The Serial Podcast

If you get a chance to listen to true crime stories, this one is a great one. It follows the story of Muslim Adnan Mohamed Sayed having murdered his ex-girlfriend, a Korean girl named Hae Min Lee, in 1999. He was 18 as was Hae. She was buried in a place called Leakin Park. A rough side of town and found by a groundskeeper.

What makes this case fascinating is...he was convicted (I'm not giving away anything) but at the end you still don't know. The series is narrated whimsically by Sarah Koenig. She has a fantastic voice for this. And along with interviews 15 years later, we get to listen in on opinions. A lot of heartbreaking moments. The frustration. And more importantly, how our justice system works. And brother...YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET INTO THE SYSTEM. EVER.

After listening to this podcast, I just wanted to disappear into the mountains and hide. Because once you're involved with the United States justice, it's not about justice. It's about a lot of back and forth and then ultimately THEY decide what they want to do with you. Also, the jury of your peers is scary. They usually don't see it that way. Especially as a Muslim in Baltimore, where this crime took place. There's just so many questions, and so many people who are involved that may or may not know. The fact that he was a teen also made it so much more intimidating. Considering his parents were much like my own. They would be confused had I committed a crime and the world now saw me as a monster.

What made this series really poignant for me, is that I was in Maryland in 1999 at a Best Buy for which they mention. In fact, they mention the city of Silver Spring, which is where my ex-girlfriend lived. It's where I bought a DVD of "Gone With The Wind." This was the parking lot they supposedly used a phone to call about the murder. It was around the same time (Christmas) and space. I most likely passed them somewhere along the way. It's this serendipity that makes we wonder how close we are to crime. And how you should really pay attention to your whereabouts if you ever cross paths with the law. It cost Adnan life. Fascinating stuff.