THE WITNESS STORY TRIAL

It was just at the end of my junior year, so about 16. How old were you when you first met Adnan Syed? The following has been edited and condensed for clarity. This is the first part in a multipart interview. Jay’s wife and mother entertained the couple’s young children while Jay and I spoke in the family living room. We met over the weekend at his two-story suburban home.

THE WITNESS STORY TRIAL

This interview is the first time Jay has spoken publicly about events surrounding Lee’s death and the trial that ended in Syed’s conviction.

Jay feels strongly that he was unfairly depicted by Koenig and that she painted a highly misleading portrayal of him and his role in the case. In the podcast Koenig pointedly challenged Jay’s account of events and his motivation for assisting Adnan. Jay chose not to be formally interviewed by either “This American Life” or by “Serial” host and producer, Sarah Koenig. Syed’s trial, and Jay’s testimony, became the focus of a “This American Life” spinoff series, the 12-part podcast “Serial,” broadcast in the fall of this year. Jay’s testimony was critical to the state’s case indeed, without his testimony it’s virtually impossible that the state could have even brought Syed to trial.

The star witness at Syed’s trial was Jay Wilds, a former classmate who testified that he helped Syed dispose of Lee’s body. Syed is currently serving a life sentence.

In February of 2000, Syed was found guilty of murdering Lee. Lee’s ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, 17, became the primary suspect in her homicide after an anonymous caller told the police to investigate him. About a month later, police uncovered her body in a nearby park an autopsy would later find that she was choked to death. 13, 1999, Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old high school student from Baltimore, went missing.

The witness story