Hes 17 at the time but charged with first-degree murder as an adult. Jay was credible on the main facts, and also for the ones saying it some random killer or Don, they are forgetting that Jay knew where the car was. We drive over toCathys house to smoke. The police arrested and charged Lee's ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed with the murder six weeks later. I met him while I was still at Woodlawn, so around 1998. 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. Although her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was sentenced to life plus 30 years in prision in 2000 (Syed's conviction was vacated in September 2022), there may be just as many questions surrounding the case now as there were then. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. It helped fan the flames of this story that people had already moved on from, Wilds told The Intercept. Also Jay had no motive. Create your free profile and get access to exclusive content. Mr. Syed, 41, had been serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of his high school classmate Hae Min Lee. Its where Im from. 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 . And they wouldnt stop interviewing me or questioning me. At times he even apologizes, as though he were trained to say something specifically and had forgotten. She just seemed like an older chick who happened to be in high school. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. S on Serial, claimed he was drinking a 22-ounce Budweiser while driving when he made a pit stop. "The Case Against Adnan Syed" also notes that Wilds contradicted himself on the witness stand when it came to the story he told police about helping Syed dig the hole: At first, he said he met Syed at a mall parking lot and then went to Leakin Park to bury the body, but later, Wilds said Syed showed him Lees corpse in a Best Buy parking lot. I was pretty distraught, fucked up, feeling guilty for not saying nothing. We were kind of surprised because she told us that he was one of her best friends, he said. The first season of Serial examined the complex case of the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, in which there seemed to be much evidence but no conclusive proof of what happened. 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. The other thing to understand is something about the culture of Baltimorethis is where the Stop Snitching video comes from. Just normal conversation like, I think shes fucking around. I believe she had a job also. I got the feeling the few times of interacting with Adnan that there was this enormous pressure from somewhere trying to make him into something he didnt want to be. I said, Isnt he a paramedic? And she said, Nah, hes cool, plus he wants to buy., I didnt trust him at first, since he wasnt like the people I knew pot smokers you know? It remains true today." Jay was likely not given a FULL check because he promised to present facts at Adnan's trial. I didnt resent the students, I resented the school for setting it up like that. He remains calm as handcuffs are being put on him, saying, I'll be alrightI have faith in the Lord. I played lacrosse, was a bit of a jock. The only thing thats certain: The 18-year-old victim was last seen on January 13, 1999, driving her 1998 Nissan Sentra on her way to pick up her 6-year-old cousin and then head to her job at LensCrafters, The Baltimore Sun reported at the time. CrimeStoppers rewards are apparently paid out the following month after the police report that months official indictments. The way Wilds tells it, Syed pressured him to help dispose of Lees body. The trial begins the second week of December and quickly ends as a mistrial, the court appeals papers say. How old were you when you first met Adnan Syed? This fact seems damning to Syed, and it troubled . I didnt know that he planned to murder her that day. Syed went on trial in February 2000 and was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. But Wilds, who is not heard from outside of taped testimony in either Serial or the HBO documentary, stood by what he told police in a three-part interview with The Intercept in 2014 following the podcast airing. 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. I dont think thats wrong, its high school, you know. Syed was sentenced to life in prison. Notably, Wilds declined to be a part of the podcast although he was offered an interview. Her family reported her missing after she failed to pick up her younger cousin from daycare around 3:15 p.m. Lee had attended Woodlawn High School that day and had been seen by several people leaving the campus at the end of the school day. We may earn a commission through links on our site. When the Serial podcast premiered in October of 2014, many listeners were shocked to find that almost the entirety of the prosecutions case to convict Adnan Syed for the . To better understand this, we need to look back at Feb. 12 . View our online Press Pack. I know it didnt happen anywhere other than my grandmothers house. Syed was arrested that same day, aged 17. Baltimore police were already focusing their investigation on Syed after an anonymous tip told them to look at Lees ex. Haes car could have been in the parking lot, but I didnt know what it looked like so I dont remember. Yes. But there was a grand jury hearing on this case,andI have an idea who might have based on that hearing. Is that why you didntinitiallycooperate with the police? That would free Wilds to then collect the reward moneyafter detectives officially filed Syeds indictment to CrimeStoppers on October 1stin November. Feb. 1999: Police built a case against Syed, largely on the testimony of a man named Jay Wilds, who at the time had more than 20 run-ins with police -- including aggravated assault against a . Be the first one to comment on this story. It wasnt like, Oh, were going bowling, and lets call it in before we go bowling and call the rest of our friends and call Jay. I dont remember ever going to any kinds of functions or endeavors together, or any concerts or clubs together, you know. He said, Im gonna drive back down there [to the grave]. Adnan questioned in the documentary why Jay would leave. He said that the idea of Best Buy came from the police. He said, Youve gotta help me, or Im gonna tell the cops about you and the weed and all that shit. And then he popped the trunk and I saw Haes body. Your login session has expired. And then I would only give them information pertaining to my interaction with someone or where I was. From the way he carried himself, at least, it looked like he had never lost anything before. of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. By the time I graduated [Woodlawn] high school in 1998, I wasnt exactly angry, but I did resent the school. I didnt tell the cops it was in front of my house because I didnt want to involve my grandmother. "He might really have just been bulls******* at the time. If you're a fan of Sarah Koenig's popular podcast, Serial, then you might already know that previously convicted murderer Adnan Syed whose case was the subject of the podcast's . Jay Wilds, the key witness in the Serial murder case, has broken his silence at last. He did not go to prison, though. In the phone conversation, he contradicted past statements by suggesting he tried to return Adnans car at school, but couldnt find him and left. When I pick him up at Best Buy, hes telling me her car is somewhere there, and that he did this in the parking lot. I went to concerts, like anything from Wu-Tang to Warped Tour. Adnan was convicted after Jay Wilds, a friend of Adnan's, said in court that he helped Adnan bury Hae Min Lee's body, . 