‘Serial’: Key Witness Opens Up About Adnan Syed Testimony
Serial‘s first season subject Adnan Syed, the man who was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 murder of ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, was recently allowed to submit new evidence for his case. Included in the new evidence is testimony from potential key witness Asia McClain, who provided an alibi for Syed during a Serial podcast. On Wednesday, McClain spoke with Good Morning America to give more details on her decision to testify during his hearing last week.
McClain testified what she had already revealed during Serial, that she saw Syed in the library around the time the prosecution believes Lee was murdered.
“I was sitting in the library bored to tears and someone walked in that I knew,” McClain told GMA. She added that they discussed Syed and Lee’s breakup, but that he “didn’t seem to be disturbed or angry” with his former girlfriend.
McClain said that she is coming forward now because she wants to set “a good example” for her children and leave “a legacy of integrity.” Initially in 2010 when Syed’s new legal team contacted her, she declined to testify. While McClain said she was not sure of Syed’s innocence or guilt, she did offer an apology to Syed for not coming forward in 2010.
“By coming forward, I hope that I was able to provide enough information to the judge for him to be able to make a rational decision,” she told GMA. “Whatever that might be, it’s in his hands.”
Previous appeals for Syed’s case have been denied. This week, Syed’s current attorney argued in court that Syed’s lawyer at the time of his conviction showed incompetence in several instances, including the fact that his initial lawyer never contacted potential witness McClain, and that the conviction should be overturned.
The five-day hearing ended on Tuesday. The judge has not yet ruled on Syed’s bid for a retrial.