The Slate Group. Web. 22 Apr. 2015. <http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2014/12/11/best_buy_serial_tweet_what_s_wrong_with_brand_jokes_about_a_murder_podcast.html>.

1. What are the two sides of the argument as presented by the author? 2. What does the author ultimately argue about the tweet? 3. Do you agree or disagree with the argument? Explain.


http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/nov/18/serial-podcast-itunes-apple-downloads-streams

http://www.reddit.com/r/serialpodcast/

12/15/2018 Episode 10 The best defense - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fFTvBMA4bsJ6iC56EyVguCjUSm3bfKl53S_pJNrJ4oA/edit 1/3

Episode 10: The Best Defense is a good Defense

This episode examines key aspects of Adnan’s trial including the possible influence of racism, Gutierrez as a lawyer, and other revelations during the trial. What do you think was the biggest influence in Adnan ultimately being found guilty?

Racism in the Court?

1. Why does Koenig play audio of the jury selection?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. People believed that Adnan’s case was influenced by racism. What does Koenig think? (5:30)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What are examples Koenig shows of anti‑Muslim sentiment creeping in?( Consider jury selection, the prosecution’s account of the audience at the bail hearing, the report given to the prosecutors regarding race and culture, terms used by the prosecution in developing Adnan’s motive…) (6:00‑15:58)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Jurors said that they were not influenced by Adnan’s race; they saw him as a typical American teenager. To what extent do you think this is possible/ true?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did Cristina Gutierrez blow it?

5. How does Adnan feel about Cristina Gutierrez ? (18:45)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1 Episode 10: The Best Defense is a good Defense



6. What was her defense strategy in court? Do you think this was effective? Explain.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7. Why does the first trial end in a mistrial? (20:28)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. What verdict was the jury of the first trial leaning toward?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. Do you think it was it a good idea to use Mr. S as a witness? Explain your reasoning.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

10. Koenig notes that Gutierrez’s main target was Jay. Rate her effectiveness in cross examining Jay. Do you think she presents a clear argument? Is she persuasive in her cross examining of Jay? Explain with specific examples.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. In closing, what does she say about the cell records? What does she fail to point out? Do you think this was a significant factor in the outcome of the trial?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jay’s deal

12. Jay had been charged with accessory after the fact. He had an agreement that if he showed up and testified it would be reflected in his sentence. What was strange about how he attained a lawyer? Do you think there was more going on than is being said? (33:10)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. What is the judge’s reaction to this revelation? Do you think this is appropriate?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________




14. Rabia thought Christina had bungled it and the defense was weak. What does Koenig think?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. What do you think?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16. Koenig notes that Gutierrez was having trouble late in her career. What was “not right” about Christina at this point?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

17. What do the Whitmans say about Christina? What issues did they have? (44:10)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Why was Gutierrez in trouble with the attorney commission?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adnan’s Appeal: IRL

19. Adnan’s petition for appeal is based on ineffective council, specifically regarding Asia’s potential alibi for Adnan. Do you think there is a basis for this appeal? Did he receive ineffective council?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

20. Adnan is also petitioning because he says he asked for a plea deal which Christina did not attempt to negotiate. Koenig seems skeptical that Adnan would ask for a plea deal. Why is this?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

21. What does Adnan say about this? Do you believe him?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

22. Which do you think played the most significant role in Adnan being declared guilty: racism, ineffective council, a strong prosecution, the evidence against Adnan, or other factors? Explain.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________


12/15/2018 Serial Episode 10 articles - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A1_tRBlgyzMYMKRuK9dKLEqQVbtl8WqEEsEgJMxzlYU/edit 1/5

