There was enough doubt for me to want to give this a real close look. I knew him because I knew Muslims in the community from playing basketball at the mosque. In it, Koenig talks to Syed who says hes innocent. That would free Wilds to then collect the reward moneyafter detectives officially filed Syeds indictment to CrimeStoppers on October 1stin November. Syed was arrested that same day, aged 17. Then what happens, and what time is it roughly? I didnt think he was going to go kill her. Years later, now that Wilds testimony has come under fire, even Pusateri doubts his version of events. I didnt know it was that close. Jay Wilds was the star witness in the trial of Adnan Syed - the 18-year-old who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. Here, we piece together the accounts as they reportedly happened in the 1999 teen murder case: While their relationship was kept a secret because of both religious and cultural differences, classmates Syed and Lee dated in 1998, and broke up in December of that year, according to court records. At trial, he said Adnan killed Hae in the parking lot of Best Buy, and then he also said he helped Adnan bury her in Leakin Park, Chaudry notes during the episode. Adnan Syed freed after judge vacates murder conviction Wilds also makes clear in the interview that Baltimore isnt the place where one who ran afoul with the law wanted to get hooked by the cops or work with them both options were not good. Court Case Of Jay Wilds Testimony - 1079 Words | Internet Public Library What happened on this particular day depends on who you talk to. The Full Story Of Adnan Syed And The Murder Of Hae Min Lee - All That's He did not go to prison, though. Like, hes not in a car or anything. From Men's Health. Its just on the street. Matt Tinoco provided research for this interview. After hearings in the Circuit Court between November 2010 and October 2012, Syeds petition for post-conviction relief is denied, according to court papers. Is this when you first saw Haes body in the trunk of her car? It all revolves around Jay," lawyer and Syed family friend, Wilds, who gave police multipleinterviews and testified in court, was first questioned on Feb. 28, 1999, just hours before police arrested Syed on suspicion of Lees murder. She looked kinda purple, blue, her legs were tucked behind her, she had stockings on, none of her clothes were removed, nothing like that. Wilds' testimony in the murder trial was central to the conviction of Syed due to the nature of his account of events. We got in his car and start driving. However, Sarah Koenig, host and producer of the widely-acclaimed podcast titled Serial, covered the case in 2014. The Most Bizarre Things About The Adnan Syed Case - NickiSwift.com On Monday afternoon, a Baltimore judge vacated Adnan Syed's murder conviction, freeing Syed after 23 years behind bars. This interview is the first time Jay has spoken publicly about events surrounding Lees death and the trial that ended in Syeds conviction. Adnan Syed trial: Jay Wilds witness stories and all the - Metro When did he first talk to you about hurting her? Adnan was convicted after Jay Wilds, a friend of Adnan's, said in court that he helped Adnan bury Hae Min Lee's body, . than she was letting on. Yeah. There was a reward of $3,075 from CrimeStoppers for information on the case leading to the indictment. S on Serial, claimed he was drinking a 22-ounce Budweiser while driving when he made a pit stop. Though Wilds stands by his storyat least the one he told The InterceptChaudry and Undisclosed have continued to dig up evidence that wouldnt just exonerate Syed, but also Wilds himself. Is that why you didntinitiallycooperate with the police? in January 1999 . And Wilds was also a professed accomplice to Syeds crime, which further complicated his role as the prosecutions sole witness. In another interview, he said the body was on Edmondson Avenue, while a detective testified in court that Wilds told him the body was on Franklintown Road. Lee had disappeared on Jan. 13, and almost a month later, on Feb. 9, her body was found by a passerby in Baltimores Leakin Park. Its while hes there that Officer Scott Adcock calls Syed asking if he knew where Lee was. According to Simpson, whenever Wilds cant recall a detail or pauses for a long period before answering a question, there can be heard a series of taps, after which Wilds always miraculously comes up with the right answer. I dont necessarily know if he meant to kill Hae before he did it or if it was a sudden moment thing, but looking at his life, from what I saw, he seemed to be far out of his realm when it came to Hae leaving him. I played lacrosse, was a bit of a jock. Judge tosses Adnan Syed's murder conviction, orders his prison release That afternoon, he says that Syed asked him to pick him up at Best Buy, where Syed shows him Lees body in the trunk of her car. Wilds, a former classmate of Syed, has been relatively under