Does a Hypothetical Jury Find Adnan Guilty?

If you're one of the many disciples of Serial, Sarah Koenig and This American Life's podcast that has drastically reduced our ability to worry about anything else on Thursdays, then you, too, are heartbroken that this Thursday marks the end of the first season of the podcast. What a strange phenomenon Serial is: it's a downloadable podcast, from National Public Radio, and yet it has garnered such an intense following that I don't think I could call it 'cult.' Serial has inspired mashups, parodies, and even apparel. Want a Serial/Seinfeld mashup? The world is here to serve you.

But what makes true fans of Serial so dedicated is the addiction to the mystery, turning over for themselves all the evidence presented and reconsidering it. Annnnd, as a self-proclaimed Serial nut myself, one of the best parts about the podcast is shouting all my opinions about it onto the Internet; besides the Serial Reddit that has taken me its prisoner, I'm also part of a permanent thread on Facebook with my other Serial-obsessed fans. We like to share theories, links, make a harmless joke or two about all the press that Best Buy is getting (they sure messed that up), and read all the supplemental information about the show.

One of the best add-ons I've seen is this hypothetical jury decision from The Marshall Project, wherein they culled several lawyers, prosecutors and defense attorneys alike, to weigh in and give a "guilty" or "not guilty" ruling based on the episodes they have heard so far. Their answers are just as mixed as the audiences. Many of the interviewees cited that there was not enough evidence presented in the case for Adnan to be found guilty, some stating that the defense attorney did not do her job. Others found him guilty, some citing the notorious Nisha call as proof of his guilt. It's a very interesting read, providing insight from people in the legal community itself. One thing it makes clear is just HOW bizarre the trial proceedings were in the case of Hae-Min Lee's murder. It's a great read to catch up on before the final episode of Serial airs on Thursday, December 18.

Image: serialpodcast.org.