Adnan Syed: The Hearing Everybody Talks About — Asia McClain, Cell Data & Cross-Examination | 2.6

This episode covers the high-profile 2016 post-conviction hearing that brought global media attention back to the Adnan Syed case. Andrew Hammel details how the hearing unfolded: Asia McClain’s long-awaited testimony, the challenges posed by inconsistent letters, and the State’s methodical cross-examination that questioned the reliability of her alibi claim. Hammel also explains the expert testimony on cell-tower evidence, including the debate over the AT&T fax disclaimer and why the State’s expert argued that location data remained reliable for Adnan’s phone. The hearing revealed both weaknesses in the defence’s claims and vulnerabilities in the innocence narrative that had taken hold after Serial. This video is a direct narration of Andrew Hammel’s long-form essay, published in Quillette on 22 May 2023: https://quillette.com/2023/05/22/the-wrongful-exoneration-of-adnan-syed-ii/ For more independent journalism and long-form analysis, visit Quillette.com. Andrew Hammel is an American writer, translator, and lawyer living in Germany. He has published numerous books, scholarly articles, and essays on criminal law and policy in the United States and elsewhere. ----- Quillette is an Australian-based online magazine that focuses on long-form analysis and cultural commentary. It is politically non-partisan, but relies on reason, science, and humanism as its guiding values. Quillette was founded in 2015 by Australian writer Claire Lehmann. It is a platform for free thought and a space for open discussion and debate on a wide range of topics, including politics, culture, science, and technology. Quillette has gained attention for publishing articles and essays that challenge modern orthodoxy on a variety of topics, including gender and sexuality, race and identity politics, and free speech and censorship. --- Quillette's revenue comes from our readers. We are a grassroots organisation that relies on voluntary subscriptions and community membership as our primary revenue stream. Support Quillette by becoming a subscriber: https://quillette.com/#/portal/signup Or donate send us a one-off tip: https://quillette.com/#/portal/support We made our website using Ghost, a powerful app for new-media creators to publish, share, and grow a business around their content. It comes with modern tools to build a website, publish content, send newsletters & offer paid subscriptions to members. Try it here: https://ghost.org/?via=claire91