the radar since the 2000 trial that sentenced Syed to life in prison plus 30 years on charges of . We were in the car, we were riding, smoking. The Serial podcast threw some question marks over Wilds' version of events.. Classmates last saw her leaving school around 2:15 p.m. February 9, 1999: Lee's body is found in Leakin Park. No one is quite sure what they are, but the timing of the taps on the recording seems suspicious. . It was at least a week before she died, when he found out she was either cheating on him or leaving him. I had to go to the bathroom so I pulled over and I went further in the woods so no one could see me, he said on The Case Against Adnan Syed. The way Wilds tells it, Syed pressured him to help dispose of Lees body. Wilds was Syed's classmate at Woodlawn high school, Baltimore. Notably, Wilds declined to be a part of the podcast although he was offered an interview. Serial produced a time line which showed the conflicts betweeen just a few of Jay's different versions of events for January 13, 1999 There is a separate page with details of Jay's own court case for the murder of Hae Min Lee. Where is Jay Wilds now? His secretive life detailed - OkayBliss He left in his car and I was trying to collect myself at my [grandmothers] house. Something definite in both media arguments is Wilds's change in story. When I die, my daughter will die with me. To better understand this, we need to look back at Feb. 12 . Wilds stated that he helped the 17-year-old Syed, who was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999, bury her body, which was later discovered in Baltimore's Leakin Park. Everything We Know About Jay Wilds from HBO's Serial Documentary At that age, it's intense and he never called Jay a liar, even in Serial. Im pretty sure it was my fear of going to prison for having a bunch of weed in my grandmas house. Syed is given the chance to overturn the Baltimore City Circuit Court ruling that denied him post-conviction relief, thanks to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, Vulture reported. I worked a lot. There were some big forces going on that didnt have anything to do with Hae. A star witness in the case against Syed was fellow Woodlawn High School student Jay Wilds, . Syed then picks up food on his way to meet his dad at the mosque for evening prayers, Serial reported. It takes him about half an hour, 45 minutes, and he comes back with gloves on, panting, like, She was really heavy. Thats all he says. The ins and outs of the timeline have been scrutinized and studied endlessly by professionals and amateurs alike. I dont feel comfortable drawing conclusions like that. March 9, 2019 7:21 PM. New hope for convicted murderer of his brilliant high-school girlfriend I made him smoke one time, he got a little high, got a little weird. Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. . I said, Alright, cool. I dropped him off at school, went to the mall, then when I was done, I go back to my friend Jenns house, where I normally go, sit and smoke with my friend. Well, according to Chaudra, Wilds attorney told her that the prosecutors threatened him by promising to prosecute him in a predominantly white county, and Wilds, who is black, was frightened enough to do what he was told. Additionally, since Syed provided no real alibi, Wilds testimony was convincing enough that it allowed prosecutors to nail Syed for the murder. He just started opening up. I don't know what happened, what occurred between them that day," he said of Lee's death. The podcast alleged that there were inconsistencies between his police statements and the testimony he gave at Syed's second trial. He had a professional job in high school, he was aparamedic or something [Ed. Who is Jay Wilds? | The Sun March 25, 2000: McClain writes an affidavit. Three days later, Baltimore Police received an anonymous tip that Syed was responsible for the murder. . Also Jay had no motive. Syed went on trial in February 2000 and was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. What did you know about Adnan and his relationship with Hae Min Lee? I rode BMX freestyle. I said, Drug dealers, people who get killed by drug dealers, and Im thinking to myself, When did I ever say that? So, as Im riding with him to the park and it starts raining and Im thinking to myself as he pulls overand Im thinking this is the spot hes chosen. When we were digging the hole, its not like Haes body was just lying next to us. In 2000, Syed was found guilty of the murder and given a life sentence as a result of Wilds' witness testimony. Maintenance worker Alonzo Sellers, known as Mr. In 1999 18-year-old high school student Hae Min Lee was murdered. Jay was likely not given a FULL check because he promised to present facts at Adnan's trial. I was also running [drug] operations from my grandmothers house. Ill help you dig the hole.. Haes car could have been in the parking lot, but I didnt know what it looked