podcasts

The Prosecutor in the ‘Serial’ Case Says Everything Was on the Up-and-Up

As part of their continuing efforts to talk to the people who wouldn’t talk to “Serial,” the Intercept today interviewed Kevin Urick, the prosector who helped convict Maryland teen Adnan Syed in the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. As you might expect, Urick stands by the state’s handling of the investigation. “The case itself I would say was pretty much a run-of-the-mill domestic violence murder,” he says. “Once you understood the cell phone records, in conjunction with Jay’s testimony, it became a very strong case.” Urick admits that Jay often changed his account of what happened on the day of Hae’s murder, and says that every attempt to interview him was “like peeling an onion,” but he says that’s to be expected when dealing with witnesses who have criminal records. Anyway, he told the Intercept, “We take our witnesses as we find them. We did not pick Jay to be Adnan’s accomplice. Adnan picked Jay.”

More interesting is Urick’s contention that he was not contacted by Sarah Koenig until December 12, the week before the finale. Producer Julie Snyder denies this, saying the “Serial” team asked to talk to Urick multiple times in the early months of 2014. If only there were a gripping 12-part podcast that would tell us which one of them to believe.

‘Serial’ Prosecutor Has No Doubts About the Case