Wilds also makes clear in the interview that Baltimore isnt the place where one who ran afoul with the law wanted to get hooked by the cops or work with them both options were not good. Wilds' shaky testimony was first highlighted in Serial, the 2014 podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig that brought Syeds case back into the public eye. No. Is this when you first saw Haes body in the trunk of her car? 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. . You follow me some of the way, and then Ill take care of it.. I thought at worst hed throw a rock through her window or something. And I found that to be a bit of a slap in the face. But because of the specifics Wilds included in his testimony the Best Buy location that supposedly matches with call logs, strangling, the whereabouts of Lees car there wasnt much doubt Wilds was somehow involved, even if just peripherally. December 15, 1999: A mistrial is declared. They did not have his permission to record, so we do not hear his voice. I stonewalled them that way. Serial sought to dive deep into the potential failings of the criminal justice system and thoroughly re-examine Syed's case. 10:45-11:15 a.m. I was also around a bunch of people earlier the day [at Cathys], and I didnt want them to get fucked up with homicide.. Why has your story changed over time? It doesnt seem like enough of a reason to not talk to the police. 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. Jays testimony was critical to the states case; indeed,without his testimony its virtually impossible that the state could have even brought Syed to trial. 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 case is reopened to take into account McClains new testimony, new cell phone data and allegations of ineffective assistance of counsel as well as prosecutorial misconduct, according to Harpers Bazaar. I wasnt fully cooperating, so if they said, Well, we have on phone records that you talked to Jenn. Id say, Nope, I didnt talk to Jenn. Until Jenn told me that she talked with the cops and that it was ok if I did too. 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. Supposed evidence of this relates to how the reward money was paid out. And I looked real good again, and thats when I seen what looked like a foot. He later becomes a suspect because he walked 127 feet to find a place to use the restroom. It wasnt until they made it clear they werent interested in my procurement of pot that I began to open up any. Its in the evening after school, we never hung out in the morning. I saw the ATF and DEA take down guys in my neighborhood for selling much less than I was at the time. At the time,this was Maryland in the 90s, the drug laws were extremely serious. 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. 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. If Wilds did receive the reward money for being the tipster, but that information wasnt disclosed, that would have immediately led to a new trial. 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. They were introduced to each other in 1998. Also Jay had no motive. Its starting to get dark, so between 3p.m. He failed; he lost the girl. 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. I was a bit of an outdoorsman, adventure seeker, fishing, camping, learned to ride a motorcycle. Wilds looms large in Sarah Koenig and Julie Snyders reporting about the trial. 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. He came back with no tools or anything. Syed could be granted another trial, though, which could pull Wilds back into the spotlight. She just seemed like an older chick who happened to be in high school. I worked a lot. What do you think? Syed and Lee were seniors at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County when Lee disappeared in January 1999. How many covert wars, miscarriages of justice, and dystopian technologies would remain hidden if our reporters werent on the beat? He exited the Baltimore courthouse to deafening cheers. This interview is the first time Jay has spoken publicly about events surrounding Lees death and the trial that ended in Syeds conviction. Is that why you didntinitiallycooperate with the police? The other thing to understand is something about the culture of Baltimorethis is where the Stop Snitching video comes from. Serial Three seasons, investigation The addictive 2014 podcast that started the global mania for true crime. I dont know. His case was chronicled in the first season of the hit podcast. However, Syed is not allowed out on bail while he waits for the new trial. Who Was Mallory Beach in 'Murdaugh Murders'? Im also thinking, Whats making him think Im totally okay with this? Like if a car goes by, and I jump out and wave at them saying, Hey, this is a murderer right here. But I didnt. In both, Syed's guilt is questioned, as is Wilds's statements. 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. Hae was dead before she got to my house. View our online Press Pack. