Serial Episode 7 Notes and Reflection

Episode 7- The Opposite of the Prosecution

  • Heard about other case of Justin Wolff who Adnan told Koenig about in passing
    • Cell records used in Adnan’s case, similarly against Justin
    • Justin’s case was overturned because, in part, of the cell records
    • Similarities
      • All young people
      • Justin Wolff was seen as good kid but was selling pot and hanging around tougher types
      • Convicted of 2001 murder of a drug dealer
      • Actual shooter was older friend named Owen Barber, who got a deal for testifying against Justin Wolff, who was sentenced to death
      • Witness that was never heard from
  • Lawyer who found flaws in state’s case against Justin Wolff- Deidre Enright
    • Works at University of Virginia’s School of Law
    • Sees the state’s case against Adnan as very thin
      • Questions why Don wasn’t of interest to anyone, as he was Hae’s new boyfriend
    • When she read through police notes, she kept going back to motive as she doesn’t understand why Adnan would want Hae dead
    • Concerned about racial profiling against Adnan; he was called “controlling” and described by his “dark side”
    • Justin Wolff’s case with phone records
      • Everyone is calling each other all of the time
      • Why would Justin Wolff call in his friends to say that he was about to murder someone?
  • Koenig feels that Adnan isn’t supplying anything useful to prove his innocence; says that he doesn’t have any evidence to prove that he wasn’t the murderer
    • Koenig finds something that looks bad for Adnan and comes to him with it, and Adnan’s answer isn’t satisfying as he can’t explain it
      • Points specifically to the issues with the Nisha call that Adnan cannot explain
    • Not surprising to Enright, as she believes that innocence individuals are the least useful people in a crime case because they truly know nothing
  • Enright doesn’t know whether the cases she takes on has an innocent or guilty individual being tried from the get-go
    • Says that Adnan’s case was unusual in that he went to jury, even though he said he had nothing to do with the crime
  • Koenig has feelings where she thinks Adnan can be guilty or innocent at different points in time
    • Enright says that you must keep going until there are no questions left to be answered; her answers are better than law enforcement answers
    • For the first few months, Enright has similar feelings as Koenig
      • States you must revisit everything with one eyebrow up
  • Enright believes the state doesn’t have enough to put him away
  • Enright thinks she should assign a legal team Adnan’s case, led by a hard-working student who has experience with the FBI and U.S. law attorneys
    • Koenig welcomes this idea, as this can only help her
  • Enright says she first collects all the papers and scan them all; team takes a weekend to read them all
    • Evidence-control unit person believed that some evidence but may have been destroyed, but there isn’t any word or confirmation on it; was from a 2008 email that Enright read
  • Next step is to give Adnan back the presumption of innocence; should happen the first time around during trial, but rarely ever does
    • Start with premise that Adnan didn’t commit the case; if they think he is innocent, they must see if there is a way to change the outcome in court
    • Enright just has to prove that Adnan isn’t the killer, but it’s more practical to convince the jury of who the actual killer is
      • Usually shows a motive for the murder
    • Enright may believe that Adnan is guilty, but she would quietly pack up her things and not tell anyone besides Adnan
  • Koenig checks in after 2 weeks when all the items/documents have been read
    • None of the members of the legal team believe that Adnan is actually guilty
    • Adnan should be put in persons of interest category, but there is no evidence that Adnan any motive
    • Jay’s shifting statements and cell records didn’t match Jay’s narrative- what is worrying to legal team and Koenig
  • Liquor bottle found near Hae’s body had cells from body parts, but was never tested as to who it belonged to
  • Rope near Hae’s body wasn’t tested for anything as it may have been irrelevant
    • Must test what’s inside the crime scene
    • What’s called relevant and irrelevant can be done when there is a test result
  • Confusion about swabs taken from Hae’s body
    • No evidence Hae was sexually assaulted
    • Came back negative for spermatozoa, which seemed dull to Enright as they weren’t tested for DNA
  • Enright would have a team on this came that says keep going
    • Everyone seemed so helpful, but Koenig felt more skeptical as she didn’t find anything that tipped the scales in Adnan’s favor after months of searching
  • Enright feels that odds of Adnan being a charming sociopath and no one knowing before he killed someone is highly unlikely
  • Koenig feels that Jay is what confuses her most

Reflection

This particular installment in the Serial podcast peaked my interest because of the dichotomy that is present in the outlook of Adnan’s guilt or innocence by the narrator Sarah Koenig and the legal expert Deidre Enright. These two individuals talked about perceiving Adnan as possibly innocent in different ways; Koenig stated that she felt as if many times she questioned whether Adnan was actually guilty because of his inability to explain alarming circumstances at the most inopportune times, most noticeably with the Nisha call. She expands by saying that Adnan doesn’t do enough to prove his innocence to the jury with insightful or head-turning information; however, I found Enright’s response to be incredibly insightful, as she states that in fact innocent individuals are often the least useful in a crime case. This thought never crossed my mind, but after Enright emphasized this point, I realized that it makes sense that Adnan would have no information to add, because if he was in fact innocent he would have nothing new to say. At times I sided with Koenig’s point of view in that I felt Adnan had to do more and defend himself in a more effective manner if he wanted to ensure that the jury saw him as innocent. However, Enright’s insightful expertise and experience caused me to have an epiphany in realizing that perhaps Adnan’s inability to provide certain details or point to specific pieces of evidence is actually an indication that he is innocent of the crime he was sentenced to life in jail for.

I loved how Koenig chose to include the opinions and thought-processes of the director of The Innocence Project Clinic because it adds a new layer of depth and intricacy into this crime case that can only be provided by an expert in the field. Sarah Koenig has demonstrated throughout the podcast episodes that she is a meticulous and thoughtful individual who is highly devoted to uncovering the guilt or innocence of Adnan, but as she has said herself she is no expert. The inclusion of Enright’s testimony and interview adds so much more credence to the podcast because the opinions and conclusions of adept individuals within the judicial field cause the listening audience to place their trust and confidence in those who are associated with the Serial saga; their legal expertise and knowledge on the subject that Koenig has based her podcast around cannot be questioned and the audience is inclined to take their words and judgments to heart. I believe that this was a masterful play by Koenig, as this decision allows the audience to place more trust in her as an unbiased and determined narrator, thereby giving herself more power over listeners to sway their minds in a certain direction and influence them to take her side of an argument.

While I yet again thoroughly enjoyed this latest Serial installment, I believe that a few improvements could have been made in order to provide a more enlightening and engaging listening experience for the audience. Perhaps the biggest improvement that I can suggest would have been to include a conversation with Adnan detailing his thoughts and emotions at hearing from legal experts that he should not have been sent to jail and perhaps should be given another trial. Hearing Enright and her legal team detail the inconsistencies and failures that were made throughout Adnan’s trial was incredible news to my ears, and I believe that the audience would have had an even deeper emotional connection to this particular episode if pieces of audio from Adnan were incorporated and weaved throughout, detailing his feelings and thought-process. Nonetheless, I found this seventh episode to be particularly intriguing due to the inclusion of the thoughts and opinions of legal experts who are professionals at overturning erroneous verdicts in the judicial system. Due to their advanced wisdom and widespread experiences in dealing with this particular topic, I found myself agreeing and siding with their findings and conclusions more than anyone else, as they have the most credibility and reputability of anyone included within the Serial podcast so far. Yet once again, it is Koenig who exquisitely crafts another compelling podcast installment by both establishing a sense of trust and connection between herself and her audience as well as leaving the listeners in anticipation for more to come.