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Serial S01 - Ep. 5: Route Talk

Serial

2014/10/23
Serial

Serial

2014/10/23
Sarah Koenig and Dana put Adnan Syed's claims to the test by physically recreating the routes and timelines central to the murder case against him. They drive the exact paths described by the prosecution and the key witness, Jay, to see if the state's story holds up against the clock and the physical evidence.
The team first attempts Adnan's challenge to drive from Woodlawn High School to Best Buy within the prosecution's 21-minute window, finding it a tight squeeze. They then recreate Jay's entire described route for January 13th, 1999, from the school to Best Buy and then to various locations afterward. The drives reveal significant inconsistencies: the timeline for the Nisha call doesn't match Jay's story, and a trip to Patapsco State Park would have made Adnan late for track practice. The analysis of cell tower evidence shows that while the prosecution's testing method was valid, they only presented a select few tests that supported their case, omitting others. Ultimately, the reenactments and record analysis highlight major conflicts between Jay's account, the cell phone logs, and the physical possibility of the state's timeline.
00:00
00:00
The timeline is implausible.
09:05
09:05
No records for a payphone at Best Buy
20:36
20:36
This detailed scene was omitted from Jay's trial testimony.
32:55
32:55
The 6:24 p.m. call matches all accounts.
42:02
42:02
Jay admits to lying about locations but insists he told the truth overall