About a month later, police uncovered her body in a nearby park; an. I rode BMX freestyle. November 6, 2015: The post-conviction relief case is reopened. This is a moot point now, as Syed was granted a new trial in 2018. Serial Three seasons, investigation The addictive 2014 podcast that started the global mania for true crime. Three days later, Baltimore Police received an anonymous tip that Syed was responsible for the murder. Yes. 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. Supposed evidence of this relates to how the reward money was paid out. He has come to prominence in recent months. "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 was pretty distraught, fucked up, feeling guilty for not saying nothing. of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. I think there was another dude or something, or whatever. The one interview Wilds gave was to The Intercept in 2014. Justice Martin Welch vacates the original conviction, saying there should be a new trial. I went to concerts, like anything from Wu-Tang to Warped Tour. I said, Alright, cool. I dropped him off at school, went to the mall, then when I was done, I go back to my friend Jenns house, where I normally go, sit and smoke with my friend. He remains calm as handcuffs are being put on him, saying, I'll be alrightI have faith in the Lord. From Men's Health. Other cited factors include the discovery of new suspects and concerns about a detective who worked on Syed's case. What happened before that, I dont know.. Syed was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years on February 25, 2000 for first degree murder,kidnapping, false imprisonment and robbery. This is the same day Adnan was arrested, at the age of 17. "He might really have just been bulls******* at the time. in January 1999 . By the time I graduated [Woodlawn] high school in 1998, I wasnt exactly angry, but I did resent the school. Adnan Syed is a 36 year old who had been convicted of first degree murder at the age of 17 on February 28, 1999. However, Sarah Koenig, host and producer of the widely-acclaimed podcast titled Serial, covered the case in 2014. All Rights Reserved. Heres everything we know about Jay Wilds before the premiere of HBOs documentary series, The Case Against Adnan Syed. The popular podcast detailed an investigation into the 15-year-old murder of . I guess I was being kind of a jury on whether or not people needed to be involved or whatever, but these people didnt have anything to do with it, and I knew they didnt have anything to do with it. Theres also the added fact that Wilds boss at the time told people Wilds had to leave work several times to talk with the police before the date of that official interview. In one police interview, Wilds said he saw the body, it was in a car in the parking lot of a Best Buy. Syed's classmate Jay Wilds, who said at trial that he helped Syed bury Lee's body, became the central figure in the national conversation over Syed's guilt. We were in the car, we were riding, smoking. He said, Im gonna drive back down there [to the grave]. Not just that, but prosecutors are also now saying a key witness -- Jay Wilds-- gave inconsistent accounts to cops. In 1999 18-year-old high school student Hae Min Lee was murdered. Ill help you dig the hole.. Adnan Syed, 41, was released from prison earlier this month after revelations proved that key information which could have proved his innocence was withheld from his defense counsel back then. October 11, 2022: Prosecutors drop charges against Syed. The following has been edited and condensed for clarity. Many questions remain about Wilds true role in the case, but theres no shortage of theories. There was never a real friendship. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. The Lord knows I didnt kill her, The Baltimore Sun reported. This fact seems damning to Syed, and it troubled . To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Though Wilds testimony seemed to have been trusted implicitly by Syeds jury, the Serial podcast shining a light on the key details of Wilds claims led many listeners to believe Wilds was not exactly truthful and that even the slightest bit of questioning could have unraveled his story. In his testimony at the second trial, he says that he and Syed drove to Security Square Mall and claims that Syed reportedly told him he was going to kill Lee. Hoo-boy, and then theres the motorcycle story that Undisclosed says confirms Wilds was the tipster. Adnan was convicted with evidence of his cell phone . He might be needed back in court soon. But Wilds testimony, even though inconsistent, was corroborated by cellphone recordsas well as his friend Jennifer Pusateris testimony (at least, at first): Pusateris initial statement to the cops said that she received a call from Wilds on Syeds cell; a later statement from her included a bit about Wilds confessing to her that he helped Syed bury Lee. Fellow Woodlawn student Jay Wilds testified that he helped Syed bury Lee. The trial begins the second week of December and quickly ends as a mistrial, the court appeals papers say. He did, after all, give multiple conflicting locations for where the murder took place and where the body was found. Wilds was Syed's classmate at Woodlawn high school, Baltimore. Timelines: January 13, 1999 Adnan's Call Log Adnan's Story 7:45-9:15 a.m. A majority of the state's evidence against Adnan comes from Jay Wilds' testimony. Lee's body was discovered in Baltimore's Leakin Park by a passerby, partially buried in a shallow grave. Sellers had a previous record as an alleged streaker. But, like I said, I dont know how to come up with this story about how Adnan did it, why he did it, what he was thinking, how he was thinking, and why he was thinking that. Im going to be late for practice, so just drop me off. The popularised podcast series Serial has been central to shedding light on the Adnan Syed case. 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. Last seen driving away from the high school in her gray Nissan on January 13, 1999, the 18-year-old Lee was found dead in Baltimore's Leakin Park about a month later. The police and prosecutors then laid their investigation on Adnan solely because that was the lead they wanted to believe for the sake of closing the case. Their accounts depart when Wilds says Syed showed him the body in the trunk of the car, and then Syed enlisted Wilds to bury Lee. Prosecutors dropped all charges against Syed, eliminating the possibility of a retrial. UFC's Raul Rosas Jr. 18-Year-Old Fighter . 