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. Wilds, who was an acquaintance of Syed, confessed to helping Syed bury Lee's body, though he originally denied having anything to do with the murder. Anything thats going to make [Syed] innocent doesnt involve me. In Adnan's call log was Jay Wilds, who talked to detectives on February 28, 1999. He calls me and says Im outside, so I come outside to talk to himand followed him to a different car, not his. At the time of her death, she was said to be dating a guy. There is a separate page withdetails of Jays own court case for the murder of Hae Min Lee. But his case is now being reviewed after featuring in podcast Serial. 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. 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. He seemed a little bit more uptight than the other Muslim kids that I knew. Syed was actually convicted in February 2000. 'Serial' Subject Takes HBO, 'Serial' Subject Adnan Syed Will Get a New Trial. 1999, when police . I really didnt know much about their relationship, if they hung out, where they hung out, when they hung out. Wilds alleged that Syed had told him he had murdered Lee. When Woodlawn put in the magnet thing, they took out all the vocational classes. When the Serial podcast premiered in October of 2014, many listeners were shocked to find that almost the entirety of the . Jay Wilds was a crucial player in Adnan's conviction - he testified that Adnan confessed to him about killing Lee, saw Lee's body in the trunk of her car, and helped bury her body in Leakin Park. I know I didnt kill her. And detective notes capped Browns interview with the word REWARD, written in all caps. Got called an Oreo. 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. November 25, 2019: The Supreme Court rejects bid for a new trial, Without comment, the Supreme Court decided not to open a new trial. A majority of the state's evidence against Adnan comes from Jay Wilds' testimony. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The 18-year-old high school senior played varsity field hockey and lacrosse and managed the boys' wrestling team, and was due to graduate with honors with the class of 1999. At that age, it's intense and he never called Jay a liar, even in Serial. 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. In Serial you are depicted as a petty weed dealer. I had friends but the groups were small. And then in his Intercept interview, Wilds said the body was actually in front of his grandmas house, but he told police it was at the Best Buy, because he didnt want to involve his grandma. Police take evidence from the scene and interview several people in an attempt to find the killer. I thought at worst hed throw a rock through her window or something. Three days later, Baltimore Police . 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. Jay is a show more content In an interview with The Intercept_, Jay Wilds alleged that. The taps on the recording, some have decided, may have been the sound of someone writing pen to paper very quickly on a hard surface, or just a little physical cue that Wilds needed to come up with the right answer fast. I dont think it meant that much to her. On Jan. 13, 1999, Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old highschool student from Baltimore, went missing. Love Island's Olivia Hawkins breaks silence as she returns to the UK, Loose Women star lined up to be Strictly's first contestant in wheelchair, GMB's Kate Garraway reveals crippling cost of caring for her husband Derek, Stephen Bear 'broke behind bars' as his company is shut down before he's jailed, News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 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. Why is this story different from what you originally told the police? Then what happens, and what time is it roughly? and 4p.m. Additionally, two other potential suspects with questionable backgrounds have surfaced. When we were digging the hole, its not like Haes body was just lying next to us. 10:45-11:15 a.m. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. He seemed under alot of pressure to please. And at a certain point I say, Well fuck, Im finished. Her body was discovered in Leakin Park in Baltimore, Maryland, and a few weeks later her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud Syed, was . It wasnt just like I was selling a nickel bag here and there. 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. I dont know. examples of bad manners. Like she was a junior in college. I walked around through the bushes and everything and I got back that way and I was getting ready to urinate when I looked down I seen something that looked like hair, something was covered by the dirt. She also wasnt on the magnet side of the demographic. I believe I told them it was in front of Cathys [not her real name] house, but it was in front of my grandmothers house. We were in the car, we were riding, smoking. I had never known anybody who had killed anybody else, so theres no way I could have known. From the statements Wilds made in 2014 with The Intercept, it seems unlikely he would do so. 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. Syed's release on September 19, 2022, was attributed to various factors, including the prosecution losing faith in Wilds' testimony. I saw her body later, in front ofof my grandmothers house where I was living. Not just that, but prosecutors are also now saying a key witness -- Jay Wilds-- gave inconsistent accounts to cops. It doesnt seem like enough of a reason to not talk to the police. Just after his arrest, McClain writes a letter to Syed and details talking to him in the library on January 13, Serial reported. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. 