Wilds’ interview with The Intercept conflicted with testimony he gave during Syed’s murder trial, which was reassessed by the Serial podcast. But after a conviction, the burden of proof shifts to the accused.

Adnan Syed in 1998

Courtesy of Serial

Fifteen years after Adnan Syed was convicted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, the case became the basis for an immensely popular podcast, the This American Life spin-off Serial. Syed's classmate Jay Wilds, who said at trial that he helped Syed bury Lee's body, became the central figure in the national conversation over Syed's guilt. Wilds never spoke on tape with Serial's host, Sarah Koenig, but after the podcast's final episode, he granted an interview to The Intercept, published in three parts last week.

In the interview, Wilds told a story that differed from the one he told police and jurors, and for a while, it seemed that the story of Serial — which ended with Koenig admitting that she wasn't convinced of Syed's guilt or innocence — could end with Syed going free after all.

Unfortunately for Syed, it's not that simple. Here's what happened, and why, barring further developments, the case against Syed will likely still stand.

After the Intercept interview, it seemed like the most important witness in the state's case had undermined his own credibility. He admitted lying to the police when he first talked to them, lying in the testimony he gave at trial, lying about what he and Syed did on the day of the murder, lying about where he first saw Lee's body, and lying about what time they went to Leakin Park to bury the body. Wilds also admitted to lying about other details. From the interview:

The Intercept / Via firstlook.org

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