# Do you believe Adnan Syed is guilty of murder and are you a Democrat or Republican? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338 "2016-04-06T13:32:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/21 "2016-04-06T15:50:40Z")
FWIW, I haven’t seen this linked in the thread, but from the _Baltimore Sun_, here’s a copy of the State of Maryland’s, [Consolidated Response in Opposition to Petitioner’s Motion and Supplement to Reopen Post-Conviction Proceedings.](http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2430149/document-md-attorneys-say-adnan-syeds-appeal-is.pdf) Basically, it’s the State’s motion saying his conviction shouldn’t be revisited. It has a nice restatement of the facts of the case, which had a few things I hadn’t seen mentioned elsewhere, like that Wilds dealt drugs, and a listing of witnesses relating what Syed had said on and before the alleged day of the murder. Worth your time I think if you’re interested in the case. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/22 "2016-04-06T16:15:45Z")
> [@R3d\_Anonymous](#): > > Actually has nothing to do with ethnicity. But I slightly feel like Republicans are more likely to think of him as Guilty. My (cite-free) guess is that Republicans as a whole are at least marginally more likely than Democrats to think anyone who’s been convicted of any crime is guilty. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/23 "2016-04-06T16:26:14Z")
How are fascists and communists supposed to vote? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/24 "2016-04-06T16:50:10Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > Well, he’s actually only been tried once, as the initial trial never reached the jury. You are correct, of course. The mistrial does not count as a trial, and I misspoke. > [@](#): > > You said that if there was new evidence, that might be different. I’m simply saying that there _has_, in fact, been new evidence, presented under oath and subject to cross-examination. What impact that will have remains to be seen. It has been almost two months since the end of the hearing that was scheduled to allow that new evidence to be considered. > > In other words, I don’t think we’re contradicting one another. I agree - we are in substantial agreement (which is good news for me, and bad news for you). I would be interested in whatever findings come out of the hearing, if any. Or even, a retrial. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/25 "2016-04-06T17:03:49Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Jay is either lying or he is not. > > What motivation does Jay have to lie about Adnan? I think Jay killed Lee and lied about Adnan to deflect blame. I am a Republican. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/26 "2016-04-06T17:39:29Z")
I don’t know that he’s guilty or not guilty, I just know that I don’t trust a word that’s come out of Jay’s mouth because his story changed over, and over, and over again, and the prosecution’s case was built on top of that pile of bullshit. So maybe he did, maybe he didn’t, but the trial was a farce. There was no option for that so I voted not guilty. ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/27 "2016-04-06T18:41:39Z")
Never heard of him before this thread, so I chose 7. A quick wiki search brings up the highlights, but without digging I have no opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/28 "2016-04-06T19:10:33Z")
If I were on the jury I would have voted not guilty based on what I know. I’m uhh…none of the categories presented. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/29 "2016-04-06T19:12:09Z")
> [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](#): > > Location: Rhode Iceland Stupid weather. There’s still 6 inches of snow in my backyard. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/30 "2016-04-06T19:37:01Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > How are fascists and communists supposed to vote? Guilty, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/31 "2016-04-06T22:16:54Z")
I think he probably did it, based on the podcast. I also don’t think the case was strong enough to convict, and would have voted not guilty if I was on the jury, again based on the podcast. Democrat. I didn’t vote in this pole. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/32 "2016-04-06T22:40:54Z")
Maybe lefties are more likely to actually have heard of him, considering most people who know of him (I didn’t by name but vaguely know of the radio program) only know of him due to Serial, which is probably highly correlated to the mid-sentence-chai-tea-sipping NPR crowd. > [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > How are fascists and communists supposed to vote? Heh. Vote. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/33 "2016-04-07T00:38:53Z")
Since the poll said “Not Guilty” instead of “Innocent” I interpreted this to be a question about what the verdict should have been rather than a question about whether Adnan Syed actually murdered Hae Min Lee. I basically agreed with Sarah Koenig’s opinion at the end of the first season of _Serial_ – it’s not clear that Syed _didn’t_ murder Lee, but his attorney did not do a good job of representing him and I see plenty of room for reasonable doubt. So while I consider it possible that he is in fact guilty of the crime, I don’t think his conviction was fair. ---
**Author:** ![Fair\_Rarity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fair_rarity/32/153_2.png) [@Fair\_Rarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fair_Rarity)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/34 "2016-04-07T01:03:42Z")
I put not guilty not because I can’t imagine any scenario in which he did it, but that my knowledge of the case shows me there was too much reasonable doubt for him to be convicted. To me, it comes down to him being convicted for two things: accomplice testimony and cell phone records. Well, the accomplice might have had reasons for implicating Adnan and has changed his story too often to be reliable without corroboration. The cell phone records do not offer that corroboration. This was one of the first cases that depended on the records. His lawyer did not understand them and they were (imo) improperly handled by the prosecution. The prosecution expert witness on the cell records has since signed an affidavit saying he would not have testified as he did had he be given all the information the prosecution had. So without that unreliable witness and those dubious cell tower pings, you really have nothing beyond a reasonable doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/35 "2016-04-07T02:49:59Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > How are fascists and communists supposed to vote? Fascists are Republicans, and Communists are Democrats. Should be obvious. I had never heard of the case before this thread but I voted him guilty anyway. He looks fishy. ---
**Author:** ![Disheavel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@Disheavel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disheavel)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/36 "2016-04-07T04:43:00Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Jay is either lying or he is not. > > What motivation does Jay have to lie about Adnan? I apologize if I’ve posted this here before… My theory is that Jay, Adnan, and the girl were doing something and she was accidentally killed or died. Jay and Adnan made a pact- and Jay cracked first. Now Adnan has no way out other than to proclaim his innocence. He can’t get into a he said vs. he said. Jay won the prisoners dillemma perfectly. It is the only explanation that shows why Jay knew so much. So Adnan is guilty, but so was Jay- and maybe Adnan commited the actual murder but Jay was there. Jay’s story changes as he has to piece together parts of the timeline to fit his concocted story into the actual one. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/37 "2016-04-07T05:16:09Z")
Never heard of Adnan Syed, so 7. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/38 "2016-04-07T06:44:47Z")
It’s been awhile since I listened to Serial and I never paid attention to any of the other materials. From what I remember, I too agreed with Koenig’s opinion. It’s possible he did do it but the evidence was not substantial enough to warrant a conviction. As to what actually happened, I certainly don’t know. There wasn’t enough evidence to rule out a case of wrong time, wrong place, committed by an unknown third party. I don’t consider myself a member of any party and while I think the US justice system is generally pretty decent, it has many flaws, makes many mistakes, and additional scrutiny is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/39 "2016-04-07T12:08:10Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > How are fascists and communists supposed to vote? Why, which one are you this month? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338/40 "2016-04-07T12:26:20Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > FWIW, I haven’t seen this linked in the thread, but from the _Baltimore Sun_, here’s a copy of the State of Maryland’s, [Consolidated Response in Opposition to Petitioner’s Motion and Supplement to Reopen Post-Conviction Proceedings.](http://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/2430149/document-md-attorneys-say-adnan-syeds-appeal-is.pdf) Basically, it’s the State’s motion saying his conviction shouldn’t be revisited. It has a nice restatement of the facts of the case, which had a few things I hadn’t seen mentioned elsewhere, like that Wilds dealt drugs, and a listing of witnesses relating what Syed had said on and before the alleged day of the murder. > > Worth your time I think if you’re interested in the case. Very much so, thanks. Regards, Shodan [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-believe-adnan-syed-is-guilty-of-murder-and-are-you-a-democrat-or-republican/751338.md?page=3)