In February of 2000, 18-year-old Adnan Syed was found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, who went missing the year before. Questions still remain about Lee's 1999 murder after her ex-boyfriend Syed was sentenced to life in jail, and the case received mass attention from the podcast 'Serial. The police arrested and charged Lee's ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed with the murder six weeks later. February 9, 1999 : Lee's body is found. Other contributing causes included the emergence of new suspects in the case. Wilds' testimony in. Im gonna kill that bitch, man. Nothing real pointed or anything, not like, I know his name, or I caught her. But I just thought he was just shooting off like everyone else shoots off when theyre mad at their girlfriend. He claimed Syed had spoken about killing Lee a week before her actual murder and disappearance. I told [Adnan] that I wouldnt touch her car, or any of her possessions, and I say, Fuck it. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. He left in his car and I was trying to collect myself at my [grandmothers] house. Just after his arrest, McClain writes a letter to Syed and details talking to him in the library on January 13, Serial reported. Syed's case has been publicized in the podcast Serial, as well as the HBO true crime documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed. "This was true in 1999 when he was a 17-year-old child. He has only given one interview since Syed's conviction. According to Wilds, he and Syed were not incredibly close at school. It wasnt just like I was selling a nickel bag here and there. Mr. Syed, 41, had been serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of his high school classmate Hae Min Lee. The story Jay told police had problems, because it kept changing from telling to telling, Koenig says in the first episode of Serial. But they were able to bolster the main plot points using cell records from Adnans phone., Others think the inconsistencies point toward something else Chaudry says in the documentary that she thinks the police were helping [Wilds] craft the story.. We were in the car, we were riding, smoking. Wilds picks him up and the two go to a friends house. Jay also worked at the Drug Emporium store a short walk from his home. Wilds was Syed's friend during the time of the murder. But when they put the magnet wing in, it was kinda like these people were different from us. And they didnt have to interact with us anymore. In his first interview since the end of "Serial," Jay Wilds says he thinks he knows who . It helped fan the flames of this story that people had already moved on from, Wilds told The Intercept. In the podcast Koenig pointedly challenged Jays account of events and his motivation for assisting Adnan. Years later, now that Wilds testimony has come under fire, even Pusateri doubts his version of events. Moreover, a detective named Bill Ritz who repeatedly interviewed Jay Wilds was later accused in a separate case of manipulating and fabricating evidence and not disclosing exculpatory evidence. Take my car, take my cellphone. Also Jay had no motive. Is this when you first saw Haes body in the trunk of her car? Four weeks later, her half-buried body was found at Leakin. READ MORE ON CRIME how old was jay wilds in 1999 el camino for sale tampa how old was jay wilds in 1999 how old was jay wilds in 1999. disney land and sea packages 2022. affluent black neighborhoods in new york. Koenig noted then that despite there being no physical evidence linking Syed to Haes murder, Wilds police interviews provided the groundwork for a conviction. I had friends but the groups were small. Baltimore police were already focusing their investigation on Syed after an anonymous tip told them to look at Lees ex. As long as I live, my daughter is buried in my heart. The paper says she almost collapsed as she stepped off the witness stand and that her sobs from outside the courtroom could still be heard inside. 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. He has a lot of public support and walking away is not an option.. 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. Now, Wilds' story is under the microscope again with HBO's new docu-series "The Case Against Adnan Syed," which digs further into Lee's murder and Syed's supposed role in it. of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. They also highlighted the inconsistent statements of his co-defendant, Jay Wilds, who testified against him. When asked about the inconsistencies in his stories, Jay Wilds told The Intercept_ that. It all revolves around Jay," lawyer and Syed family friend Rabia Chaudry says in episode two ofThe Case Against Adnan Syed." 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. Ill call you from someone elses phone when Im done.. Well first of all, I wasnt openly willing to cooperate with the police. Syed has maintained his innocence since he was arrested for Lee's murder in February 1999, when he was a 17-year-old in high school. Syed went on trial in February 2000 and was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. He never said anything like, Hey, what gauge gun should I use? or How many minutes am I supposed to hold somebody under the water for? or, Is there a statute of limitation on murder? I thought he was just blowing off steam and bullshitting. