Execution Essay: The Failure Of The Adnan Syed Case

This case has twists and turns with surprises that never allow the reader to catch their breath. In 1999 Hae Lin Min Lee was murdered, on February 25th, 2000, Adnan Syed, her ex boyfriend and fellow classmate, was convicted of her murder. The circumstantial evidence that was presented and ineffective counsel led to an unjust verdict. Racism and stereotypes shaped the outcome of this case tremendously. The justice system has failed many times, and yet again, the conviction and sentencing of Adnan Syed was the wrong verdict. First, to get the facts straight, on February 9th, 1999 local police in Baltimore County, Maryland discovered the body of 19 year old Hae Min Lee in Leakin Park. There were a few automatic suspects in this case, current

This led to accusations claiming that Adnan killed Hae out of spite of the breakup. One argument presented was the fact that his religion could have driven him to commit the murder. The prosecution relied on ideas like honors killings from his culture, or rather the culture they assumed he fit into based on race. The prosecution claimed that Adnan killed her to protect his honor in the Islam faith and Pakistani culture, as the prosecution falsely identified him as Pakistani again, he is American. First, approaching the idea that his religion caused him to kill Hae. Adnan was a normal American teenager, meaning rebellious, he did drugs and snuck out of the house on more than one occasion. There is an article that conducted a study to prove that children who grew up in religious households are more rebellious and do not follow their parents' religion but rather feel an obligation. This obligation can play a part in children acting out as they grow older, “When kids are sheltered and aren’t told about other belief systems or religions, this can hinder their development” (CITE). Adnan, especially since religion was a huge part of his culture, practiced his religion, but was not a practicing muslim. Therefore, he was not motivated by culture or religion to be violent because every chance he could he went against these very ideologies and ways of thinking. He went against his family's morals and values consistently

Criminal Defense attorney Cristina Guiterrez was assigned to Adnan’s case. She had an impressive resume but in recent years her health and work ability had been on a decline. With multiple complaints from several clients, her reputation was tarnished. Just one year after she represented Adnan she was disbarred by consent in May of 2001. Guiterrez is on record saying, “Since I can’t defend myself against anything, and I can’t practice anyway, I decided to sign the consent” (CITE). Guiterrez was not in a mental or physical state that is appropriate to defend someone from life in prison, she says herself that she can not even defend herself. The biggest issue was the fact that Adnan had a potential alibi witness and she never investigated it any further. During the 21 minutes that Adnan is not accounted for between the end of school and the start of track practice there is a witness that claims they spoke to him at the library. Asia McClain, a young woman who was a classmate to both Adnan and Hae said she had a conversation with Adnan. If Asia testified this, it would have proved that Adnan could not have killed Hae within the allotted time frame. However, Asia never got her day in court, as Guiterrez never pursued her testimony any further. Whether purposely, or not, Guiterez had a negative impact on Adnan's