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. He also said he helpedSyed dispose of Lees body in Leakin Park, where she was found four weeks after she was last seen alive on January 13, 1999. Her family reported the 18-year-old high school student missing after she failed to pick up her niece. 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. 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. From your perspective, what was Adnans reputation at Woodlawn? What the Undisclosed pod offers up for an explanation is that because Wilds himself came under investigation, he could not recover the money. Syed was 17 at the time that Lee was murdered in January 1999. Lee was last seen alive on Jan. 13, 1999. 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. The creators of the public radio show This American Life debut the podcast series Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig, about the Lee murder mystery. "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. Mr.. When asked about the inconsistencies in his stories, Jay Wilds told The Intercept_ that. But they were just as shocked. It was at least a week before she died, when he found out she was either cheating on him or leaving him. Judge Wanda K. Heard gives Syed a life sentence plus 30 years. Many questions remain about Wilds true role in the case, but theres no shortage of theories. Jay is the center of gravity in this case. Then he goes to track practice. But their gym, lockers, parking, was down in the magnet wing. Take my car, take my cellphone. Jay Wilds is a former classmate of Adnan Syed from Baltimore, Maryland. 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' first taped interview with police occurred on February 28, 1999. What happened before that, I dont know.. The teacher, Mr. Brown, didnt know either Syed or Lee, raising eyebrows at his participation in the investigation. ", He also revealed why there may be inconsistencies in his story. Phinn's decision came after prosecutors told the court they lost faith in Syed's conviction in light of new evidence and violations in the governments turning over evidence. The Serial podcast threw some question marks over Wilds' version of events.. On Monday, a Maryland judge overturned Adnan Syed 's first-degree murder conviction for the 1999 death of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. 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. ', Adnan Syed: A Complete Timeline of His Trial, Appeal and Killing of Hae Min Lee, Photo: Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, Adnan Syed's high school football photo; Photo: Courtesy of HBO, Youn Kim (r), mother of Hae Min Lee, is escorted from her daughter's Memorial Service by guidance counselor Gwen Kellam, on March 11, 1999, in Baltimore, Maryland; Photo: Elizabeth Malby/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images, Idaho Murders: What Led Police to Bryan Kohberger, changed throughout his interviews and testimony, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Hoo-boy, and then theres the motorcycle story that Undisclosed says confirms Wilds was the tipster. Though Wilds didnt participate in Serial, he did conduct a .css-16acfp5{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.125rem;text-decoration-color:#d2232e;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:inherit;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-16acfp5:hover{color:#000;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;background-color:yellow;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}three-part interview with The Intercepts Natasha Vargas-Cooper, and attorney Rabia Chaudry (also Syeds childhood friend) launched the Undisclosed podcast, both of which add layers to the mystery enshrouding Wilds testimony. Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. Jay Wilds, Adnan Syed's former classmate who was called as a star witness in the latter's murder trial, reportedly testified that he helped his friend hide the victim's body. Jay claims that once he acquired the marijuana, Adnan threatened to turn him in if he didnt help bury Haes body. Why has your story changed over time? I was also around a bunch of people earlier the day [at Cathys], and I didnt want them to get fucked up with homicide.. McClain in 1999 at the time of the murder was Syed's classmate at Woodlawn High School. Mr. Syed, 41, had been serving a life sentence after he was convicted in the 1999 murder of his high school classmate Hae Min Lee. If Wilds were meeting with the cops before this official interview, its completely possible he would have been coached, as Simpson suggests. When police were investigating Lees murder, CrimeStoppers offered a $3,075 reward for any information that would lead to the arrest of the murderer. The subject of the groundbreaking 2014 podcast "Serial," Syed was arrested in. 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. They were introduced to each other in 1998. On January 13, 1999, Korean-American high school student Hae Min Lee, 18, was reported missing by her family after failing to come home. About a month later, police uncovered her body in a nearby park; an. Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion, 'Serial' Recap: Everything About Adnan Syed's Case, Who Is Adnan Syed? JAY Wilds was the key witness in a murder trial in 2000, which saw Adnan Syed charged for the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Because at the time I was convinced that I would be going to jail for a long time if he turned me in for drug dealing, especially to high school kids. 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. After the party, Adnan drove Jay home and then dropped Stephanie home afterwards. The Woodlawn man has maintained his innocence and the HBO series "The Case Against Adnan Syed" concluded. He recalls a tense meeting with Koenig, who was attempting to persuade him into participating in the podcast, and remembers Koenig telling him that there were new developments in the case. There are other legal options and we are exploring each and every one of them. Family friend and lawyer Chaudry added: He is hanging in there. Its while hes there that Officer Scott Adcock calls Syed asking if he knew where Lee was. Sellers had a previous record as an alleged streaker. Wilds has played an interesting role in this case. 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.. It went national, but it was produced in Baltimore. Something definite in both media arguments is Wilds's change in story. 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. It also made household names out of its central characters, teenagers in Baltimore when the murder took place in 1999: Adnan Syed, the alleged killer; Hae Min Lee, the 18-year-old victim; and. March 25, 2000: McClain writes an affidavit. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Speaking with The Intercept, Wilds said his assumption was .