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. Where was Haes car? Jays post-Serial interviews with The Intercept: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3. 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 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 . Adnan's friend Jay, who . Get an all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Lee disappeared on January 13, 1999. We drive over toCathys house to smoke. Getting them in trouble for anything that they knew or that I had told them I couldnt have that. I didnt resent the students, I resented the school for setting it up like that. His evidence was crucial to the state's case. People had lives and were trying to get into college and stuff like that. Please logout and login again. Its been more than two decades since the body of Woodlawn High School senior .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Hae Min Lee was found at Leakin Park in West Baltimore, Maryland. In July 2014, a cold case in Baltimore County was solved when new DNA evidence was tested. Now, Wilds' story is under the microscope again with HBO's new docu-series "The Case Against Adnan Syed," which digs further into Lee's murder and Syed's supposed role in it. As for Lees family, all they knew was that she didnt show up to pick up her cousin, which is when they reported her missing. In 2000, Syed was found guilty of the murder and given a life sentence as a result of Wilds' witness testimony. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! . There was enough doubt for me to want to give this a real close look. Baltimore City police detective Darryl Massey received two anonymous phone calls telling him to look into Lees ex-boyfriend as a possible suspect, Undisclosed: The State vs. Adnan Syed reported. Well first of all, I wasnt openly willing to cooperate with the police. Jay's story was wildly inconsistent. Just another site. From the mall where he met Syed to the time, and even which friend's homes he visited the day of Lee's murder, there are questionable aspects of his testimony. . Meanwhile, Wilds version of the day changed throughout his interviews and testimony. He seemed a little bit more uptight than the other Muslim kids that I knew. Normal high school Im mad at her and Ill scratch her car sort of stuff. It was at least a week before she died, when he found out she was either cheating on him or leaving him. Though Syed said Wilds wasn't with him and had his cell phone at 3:30, his phone called a girl named Nisha, whom only Syed, and not Wilds, knew. As the state's star witness, Jay. On January 13, 1999, Korean-American high school student Hae Min Lee, 18, was reported missing by her family after failing to come home. But there was a grand jury hearing on this case,andI have an idea who might have based on that hearing. I didnt know it was that close. Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. When was the first time you hung out with Adnan? 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. Photo: Natasha Vargas-Cooper for The Intercept, Natasha Vargas-Cooper[emailprotected]theintercept.org@natashavc. He might be needed back in court soon. Speaking with The Intercept, Wilds said his assumption was . Number of episodes: 25+ (ongoing). From your perspective, what was Adnans reputation at Woodlawn? He said that the idea of Best Buy came from the police. However, Sarah Koenig, host and producer of the widely-acclaimed podcast titled Serial, covered the case in 2014. 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. For other inquiries, Contact Us. About a month later, police uncovered her body in a nearby park; an. And then I would only give them information pertaining to my interaction with someone or where I was. 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. Because I knew football had paid for all of that, but there were few football players down there. When we were digging the hole, its not like Haes body was just lying next to us. The Intercept is an independent nonprofit news outlet. Lee had disappeared on Jan. 13, and almost a month later, on Feb. 9, her body was found by a passerby in Baltimores Leakin Park. I remember the highway traffic to my right, and I remember standing there on the curb. When the Serial podcast premiered in October of 2014, many listeners were shocked to find that almost the entirety of the . The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. From the way he carried himself, at least, it looked like he had never lost anything before. Was it in the Best Buy parking lot? This is a moot point now, as Syed was granted a new trial in 2018. He was having a hard enough time with that itself. The kind of reporting we do is essential to democracy, but it is not easy, cheap, or profitable. I didnt think he was going to go kill her. Baltimore police were already focusing their investigation on Syed after an anonymous tip told them to look at Lees ex. Four weeks later, her half-buried body was found at Leakin. Its while hes there that Officer Scott Adcock calls Syed asking if he knew where Lee was. 