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. At times he even apologizes, as though he were trained to say something specifically and had forgotten. But he didnt call me unless he needed something. Syed and Lee were seniors at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County when Lee disappeared in January 1999. A second court proceedings begin, the papers say. Now I dont wanna tell the people at Cathys that this guy Im with just killed his girlfriend and the cops just called because then they would all be a part of this fucked up thing. Wilds and his family have tried to stay out of the spotlight, with Wilds citing the danger his cooperating with the police puts his family in, even though he claims he tried to stonewall the cops for as long as possible until they broke him down. 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. I saw her body later, in front ofof my grandmothers house where I was living. Syed was sentenced to life in prison. She dated Adnan in. He was a little pompous, a little arrogant, but he seemed really driven as far as his academics, but all those magnet students were. I really didnt know much about their relationship, if they hung out, where they hung out, when they hung out. Stephanie [Jays girlfriend] came to me and said Adnan is pretty cool, plus he wanted to buy some weed. 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? He calls me and says Im outside, so I come outside to talk to himand followed him to a different car, not his. He'd previously refused to take part in Sarah Koening's podcast, which attempted to retrace the steps taken in. Without Jay's testimony, it is highly unlikely that the state could have ever taken him to trial. I've known Adnan for many years, and I have. note: Adnan worked as an emergency medical technician, not a paramedic.]. 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. We got in his car and start driving. Adnan did not know that Jay had spoken to the police. And detective notes capped Browns interview with the word REWARD, written in all caps. Were sitting there smoking and he receives a phone call from the police and gets all panicky. When Adnan loaned you his car onJan. 13, 1999, did he tell you it was because he planned on murdering Hae? Did you go to Leakin Park immediately after agreeing to help? I know I didnt kill her. You can't start drawing conclusions like that. Syed and Wilds were regularly with one another. As the state's star witness, Jay. November 25, 2019: The Supreme Court rejects bid for a new trial, Without comment, the Supreme Court decided not to open a new trial. That night they bury Lees body in Leakin Park and leave her car in a residential parking lot. 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. View our online Press Pack. 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. Syed Adnan, then 17, was convicted of murdering Hae Min Lee, 18, in 1999 after a high school romance in Baltimore, MD. Jays wife and mother entertained the couples young children while Jay and I spoke in the family living room. And at a certain point I say, Well fuck, Im finished. They were granted Syeds cell phone call records and then looked at two recipients of calls from Syeds phone: Jennifer Pusateri and Wilds. Link your TV provider to stream full episodes and live TV. I dont know whether he calls me when hes on his way back to my house, or if he calls me right outside the house. In The Case Against Adnan Syed, the filmmakers interviewed Jay in January 2019. Syed was just 19 years old when he was convicted of murdering his former high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee and sentenced to life in prison. 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. How old was Adnan when he went to prison in 1999? 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. I pick him up he doesnt have any car with him. Yeah. I would like to forgive Adnan Syed, but as of now, I just don't know how I could, she says. In his first interview since the end of "Serial," Jay Wilds says he thinks he knows who . I wake up as soon as they put it on, he said. We are deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court, but by no means is this the end of Adnan Syed, attorney C. Justin Brown told AP at the time. Police take evidence from the scene and interview several people in an attempt to find the killer. The creators of the public radio show This American Life debut the podcast series Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig, about the Lee murder mystery. Jay chose not to be formally interviewed by either This American Life or by Serial host and producer, Sarah Koenig. . Hae Min Lee was last seen at about 3pm on 13 January 1999. No one is quite sure what they are, but the timing of the taps on the recording seems suspicious. December 29 2014, 12:55 p.m. On Jan. 13, 1999, Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old high school student from Baltimore, went missing. I was also around a bunch of people earlier the day [at Cathys], and I didnt want them to get fucked up with homicide.. One big theory being floated around is that Wilds was the anonymous tipster who called Detective Massey and told police to focus on the ex-boyfriend. 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. We dont have ads, so we depend on our members 35,000 and counting to help us hold the powerful to account. Ill call you from someone elses phone when Im done.. And hes like, Ive gotta put her car somewhere. So I follow him around for a few minutes, and he just picks a place at random behind some row houses, leaves her car, gets into his car, takes me home. 4. . It was at least a week before she died, when he found out she was either cheating on him or leaving him. 