Four weeks later, her half-buried body was found at Leakin. Syed went on trial in February 2000 and was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Syed was 17 at the time that Lee was murdered in January 1999. According to Simpson, whenever Wilds cant recall a detail or pauses for a long period before answering a question, there can be heard a series of taps, after which Wilds always miraculously comes up with the right answer. CrimeStoppers rewards are apparently paid out the following month after the police report that months official indictments. But when they put the magnet wing in, it was kinda like these people were different from us. And they didnt have to interact with us anymore. By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Well first of all, I wasnt openly willing to cooperate with the police. From Men's Health. I dont feel comfortable drawing conclusions like that. After hearings in the Circuit Court between November 2010 and October 2012, Syeds petition for post-conviction relief is denied, according to court papers. Jay claims that once he acquired the marijuana, Adnan threatened to turn him in if he didnt help bury Haes body. Because I knew football had paid for all of that, but there were few football players down there. There was never a real friendship. Jay is the center of gravity in this case. In the podcast Koenig pointedly challenged Jays account of events and his motivation for assisting Adnan. Correction: The original version of this story incorrectly stated that Adnan Syed went to trial in December 2000. 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. 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. No. Maintenance worker Alonzo Sellers, known as Mr. Autopsy results later show that Lee was strangled, The Baltimore Sun reports. McClain has fought for Syed's innocence since the case had originally opened. I also ran the operation out of my grandmothers house and that also put my family at risk. He came back with no tools or anything. Adnan was convicted after Jay Wilds, a friend of Adnan's, said in court that he helped Adnan bury Hae Min Lee's body, . . 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. I dont think it meant that much to her. Other contributing causes included the emergence of new suspects in the case. Normal high school Im mad at her and Ill scratch her car sort of stuff. The way she moved and went about her day. That afternoon, he says that Syed asked him to pick him up at Best Buy, where Syed shows him Lees body in the trunk of her car. Coverage of the latest true crime stories and famous cases explained, as well as the best TV shows, movies and podcasts in the genre. He remains calm as handcuffs are being put on him, saying, I'll be alrightI have faith in the Lord. Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. Number of episodes: 25+ (ongoing). Wilds' shaky testimony was first highlighted in Serial, the 2014 podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig that brought Syeds case back into the public eye. He might really have just been bullshitting at the time. Why is this story different from what you originally told the police? How old were you when you first met Adnan Syed? December 30, 2013: Syed's petition for post-conviction relief is denied. Just normal conversation like, I think shes fucking around. The story Jay told police had problems, because it kept changing from telling to telling, Koenig says in the first episode of Serial. But they were able to bolster the main plot points using cell records from Adnans phone., Others think the inconsistencies point toward something else Chaudry says in the documentary that she thinks the police were helping [Wilds] craft the story.. I dont think thats wrong, its high school, you know. It wasnt like, Oh, were down in the park, come on down.We were friendly, we were cool. Mr.. For instance, during one of his police interviews highlighted in The Case Against Adnan Syed,an officer asks Wilds, Youre sure its the 13th because we told you got these calls on the 13th? Jay responds in the affirmative. So that would ruin her life too, Wilds told Vargas-Cooper. I had friends but the groups were small. The case was covered in-depth in the first season of the podcast by host Sarah Koenig. how old was jay wilds in 1999 Syed has maintained his innocence since he was arrested for Lee's murder in February 1999, when he was a 17-year-old in high school. Adnan did not know that Jay had spoken to the police. Lee's body was discovered in Baltimore's Leakin Park by a passerby, partially buried 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? They were granted Syeds cell phone call records and then looked at two recipients of calls from Syeds phone: Jennifer Pusateri and Wilds. I played lacrosse, was a bit of a jock. 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. They had to chase me around before they could corner me to talk to me, and there came a point where I was just sick of talking to them. He did, after all, give multiple conflicting locations for where the murder took place and where the body was found. He never said anything like, Hey, what gauge gun should I use? or How many minutes am I supposed to hold somebody under the water for? or, Is there a statute of limitation on murder? I thought he was just blowing off steam and bullshitting. I think and, look, its been 15 years about 6 p.m. 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. . 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. Hae was dead before she got to my house. A star witness in the case against Syed was fellow Woodlawn High School student Jay Wilds, . Serial Three seasons, investigation The addictive 2014 podcast that started the global mania for true crime. We met over the weekend at his two-story suburban home. Launch Gallery. April Wolfe. I pick him up he doesnt have any car with him. We got in his car and start driving. People had lives and were trying to get into college and stuff like that. Wilds was also an adult who sold marijuana to high school kids, which made him vulnerable. 