After the mysterious Jay from Serial finally spoke out, the lead prosecutor on the case Kevin Urick has also sat down for an on-the-record interview. And, much like Jay, he was none too pleased with how host Sarah Koenig presented the case, feeling like she was very much pro-Adnan Syed.
The case was “pretty much a run-of-the-mill domestic violence murder,” he told The Intercept, saying that he has no doubts about the conviction because “Once you understood the cellphone records–that killed any alibi defense that Syed had. I think when you take that in conjunction with Jay’s testimony, it became a very strong case.”
As for Koenig, Urick strongly objected to the way she used the cellphone records as a means of (functionally) exonerating Syed. “Koenig’s presentation of the cellphone evidence is designed to try to implant doubts by sleight of hand rather than to accurately portray what we had and how we presented it,” he said. “It is disingenuous of Koenig to cite those criticisms of current cellphone technology and its use as courtroom evidence to try and imply that what we did was doubtful.”
There will be much more when the second part of the interview runs tomorrow, so stay tuned.
UPDATE: Serial has responded to Urick's criticisms in a series of tweets:
[1/4] If you’re curious, here’s the full statement we sent in response to an inquiry from The Intercept on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/sRiImoiIlq
— Serial (@serial) January 8, 2015
[2/4] Koenig left numerous messages for Urick, starting last winter and into the spring, many months before the podcast started airing.
— Serial (@serial) January 8, 2015
[3/4] Koenig left multiple messages at Urick’s private law office, at the Cecil County prosecutor’s office, and with a recent law partner.
— Serial (@serial) January 8, 2015
[4/4] We are committed to reporting that’s comprehensive, fair, and exhaustively fact-checked.
— Serial (@serial) January 8, 2015UPDATE 2: In Part 2 of Urick's interview, the former prosecutor elaborates on the DNA evidence (or lackthereof) in the case, why he took the unusual step of setting up a witness (Jay Wilds) with an attorney, and what exactly happened when Koenig tried to conact him. Here are a few highlights:
- Regarding the circumstances that led to him finding an attorney for Jay: "Attorneys will say this guy needs representation, and someone will step forward to serve that function. You have rules that we’re supposed to do that. We’re supposed to honor the Constitution and people’s rights. It’s in the rules for professional conduct. You’re supposed to treat opposing parties with fairness."
- On when Koenig reached out to him: "I don’t recall ever being contacted by her. The first contact I had with her was just before, I think, the week before the last podcast...I didn’t talk to her. I got an email, like I said, I think it was the week before the podcast. Which said I’ve got this witness who contacted me who was a witness at trial saying you were upset with the way he testified, and you yelled at him after he got through testifying."
[via The Intercept]