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. I went to concerts, like anything from Wu-Tang to Warped Tour. "I guess I was being kind of a jury on whether or not people needed to be involved or whatever, but these people didn't have anything to do with it, and I knew they didn't have anything to do with it," he said. I worked a lot. He did not go to prison, though. We met over the weekend at his two-story suburban home. Syed was actually convicted in February 2000. The police confirm to the press that they are. in January 1999 . Wherever her car was at the time I picked him up from Best Buy, it probably stayed there until he picked me up later that evening. on about your day, ask yourself: How likely is it that the story you just read would have been produced by a different news outlet if The Intercept hadnt done it? There were some big forces going on that didnt have anything to do with Hae. The student told the official that he was suppose[d] to get a ride home from the victim, but he got detained at school and felt that she just got tired of waiting and left, according to the 2019 appeal. In one police interview, Wilds said he saw the body, it was in a car in the parking lot of a Best Buy. 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. I say, Well we need to part ways. I dont remember if he dropped me off at my house or if I got a ride from somebody else. Get all your true crime news from Oxygen. Normal high school Im mad at her and Ill scratch her car sort of stuff. He did, after all, give multiple conflicting locations for where the murder took place and where the body was found. By the time I graduated [Woodlawn] high school in 1998, I wasnt exactly angry, but I did resent the school. I made him smoke one time, he got a little high, got a little weird. She never showed up, and was never seen alive again.. It was Jay's testimony that helped to put Adnan in prison with a life sentence for the February 1999 murder of his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. A majority of the state's evidence against Adnan comes from Jay Wilds' testimony. He knows that none of us are basically giving up. 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. After the party, Adnan drove Jay home and then dropped Stephanie home afterwards. 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. Once the police made it clear that my drug dealing wasn't gonna affect the outcome of what was going on, I became a little bit more transparent.". Adnan Syed leaves the courthouse after Baltimore Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022, overturned his first-degree murder conviction in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee. Jay is the center of gravity in this case. He might really have just been bullshitting at the time. Jay said that he and Adnan left Haes car in a grassy lot on January 13th, where it remained until Jay took the police there on February 28th. 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. Then he goes to track practice. And then I would only give them information pertaining to my interaction with someone or where I was. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. Lees 16-year-old brother, Young Lee, speaking for his grandparents and mom, tells The Baltimore Sun that the news provided some closure and some peace." Jay is the center of gravity in this case. But there was a grand jury hearing on this case,andI have an idea who might have based on that hearing. But because of the specifics Wilds included in his testimony the Best Buy location that supposedly matches with call logs, strangling, the whereabouts of Lees car there wasnt much doubt Wilds was somehow involved, even if just peripherally. He has come to prominence in recent months. examples of bad manners. Hes 17 at the time but charged with first-degree murder as an adult. When did you two get closer to each other? They had to chase me around before they could corner me to talk to me, and there came a point where I was just sick of talking to them. The short version: On January 13th, 1999, Lee was supposed to pick up her younger cousin from daycare at 3:15 p.m. She never showed, which immediately set off alarm bells among those who knew her. Wilds has played an interesting role in this case. June 6, 2000: Lees mother gives an emotional testimony and Syed is given a life sentence. Adnan Syed is currently serving life in prison, plus 30 years, for a murder he claims he didn't commit, and he may not have ended up there if it weren't for his former classmate, Jay Wilds. But his case is now being reviewed after featuring in podcast Serial. This interview is the first time Jay has spoken publicly about events surrounding Lees death and the trial that ended in Syeds conviction. I saw her body later, in front ofof my grandmothers house where I was living. I've known Adnan for many years, and I have. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. March 1, 1999: McClain writes Syed a letter. Then Jay spoke. On Jan. 13, 1999, Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old highschool student from Baltimore, went missing.