like so I dont remember. Its not my job to figure that out. March 9, 2019, 2:00 PM. Photo: Natasha Vargas-Cooper for The Intercept, Natasha Vargas-Cooper[emailprotected]theintercept.org@natashavc. Instead, his words were shown on a screencap: Jay maintained to the filmmakers that on the day of the murder, he borrowed Adnans car to buy his girlfriend a birthday present. What the Undisclosed pod offers up for an explanation is that because Wilds himself came under investigation, he could not recover the money. Jay Wilds says 'Serial' host Sarah Koenig lied about him Joining is simple and doesnt need to cost a lot: You can become a sustaining member for as little as $3 or $5 a month. He says, OK, follow me halfway back down the hill [towards the grave site], so he doesnt have to walk all the way back up the hill to get back to me in his car. You can't start drawing conclusions like that. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? Interviewed by other media, since Serial? She dated Adnan in. Who is Jay? Serial's star witness in Adnan Syed case gives first Syed went on trial in February 2000 and was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The following two series stepped away from the whodunnit intensity of the first, and went on to examine an American army deserter and the court system in Ohio. Even though he and Syed were allegedlyjust acquaintances, Wilds police interviews and witness testimony would ultimately be key to convicting Syed despite his storys inconsistencies and contradictions. No. The five-day hearing includes witness testimonies from McClain, as well as a cell phone expert, Harpers Bazaar reported. Jay claims that once he acquired the marijuana, Adnan threatened to turn him in if he didnt help bury Haes body. Other cited factors include the discovery of new suspects and concerns about a detective who worked on Syed's case. The Case Against Adnan Syed: Who is Stephanie McPherson? Lee disappeared on January 13, 1999. I was not sure. . So that would ruin her life too, Wilds told Vargas-Cooper. Wilds has stayed private since the 2014 interview. He seemed under alot of pressure to please. Interview with 'Serial' witness Jay Wilds stirs debate | CNN We drive over toCathys house to smoke. You follow me some of the way, and then Ill take care of it.. I know I didnt kill her. Syed's case has been publicized in the podcast Serial, as well as the HBO true crime documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed. Lee's body was discovered in Baltimore's Leakin Park by a passerby, partially buried in a shallow grave. I didnt resent the students, I resented the school for setting it up like that. Four weeks later, her half-buried body was found at Leakin. I was also around a bunch of people earlier the day [at Cathys], and I didnt want them to get fucked up with homicide. Jays post-Serial interviews with The Intercept: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. But this account somewhat differsfrom Jays second police interview, as well as his court testimony. The Lord knows I didnt kill her, The Baltimore Sun reported. She didnt look beat up. Jay Wilds, the only witness in the 1999 Maryland murder case that convicted Adnan Syed for the murder of 17-year-old Hae Min Lee, spoke with The Intercept, explaining his role in allegedly helping . July 1, 2016. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion, 'Serial' Recap: Everything About Adnan Syed's Case, Who Is Adnan Syed? I remember Adnan standing next to me. I had friends but the groups were small. Wilds, who gave police multipleinterviews and testified in court, was first questioned on Feb. 28, 1999, just hours before police arrested Syed on suspicion of Lees murder. I only smoked with him two or three times. 10:45-11:15 a.m. Jay told the filmmakers that Adnan asked him to procure 10 pounds of marijuana. . After class, he goes to the Woodlawn Public Library to check his email and chats with friend, Asia McClain. DNA Cleared Adnan Syed, Prosecutor Says: 'Serial' Subject Served More He has come to prominence in recent months. Wilds stated that he helped the 17-year-old Syed, who was accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999, bury her body, which was later discovered in Baltimore's Leakin Park. In 1999, Annelise Hyang Suk Lee, a 27-year-old female of Asian descent, was found raped, beaten, and . If Wilds did receive the reward money for being the tipster, but that information wasnt disclosed, that would have immediately led to a new trial. I wasnt fully cooperating, so if they said, Well, we have on phone records that you talked to Jenn. Id say, Nope, I didnt talk to Jenn. Until Jenn told me that she talked with the cops and that it was ok if I did too. "Jay told the story that convicted Adnan.. Wilds' testimony in. Adnan Syed Released from Prison: A Timeline of 'Serial' Murder Case December 30, 2013: Syed's petition for post-conviction relief is denied. The finale of Amy