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. For his testimony, Wilds was given probation instead of a jail sentence for his said involvement in the crime. I had a lot more on the line than just a few bags of weed. If Wilds were meeting with the cops before this official interview, its completely possible he would have been coached, as Simpson suggests. She was still in the trunk. I really didnt know much about their relationship, if they hung out, where they hung out, when they hung out. 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. Jay was pretty much convicted because he told the police he helped dispose of the body. Wilds was also an adult who sold marijuana to high school kids, which made him vulnerable. They also highlighted the inconsistent statements of his co-defendant, Jay Wilds, who testified against 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. Now, the case: Undisclosed claims Wilds may have wanted the reward money to buy a motorcyle - something police may have known, too. Syed will know his fate by August. Wilds has stayed private since the 2014 interview. I know it didnt happen anywhere other than my grandmothers house. At that age, it's intense and he never called Jay a liar, even in Serial. Three days later, Baltimore Police received an anonymous tip that Syed was responsible for the murder. 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. Something definite in both media arguments is Wilds's change in story. We were kind of surprised because she told us that he was one of her best friends, he said. We were in the car, we were riding, smoking. It wasnt like, Oh, were down in the park, come on down.We were friendly, we were cool. Judge Wanda K. Heard gives Syed a life sentence plus 30 years. 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. I told [Adnan] that I wouldnt touch her car, or any of her possessions, and I say, Fuck it. Your login session has expired. Ill call you from someone elses phone when Im done.. Syeds trial, and Jays testimony, became the focus of a This American Life spinoff series, the 12-part podcast Serial, broadcast in the fall of this year. Classmates last saw her leaving school around 2:15 p.m. February 9, 1999: Lee's body is found in Leakin Park. how old was jay wilds in 1999 Jay Wilds, Maryland's key (and only) witness at Adnan Syed's 2000 trial for murdering Hae Min Lee which was chronicled on the hotly debated Serial podcast, which launched in October 2014 and completed its 12-episode run earlier this month has consented to a single interview (with The Intercept) in an attempt to tell his side of the story. Heres abasic timeline of the eventsof Jan. 13,according to Wilds first sit-down with police on Feb. 28, 1999: He gets a call from Syed around 10:45 a.m. on Jan. 13; an hour later, Syed arrives at Wilds house in his car and they both go to Baltimores Westview Mall, where Syed tells Wilds hes going to kill Hae because hes angry about their breakup; at 12:30 p.m., Wilds drops off Syed at school and keeps his car; at 3:40 p.m., Syed tells Wilds to meet him at a strip off Edmonton Ave., and 20 minutes later Syed shows Wilds Haes dead body in the trunk of her own car. How old were you when you first met Adnan Syed? Wilds' testimony in. Lee's body was discovered in Leakin park; three weeks later in a shallow grave. When Adnan loaned you his car onJan. 13, 1999, did he tell you it was because he planned on murdering Hae? Football paid for everything at the school. He asked me if I had shovels, so I went inside my house and got some gardening tools. He knew I was afraid of that. Autopsy results later show that Lee was strangled, The Baltimore Sun reports. There was a reward of $3,075 from CrimeStoppers for information on the case leading to the indictment. A December 1999 trial ended in mistrial. Baltimore City Circuit Court judge Melissa M. Phinn vacated Syed's conviction, effectively setting him free. 'Serial' Subject Takes HBO, 'Serial' Subject Adnan Syed Will Get a New Trial. 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. Jay is the center of gravity in this case. Jay is the center of gravity in this case. Hae Min Lee was last seen at about 3pm on 13 January 1999. Additionally, since Syed provided no real alibi, Wilds testimony was convincing enough that it allowed prosecutors to nail Syed for the murder. 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. A star witness in the case against Syed was fellow Woodlawn High School student Jay Wilds, . Jay Wilds, the only witness in the 1999 Maryland murder case that convicted Adnan Syed for the murder of 17-year-old Hae Min Lee, spoke with The Intercept, explaining his role in allegedly helping . When Woodlawn put in the magnet thing, they took out all the vocational classes. McClain in 1999 at the time of the murder was Syed's classmate at Woodlawn High School. 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. in January 1999 . And thats not necessarily mebut that is my family, that is my uncles and cousins.