Serial Episode 10: Did Racism Help Put Adnan in Prison? [Abridged] Four Atlantic staffers discuss the podcast's newest installment, which appraises the cracks in the 1999 defense of Adnan Syed. Conor Friedersdorf , Lenika Cruz , Tanya Basu , and Katie Kilkenny discuss the latest episode of WBEZ Chicago's popular non-fiction podcast Serial . Friedersdorf: Episode 10 of Serial begins by addressing the question of anti-Muslim prejudice. Did it play a role in putting Adnan in prison? Adnan's mother declares that when she explains to herself what happened, discrimination against Muslims is the only rationale she can come up with. She believes her son is innocent, that anti-Muslim prejudice is the reason he was arrested, and that everyone in the local Muslim community feels the same way. "Because it was a Muslim child, that's why they took him," she said. "It was easier to take him than other people." Sarah Koenig is skeptical of anti-Muslim bigotry as The One Cause, presumably because there were definitely other factors that played a significant role. When a teenage woman dies, of course the ex-boyfriend is at least a person of interest. When another person, with no apparent motive to lie, flat-out accuses the ex-boyfriend of the murder, of course he is a suspect. When the ex has no alibi, of course that makes it even worse. And was it really easier for police to take Adnan, an honor student and part-time EMT voted most popular at school dances, than Jay, a black drug dealer with piercings and tattoos? I can't perform a rigorous analysis of the competing kinds of racism at play, but it's at least unclear. At the same time, Koenig presents evidence that anti-Muslim prejudice played a definite role at different points in Adnan's case, from jury selection, when one potential juror confessed that he couldn't be fair to a Muslim defendant because a Muslim friend of his mistreats his wife, to a bail hearing when a prosecutor keeps referring to Adnan as a Pakistani (instead of American) and fabricates a pattern of cases where Pakistanis kill women and flee back to their home country. In previous episodes, we've also heard how stereotypes about Muslims tinged the prosecution's account of Adnan's motives. Whether or not Adnan is guilty, it's difficult to come away from this deep dive into his case without concluding that he would've gotten a fairer trial in ways big and small if he had not been a Muslim. And that's true even though his trial began before the September 11 terrorist attacks, which caused anti-Muslim bigotry and hate crimes to spike in the United States. … Something like that shouldn't matter in a trial deciding a man's fate. But that doesn't mean that it didn't. Basu: For me, the first part of the episode that Conor mentions is at least thought provoking: What role, if any, did race play in Adnan’s trial? The pre-9/11 anti-Muslim sentiment is introduced by Shamim Rahman, Adnan Syed's mother, who thinks racial bias played a role in her son's conviction. At first, Koenig isn't so sure, perhaps naively so, wondering if Shamim is simply being a protective mother, blindly accusing those who put her son in jail. But Koenig's subsequent exploration of this potential bias in the case (though perhaps late for only being introduced in episode 10 and possibly in response to the spate of

http://www.theatlantic.com/conor-friedersdorf/

http://www.theatlantic.com/lenika-cruz/

http://www.theatlantic.com/tanya-basu/

http://www.theatlantic.com/katie-kilkenny/

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/10/podcasts-so-good-you-want-to-binge-listen/382055/



white-reporter-privilege stories flooding Internet commentary regarding the series) is thorough; "parsimonious," perhaps, but necessary and eye-opening. In particular, the fact that honor killings are brought up as a potential motive for Adnan entails a not-so-subtle vein of a xenophobic stereotype that is in some ways shocking and yet also (sadly) expected. Honor killings , briefly, are murders of women who have somehow hurt their families’ reputations. Here, the prosecution implies that Adnan killed Hae to protect his own honor in the face of Islam and his family's disapproval of his relationship with a woman outside the faith and Pakistani culture. Killing an ex-girlfriend over a lover’s squabble gone too far is a timeless narrative, but what sparked my interest here was the fact that the universality of this type of crime was lost on many observers. Here stood before the jury a man whose skin, name (at one point, an observer online off-handedly remarks about Hae's choice of boyfriend, "But who lets their daughter date someone named Adnan Masud Syed?"), and cultural heritage apparently beg for an alternate explanation. The motive couldn't be one of jealousy or rage, but had to do with "honor" that was "besmirched," hearkening to another dimension and world where a girlfriend was property. It made me wonder: What if Adnan was white, or, as Conor wonders, if he was black and tattooed and dealing drugs? Regardless of if he was black or white, it’s unlikely the idea that this was an honor killing would have even crossed anyone's mind. Would the case have been reduced to simply one of blinding fury? Would the jury be swayed either way? Would Adnan, most importantly, have a culture to "blame" for his actions? Culture, in other words, or at least perceived culture, are looming motives in cases, and we are left to wonder if Adnan's cultural background has anything at all to contribute to this murder. But any Serial listener will recall that Adnan is tirelessly described as anything but "traditional." He's repeatedly seen as a lady's man who makes out and has sex with girls regardless of race, a fun-loving pothead who does things that "normal" (or "American") teenagers would do. In other words, Adnan was in his day-to-day life an average American teenager first, and a Pakistani Muslim second (as Conor mentions in his overview above). And yet, the fact that his community arrives en masse—"bearded" and "in traditional garb"—doesn't show that he has a loving family and support system members who believes his story. They’re instead his “aiders and abetters,” his escape route to Pakistan, part of the implied barbaric culture that has been ingrained in Adnan from his youth. That Cristina Gutierrez must explain where Pakistan is, what an immigrant is, and how Adnan fits into that picture (he doesn't) shows how much progress has yet to be made to reduce racial stereotyping within the American criminal justice system. In the past couple weeks alone, the issue of police discrimination has erupted within the literal and figurative black and white parameters of the Michael Brown/Eric Garner cases. Koenig reveals a disturbing trend in how the criminal justice system treats minorities that worked circa-1999 and that continues to operate today: Make wide-reaching generalizations and blame the culture, however far-fetched it may be. Adnan Masud Syed is a Pakistani whose actions are not those of free will or individual choice but those dictated by a culture and faith whose very foreignness creates a chasm in morality. http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/serial‑episode‑10‑cristinas‑world/383432/

