Erica Zunkel: Dissecting Adnan Syed’s Case on Serial

Breaking Down The Serial Podcast: Attorneys Dissect Adnan Syed’s Case

February 13, 2015 Legal Talk Network

If you listen to podcasts, you’ve probably heard of the hit series called Serial. Centering around the trail of Adnan Syed, a Baltimore teenager convicted of murdering ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, the show offers a deep look into Adnan’s trial and the criminal justice system. To date, the podcast has been downloaded over 68 million times, reached #1 on iTunes, and is now regarded as one of the most popular podcasts in history. From the investigation to the trial and ultimately the conviction, host and executive producer Sarah Koenig carefully guides listeners through events leading up to the conviction of Adnan Syed, who has been serving a life sentence since 1999. With investigative reporting, superb storytelling, and interviews with the people involved in the trial and Adnan’s life, Koenig delivers granular details and analysis that call into question the court’s decision, leaving listeners baffled as they tried to decide whether or not he actually did it.

On this episode of Lawyer 2 Lawyer, hosts Bob Ambrogi and J. Craig Williams discuss Serial and the case it made famous with three attorneys: Director of Investigation for University of Virginia School of Law’s Innocence Project Clinic Deirdre Enright, featured on episodes 7 and 12 of Serial and currently working on Adnan’s appeal, Erica Zunkel from the Federal Criminal Justice Clinic at the University of Chicago Law School, and Markus Kypreos from the Fort Worth civil litigation firm Pennington Hill. Together, they analyze the case against Adnan from both sides, offering expert insight on criminal defense and prosecution, the testimony of Jay Wilds, and the portrayal of this case on Serial, all while tackling some of the tougher questions raised regarding DNA evidence, potential alibis, shaky timelines, and the overall defense strategy.