Blog #12 :D

Serial, a startup investigative journalism podcast turned global obsession overnight, unfolds the tragic murder of Hae Min Lee and the unlawful incarceration of her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed. Serial explores the ways in how the American justice failed Adnan. At age seventeen, Adnan Syed was pronounced guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. Koenig highlights the events that took place in order for him to be where he is today. The jury claims they are not racist, however, it is clear to the listeners that discriminatory undertones are present. In episode 11, Adnan’s mother believes anti-muslim prejudice is at play. The justice department, not only in Baltimore, but also around the world, is socially structured with deep racialized power; that is, the people running the system tend to be white and those being subjected to the system tend to be disproportionately minorities. Nevertheless, the audience can be skeptical of bigotry when there is a myriad of other factors at play. Factors such as a resilient prosecution topped off with Christina Guittrez, Adnan’s criminal defense attorney with idiosyncratic tendencies. 

In the 1990s, Christina Guittirez had a stellar reputation for being ruthless in pursuit of justice for her clients. However, in her late-career she began to develop estranged behavior, solely focusing on the financial aspect of her work and frequently demanding large sums of cash from her clients upfront. Although Adnan has kept his respect for Guitterez to this day, I believe her deficiencies deprived Adnan of his right of counsel. For example, Guitterez failed to contact a key alibi witness, Asia McClain. She also failed to cross-examine the prosecution’s cell tower expert upon the reliability of location data for incoming calls. In court, Guiterrez’s weak and inconsistent theories about the timeframe and her lack of contact with Asia led to the fate of Adnan Syed. The sixth amendment does not provide the right to an exemplary lawyer, just any lawyer. However, it does provide the right to a defendant who at least takes the basic steps to investigate potential alibis. In conclusion, Mrs. Guitterez’s failure to investigate the case conscientiously resulted in Adnan’s desolate fate.