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/12/unpacking-the-social-justice-critique-of-serial/383071/

http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/12/serial-episode-10-cristinas-world/383432/



Improper race and religion references in Adnan Syed trial By Mansi Shah The trial that culminated in the 2000 conviction of Adnan Syed has been a hotly debated subject in recent weeks, largely because of the popular "Serial" podcast that examined the case. That debate will no doubt intensify in light of a brief that Mr. Syed's current counsel filed this month with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals seeking to overturn that conviction. But the debate has largely focused on the question of Mr. Syed's factual innocence or guilt. While that question is an important one, we, the South Asian Bar Association of North America, write this not to opine on whether Mr. Syed is innocent or guilty. Instead, the issue that has troubled us is one that has received far less attention: The fact that Mr. Syed's ethnicity played a major role in the trial, in which he was accused of murdering his former girlfriend, a fellow Woodlawn High School student.

The 14th Amendment of the Constitution guarantees "equal protection of the laws." Relying on U.S. Supreme Court precedent, the federal appeals court for D.C. recognized in United States v. Doe (1990) that the "Constitution prohibits racially-biased prosecutorial arguments." A defendant accused of a crime must be judged in light of the admissible evidence, not on stereotypes about his background. Mr. Syed was born on U.S. soil to immigrants from Pakistan. But no matter where his parents came from, he is American. Unfortunately, the record strongly suggests that the State of Maryland did not treat the defendant like an American when it prosecuted him. After reviewing the transcripts from his six-week trial, we are forced to conclude that he was not tried solely on the evidence but also on his background, culture and race. The nation's Constitution and values demand better. The very start of Mr. Syed's trial raised serious questions about whether the Constitution's mandate of "equal protection" was respected. The prosecutor introduced the Baltimore teen by saying, "The defendant is of Pakistani background, he's a Muslim." He encouraged the jury to consider the defendant's ethnicity, religion and involvement in the (unexplained) institution described only as "Islamic culture." Indeed, it appears that the prosecutor relied on ethnic and religious stereotypes in contending that Mr. Syed committed the murder because "his honor was besmirched," claiming it was the defendant's "religious beliefs" that motivated him to kill. We are not saying that arguments based on religion or ethnic background are categorically improper in criminal cases. But from our review of the record, we cannot identify any factual evidence introduced at trial to suggest that religion actually motivated the crime. While evidence was introduced that Mr. Syed's parents did not approve of his dating habits — a dynamic familiar to many parents and teenagers — the notion that Mr. Syed killed because of an honor besmirched was supported only by the prosecutor's reference to cultural stereotypes about Muslims.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/topic/crime-law-justice/crime/adnan-syed-PEOCVC000378-topic.html



Such references to the defendant's background were persistent throughout the trial. In a recent interview with the online publication The Intercept , the prosecutor now suggests that domestic violence motivated the murder, but we identified no testimony about the defendant's jealousy or anger against the victim in the trial transcripts. In contrast, the prosecutor repeatedly referred to the tenets of the Islamic faith and suggested that the defendant's apparently disobeying them by dating the victim was itself proof of guilt. As one example among many, the prosecutor sought to convey to the jury the notion that Islam endorses harsh penalties for those who violate its scriptures. To do this, he put a teenage friend of the defendant on the witness stand and asked him: "What is your understanding of the penalty within the Islamic religion for premarital sex?" The teenager replied (evidently to the best of his theological knowledge): "That is not allowed." Many other religions have similar proscriptions that their adherents — teenagers and otherwise — routinely transgress. Would such a question be asked during the prosecution of a Catholic defendant? It seems inconceivable — at least in the absence of evidence that the defendant personally held hard-line religious beliefs that led to a murder. Yet that is precisely what took place in Mr. Syed's trial. Despite repeated references to Islam, Pakistan and the like, the state presented no actual evidence to support its contention that Mr. Syed believed his "honor was besmirched." Instead, it appears that the state relied on insinuations that "Islamic culture" was at fault. That type of injection of race and religion into a criminal defendant's trial is deeply troubling, in our view. Members of the legal profession — and the public at large — should not rest until all of us can be assured that prosecutors will avoid gratuitous references to race and religion and that all defendants receive a trial that is fair and just under the law. Shah, Mansi. "Improper Race and Religion References in Adnan Syed Trial." The Baltimore Sun 28 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015. <http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinion/oped/bsedsyedtrial20150128story.html>.