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. I made him smoke one time, he got a little high, got a little weird. When was the first time you hung out with Adnan? Thats all it takes to support the journalism you rely on. There were some big forces going on that didnt have anything to do with Hae. They leave the car at a park-and-ride lot. Wilds' testimony in the murder trial was central to the conviction of Syed due to the nature of his account of events. Wilds alleged that Syed had told him he had murdered Lee. Jay Wilds is a former classmate of Adnan Syed from Baltimore, Maryland. Did you make the anonymous call to the police to tip them off about Adnan? The trial, which resulted in a life sentence, has resurfaced after a judge overturned Adnan's conviction. Jay is the center of gravity in this case. Jay is a show more content 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. Im going to be late for practice, so just drop me off. 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 told [Adnan] that I wouldnt touch her car, or any of her possessions, and I say, Fuck it. 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. That would free Wilds to then collect the reward moneyafter detectives officially filed Syeds indictment to CrimeStoppers on October 1stin November. 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. "This was true in 1999 when he was a 17-year-old child. As long as I live, my daughter is buried in my heart. The paper says she almost collapsed as she stepped off the witness stand and that her sobs from outside the courtroom could still be heard inside. I might have sat next to him in a class, and joked or something. Serial sought to dive deep into the potential failings of the criminal justice system and thoroughly re-examine Syed's case. Wilds has played an interesting role in this case. A December 1999 trial ended in mistrial. Family friend and attorney Rabia Chaudry asks McClain to write an affidavit after Syed is convicted, Serial reported. He was having a hard enough time with that itself. 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. Syed went on trial in February 2000 and was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The other thing to understand is something about the culture of Baltimorethis is where the Stop Snitching video comes from. According to the podcast, there were discrepancies between the statements he gave to authorities and the testimony he delivered during Adnan Syed's trial. Then he goes to track practice. 1999, when police . 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. Please logout and login again. Something definite in both media arguments is Wilds's change in story. Im pretty sure it was my fear of going to prison for having a bunch of weed in my grandmas house. According to Wilds, he and Syed were not incredibly close at school. It wasnt until they made it clear they werent interested in my procurement of pot that I began to open up any. JayWilds and Adnan Syed may not have been close, butWilds' witness testimony would ultimately be key to convicting Syed of Hae Min Lee's murder. So where is Wilds today? Syed and Lee were seniors at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County when Lee disappeared in January 1999. The popular podcast detailed an investigation into the 15-year-old murder of . UFC's Raul Rosas Jr. 18-Year-Old Fighter . As described by Syed to Serial, he goes to his photography and English classes and then calls his friend Jay Wilds, offering to lend him his car during his lunch period. He just seemed like someone who didnt smoke weed too much. "That's the best way I can account for the inconsistencies. 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. 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. He knows that none of us are basically giving up. And people were starting to find out he was a loser, Oh, you and Hae arent together anymore. Ill help you dig the hole.. Syed was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years on February 25, 2000 for first degree murder,kidnapping, false imprisonment and robbery. I dont know. 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. So that would ruin her life too. 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. Did you go to Leakin Park immediately after agreeing to help? 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. Clearly Sarah Koenig was leaning towards Adnans innocence and she got sidetracked by Jay a little bit, too. She looked kinda purple, blue, her legs were tucked behind her, she had stockings on, none of her clothes were removed, nothing like that. Once the police made it clear that my drug dealing wasnt gonna affect the outcome of what was going on, I became a little bit more transparent. Even to Serial, the podcast that detailed nearly every part of Syed's case, Wild remained off the record to provide background information, according to Rolling Stone. Once the police made it clear that my drug dealing wasn't gonna affect the outcome of what was going on, I became a little bit more transparent.". 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. Hes 17 at the time but charged with first-degree murder as an adult. Yes. Syed has maintained his innocence during his decades in prison, yet a 2019 attempt to hear an appeal for a new trial was turned down by the Supreme Court. Lets back up, tell me what happened when you arrived at the Best Buy to pick up Adnan. Its not my job to figure that out. Adnan was convicted with evidence of his cell phone . Syed and Wilds were regularly with one another. I would like to forgive Adnan Syed, but as of now, I just don't know how I could, she says. 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. The subject of the groundbreaking 2014 podcast "Serial," Syed was arrested in. Im fucking done. And Adnans like, Oh, well, youre not going to help me move her are you? And Im like No, Im not gonna help you move her. He says, Ok, well, Im gonna need you to drive back to her car., Somewhere up around a corner up a hill, parked in a strange neighborhood. .css-13y9o4w{display:block;font-family:GraphikBold,GraphikBold-fallback,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-13y9o4w:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.05rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.25rem;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.28598rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.39461rem;line-height:1.2;margin-bottom:0.5rem;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-13y9o4w{font-size:1.23488rem;line-height:1.3;}}Every Song From the Daisy Jones' Soundtrack, 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Makes Some Major Changes, 'Sex/Life' Season 2 Features Even More Male Nudity, Hugh Jackman Could Play Multiple Wolverines, 'Ant-Man' Writer Responds to 'Quantumania' Theory.