On February 9, 1999, the body of Hae Min Lee was found a month barely after she went missing. The prime suspect was her boyfriend, Adnan Syed. Her death was due to manual strangulation, which meant she was choked to death. The prosecution brought evidence as reasons why Adnan was guilty and was imprisoned. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and imprisoned for life plus another 30 years.
The key witness was Jay Wild, who several years later admitted to lying to the court. Adnan’s lawyer Cristina Gutierrez failed to bring Asia McClain as a witness to help him. After serving 23 years in prison, Adnan Syed was released on September 19, 2022. Students can draw several lessons from this case.
Court’s judgments purely rely on presented evidence
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Judges are guided by the law but presented evidence plays a bigger role. Jay Wilds was the key witness on the prosecutor’s side. He said he helped Adnan bury her girlfriend’s body. Although Adnan consistently professed innocence, his attorney never presented the key witness before the court.
Due to this, the court had to make a ruling based on the strongest evidence presented. In this case, it was Jay’s witness that prevailed against several other Adnan Syed theories. Whenever faced with a court case, presenting strong evidence is necessary. Weak evidence will make you lose a case even if you are innocent.
Essay assignments about Adnan Syed can be challenging for a college student. However, when approached from an information angle, it becomes simple to write them. There are many sources from which students can draw information for academic writing. Many of them help a student get ideas that inspire their writing. One of the good sources is to browse around Adnan Syed essays online, where experts write and publish the literature. Some of such sources are useful in education because they contain detailed information. After reading free essay examples on EduZaurus, you can get the perfect ideas and base your writing on them.
You should never stop fighting for justice until it’s granted to you
Since 2000 when Syed began his life prison term, he has never stopped seeking justice. Through the help of attorneys and family, he has launched one petition after another. The prosecution had concrete reasons why Adnan was guilty. This could only stand until stronger evidence is brought before the court. If Adnan had stopped fighting for justice, he would have remained in prison for life.
This is a deep lesson for students to learn. They should never stop fighting for justice until they receive it. It took 23 years of continuous court battles for Adnan to receive justice.
Choose your friends wisely
After joining college, a student meets with new friends from diverse backgrounds. Some add value to their lives, while others only add pain. It is better to take time before choosing friends to be sure they are the best. Jay and Adnan have never been confirmed to be friends. They claim they were acquaintances, which is one of the reasons Adnan was willing to get help from Jay.
If it is true that Jay helped Adnan bury Lee, it raises concerns about why he decided to betray him. If he had been a true friend, he would not have given such a confession before the court. No one would encourage students to join in crime. However, choosing friends who can keep your secrets is an excellent thing. Jay was never a faithful acquaintance. He betrayed Adnan when he needed him most.
It is best to work with highly qualified lawyers
All lawyers have studied law, but some are more experienced than many others. Adnan’s key attorney was Cristina Gutierrez, who failed to present key evidence. Attorneys who pushed the case further claimed Asia McClain was a key witness. She didn’t also investigate the telephone calls the prosecution used as a witness. Each attorney led to more new Adnan Syed theories that became harder to resolve.
Attorneys later noticed multiple inconsistencies in Jay’s witness credibility. They found out that he did not assist Adnan in burying Lee’s body. They claimed Jay could be the criminal but not Adnan. These and many more inconsistencies were vital to his release from prison. If they were not strong lawyers in the Adnan Syed: innocent or guilty case, he could still be in prison.
Biases against religion are a real problem in the US
Stereotyping of some faiths in the US is still a major problem to date. The Muslims, in particular, are likely to get harsher judgments in court. At the time Adnan was taken to court, it was barely two years after the 9/11 experience. Adnan’s family had migrated from Pakistan, which could have played a part in the judgment. Koenig, a radio and TV personality, presented Jay as a warm, innocent child.
Her reporting has been criticized vehemently since then. Some lawyers, writers, and media personalities think Adnan’s religion was critical in the ruling. Regardless of these, they had to provide enough reasons why Adnan was guilty or innocent. This shows how real biases and stereotyping of religion are in the US to date.
Adnan SyedConclusion
Adnan was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1999 in connection with Min Lee’s murder. Through the help of lawyers and family, he was finally released in September 2022. He has been in prison long enough yet has been finally proven innocent. There are several observations students can make from this case. Courts only make rulings based on the evidence presented before them. The pursuit of justice should never stop until someone gets it. Supporting friends in their time of need is very crucial.