Media Connections and Reactions to Serial

Read the articles “ Serial Episode 10: Did Racism Help Put Adnan in Prison?” by Conor Friedersdorf , Lenika Cruz , Tanya Basu , and Katie Kilkenny , and “Improper race and religion references in Adnan Syed trial” by Shah. Complete the chart and the questions below. Friedserdorf Basu Shah Overall argument related to race factor in Adnan’s case

Examples/ evidence used to support argument

1. Does one article or speaker present a more convincing argument? If so, which one and why?

2. Does one article or speaker have a more authoritative voice? If so, which one and why?

3. Which article do you think would best appeal to Serial’s target audience? Why?



http://www.theatlantic.com/lenika-cruz/

http://www.theatlantic.com/tanya-basu/

http://www.theatlantic.com/katie-kilkenny/

12/15/2018 Episode 11 Rumours - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1S8Ms_1i5xg8lMJt47_SMucEQnnpTeOLjCBVBwd4DQ74/edit 1/3

Episode 11: Rumors

1. How does Koenig keep listeners engaged at the beginning of the podcast? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Few people from the Mosque are willing to talk on the record. Why? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. How did fear affect people in Adnan’s community? (6:008:00)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the major rumor Koenig hears about Adnan? (10:22)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Does this change your opinion about Adnan? Explain. _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. How does Adnan react to this allegation?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Episode 11: Rumours 1



7. How does he tell the story? What does he think about it now that he is an adult?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Charles says that most killers are ordinary people. Does this surprise you? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. What are some of the theories presented by people who knew Adnan?

* Note: fill in Jane’s idea, answer question 10, then return to the chart.

Jane Effron

(Teacher)23:00

Koenig Laura

25:45

Their theory

rOpinion about

their theory

10. Koenig asks if a normal kid could up and do this. Is snapping a thing? What is

the response? (23:55) _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________




11.What is a dissociative state? Do you think this is the case with Adnan? Explain. (26:21)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

12. How does Koenig discount the theory that Adnan is a psychopath? (29:0033:00)

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

13.What is the message of Adnan’s letter to Koenig? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

The end is near…

14. Make a prediction about the ending of the podcast. What should Koenig’s goal be?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

15.What will she say about Adnan? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

16.Will the ending satisfy the audience? _________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________


12/15/2018 Episode 12 What we know - Google Docs

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SPHcmE1_IHs2LYS3SQyD-Te9c9yPqJjEp1wXeUr_uD0/edit 1/4

Episode 12: What We Know

The finale…?

1. Can you relate to Koenig’s feelings going back and forth between thinking Adnan is innocent or guilty? As the narrator, do you think she should be more certain?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What does Don say about the day Hae goes missing? (3:25)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. What is the difference between his first response to Hae’s disappearance and

Adnan’s? What does this tell us about Don? (5:20) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is similar between Adnan’s and Don’s responses?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. What did the State want from Don’s testimony? (8:47)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. What does Josh say about Jay? Do you believe him? ( 11:21)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________



7. Does Josh’s account make Jay seem more or less reliable? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. The Nisha call reviewed: What information does Dana find that might change

the significance of the Nisha call? (25:13) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. They look at the cell records again in more detail. What happens when they

look at the records again? What do they come to speculate? (28:35) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10.What do they say seems most likely about where Jay and Adnan went that afternoon instead of the mall? Why does it make Adnan look more suspicious?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. What does Julie think about the 3:21 call? Why is it confusing? (31:24) __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

12.What does Julie ask about the discrepancy between Jay’s and Jenn’s stories?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

13. How does Koenig try and justify the State’s motive? Do you agree with this

idea? Why/why not? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Comparing opinions about the case



Dana (38:30) Jim Trainum (41:35) Innocence Project (42:45)

What

they say

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

Your

response

14.What does Deirdre find out? Do you think this is significant? (44:08)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15. Adnan doesn’t think Koenig should take a side. Is this responsible for the

narrator? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

16.Would this be satisfying to the audience?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________



17.What does Koenig ultimately determine?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

18. Do you agree with Koenig?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

19.Was this a satisfying ending? Explain your reasoning.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

study guide materials against adnan syed the … syed –convicted of killing hae mine lee, his...

Documents