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. Syed could be granted another trial, though, which could pull Wilds back into the spotlight. Jay Wilds and Adnan Syed were reportedlynot close friends but the Woodlawn High School seniors fates would eventually become inextricably linked through a brutal Jan. 1999 murder case, when Syed was arrested and ultimately convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. Other contributing causes included the emergence of new suspects in the case. I think and, look, its been 15 years about 6 p.m. Three days later, Baltimore Police . "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. In support of their request, prosecutors cited two "alternative suspects" who were known at the time of the investigation and expert. Be the first one to comment on this story. He asked me if I had shovels, so I went inside my house and got some gardening tools. Lee had disappeared on Jan. 13, and almost a month later, on Feb. 9, her body was found by a passerby in Baltimore's Leakin Park. To which, Wilds responded, [T]his guy drove up in front of my grandmothers house, popped the trunk, and had his dead girlfriend in the trunk. Hae was dead before she got to my house. Adnan left and then returned to my house several hours later, closer to midnight in his own car. Yes we dig for about 40 minutes and we dig and dig, and hes digging less and less. Jay Wilds. You Can Stream Every 'Rocky' Movie Right Now, 'WoF' Fans Say This Is the 'Biggest Choke' on Show, Daisy Jones & the Six Is a Rock Epic in 10 Parts, See Mariska Hargitays Emotional Tribute on IG. Its just on the street. Jay was likely not given a FULL check because he promised to present facts at Adnan's trial. Wilds was also an adult who sold marijuana to high school kids, which made him vulnerable. I saw the ATF and DEA take down guys in my neighborhood for selling much less than I was at the time. Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. Jay obviously picks and chooses what he tells, and at this point its created such a mess, she says in the documentary. Who would hold party elites accountable to the values they proclaim to have? The police arrested and charged Lee's ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed with the murder six weeks later. When did you two get closer to each other? Serial sought to dive deep into the potential failings of the criminal justice system and thoroughly re-examine Syed's case. There were several reasons given for his release on September 19, 2022, including the prosecution losing confidence in Wilds' evidence. Jay firmly believes that he was wrongfully represented on the podcast. With the case back in the headlines and ID's special, Adnan Syed: Overturned, scheduled to air this Tuesday, September 27, 2022, at 9 pm ET, questions are being raised about Jay Wilds' connection to the murder and his witness testimony that may have led to Syed's wrongful conviction. Jay Wilds, who claimed he helped . who has spent the past 15 years in jail for the murder of 17-year-old Hae Min Lee, . And I said, Hey, I need to run to the mall cause I need to get a gift for Stephanie., He said then, No, I gotta go do something. 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. 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. 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. I had never known anybody who had killed anybody else, so theres no way I could have known. The way she moved and went about her day. But that, according to what I learned later, is probably not what happened. Why is this story different from what you originally told the police? I played lacrosse, was a bit of a jock. Jay Wilds, the key witness in the Serial murder case, has broken his silence at last. July 1, 2016. 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 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee hinged on the testimony of one witnessJay Wilds. I follow him halfway back down the hill, park, smoke some cigarettes. Ok, so you arrive at Cathys with Adnan after he tells you he murdered Hae? What we do know about Wilds and Syed, which Syeds testimony confirms, is that Wilds and Syed were together on the day of Lees murder, and Jay had Syeds phone and car for an unspecified period of time. Lee was last seen alive on Jan. 13, 1999. Syed is currently serving a life sentence. March 25, 2000: McClain writes an affidavit. 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. 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. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Evidence from the Adnan Syed case | Previously undisclosed.wikispaces.com. Like she was a junior in college. Everything We Know About Jay Wilds from Serial, Every Song From the Daisy Jones' Soundtrack, police may have already been looking at him as an accomplice, an adult who sold marijuana to high school kids, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Im being manipulated into whats being done right now.. She looked kinda purple, blue, her legs were tucked behind her, she had stockings on, none of her clothes were removed, nothing like that. In it, Koenig talks to Syed who says hes innocent. Well, according to Chaudra, Wilds attorney told her that the prosecutors threatened him by promising to prosecute him in a predominantly white county, and Wilds, who is black, was frightened enough to do what he was told. According to the Undisclosed podcast, Lee goes on her first date with her LensCrafter co-worker Don Clinedinst, who happens to be the son of the store manager. I said, Drug dealers, people who get killed by drug dealers, and Im thinking to myself, When did I ever say that? So, as Im riding with him to the park and it starts raining and Im thinking to myself as he pulls overand Im thinking this is the spot hes chosen. And they wouldnt stop interviewing me or questioning me. 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. (Wilds would later lead the police to Lees car, parked on a residential street.) He also claimedthat he felt like Koenig, whose account challenges his, tried to pressure him into giving an interview and created an evil archetype of him. Jay Wilds and Adnan Syed were reportedlynot close friends but the Woodlawn High School seniors fates would eventually become inextricably linked through a brutal Jan. 1999 murder case, when Syed was arrested and ultimately convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. Im pretty sure it was my fear of going to prison for having a bunch of weed in my grandmas house. The case was covered in-depth in the first season of the podcast by host Sarah Koenig. But she seemed to be more mature, like she was two, three, four years older than us.