Berg's four-part HBO mini-series contains new revelations surrounding the prosecution's star witness, Jay Wilds, new information about Hae Min Lee's autopsy, and thin but . Adnan says, Just help me dig the hole. And Im still thinking, Inner-city black guy, selling pot to high school kids. The cops are going to fry me. Serial's Jay Wilds isn't in the new documentary The Case Against Adnan He exited the Baltimore courthouse to deafening cheers. Koenig's account of the events that transpired at the time of Lee's murder, publicly rebuked Jay's version of what happened and his reasons for helping Adnan Syed and portrayed him as a petty weed dealer. Syed is currently serving a life sentence. Dissatisfying is the best word I can use for that, she said in an interview with Vulture. So where is Wilds today? However he ended up doing itwhether it was premeditated, an involuntary reaction at that point in timehe just couldnt come to grips with being a loser and failing. Her body was discovered in Leakin Park in Baltimore, Maryland, and a few weeks later her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud Syed, was . Where was Haes car? But that, according to what I learned later, is probably not what happened. Be the first one to comment on this story. Jay firmly believes that he was wrongfully represented on the podcast. Her body was found in a forest three weeks later. This fact seems damning to Syed, and it troubled . I guess I was being kind of a jury on whether or not people needed to be involved or whatever, but these people didnt have anything to do with it, and I knew they didnt have anything to do with it. It wasnt just like I was selling a nickel bag here and there. They did not have his permission to record, so we do not hear his voice. Syed's classmate Jay Wilds, who said at trial that he helped Syed bury Lee's body, became the central figure in the national conversation over Syed's guilt. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. McClain in 1999 at the time of the murder was Syed's classmate at Woodlawn High School. Im being manipulated into whats being done right now.. Even to Serial, the podcast that detailed nearly every part of Syed's case, Wild remained off the record to provide background information, according to Rolling Stone. But look, if we start speculating what he was thinking that far ahead I dont know. . Wilds, who gave police multiple interviews and testified in court, was first questioned on Feb. 28, 1999, just hours before police arrested Syed on suspicion of Lee's murder. Other contributing causes included the emergence of new suspects in the case. People had lives and were trying to get into college and stuff like that. His case was chronicled in the first season of the hit podcast. Yes we dig for about 40 minutes and we dig and dig, and hes digging less and less. At times he even apologizes, as though he were trained to say something specifically and had forgotten. And I found that to be a bit of a slap in the face. Before you would just go down there for drafting, shop, and everyone would co-mingle, and all the students interacted. I didnt know that he planned to murder her that day. Jay Wilds, Maryland's key (and only) witness at Adnan Syed's 2000 trial for murdering Hae Min Lee which was chronicled on the hotly debated Serial podcast, which launched in October 2014 and completed its 12-episode run earlier this month has consented to a single interview (with The Intercept) in an attempt to tell his side of the story. I had a lot more on the line than just a few bags of weed. Im fucking done. And Adnans like, Oh, well, youre not going to help me move her are you? And Im like No, Im not gonna help you move her. He says, Ok, well, Im gonna need you to drive back to her car., Somewhere up around a corner up a hill, parked in a strange neighborhood. Lees mother, Youn Wha Kim, says she moved to America from Korea to give her kids a better life. Jay Wilds, a former classmate who claimed to have assisted Syed in disposing of the victim's body, was the key witness in his trial. By the time I graduated [Woodlawn] high school in 1998, I wasnt exactly angry, but I did resent the school. Adnan Syed is a 36 year old who had been convicted of first degree murder at the age of 17 on February 28, 1999. But Wilds testimony, even though inconsistent, was corroborated by cellphone recordsas well as his friend Jennifer Pusateris testimony (at least, at first): Pusateris initial statement to the cops said that she received a call from Wilds on Syeds cell; a later statement from her included a bit about Wilds confessing to her that he helped Syed bury Lee. Hae Min Lee's body was found buried in a shallow grave in Maryland in February 1999. He knew I was afraid of that. 5 key findings from Undisclosed that Serial missed | EW.com Wilds picks him up and the two go to a friends house. There is a separate page withdetails of Jays own court case for the murder of Hae Min Lee.