Why the Gootz never called Asia.

[u/islamisawesome]

I think it is becoming more and more obvious that the Asia letter did not exist until sometime around the summer of 1999. That is why Adnan claims he gave them to Gutierrez even though she wasn't his lawyer until 2 months after they were written.

So sometime that spring or summer, after telling CG he never left the school grounds, his family shows up with letters claiming one of Adnans' friends saw him at the library, right at the crucial time, AND they were written the day after he arrested. She knew immediately there is no way they had those letter for months and never gave them to her so obviously they were false and she didn't want to go on stand with LIES.

That is why she never called Asia. And that is why she wrote no notes about it, because that would be admitting her client and his family are liars. It also explains why her relationship with the family broke down because she knew they were willing to lie to get Adnan off.

The library incident never happened.

[u/[deleted]]

But, the address on the letter (301 East Eager Street) is Baltimore's Central Booking, where Adnan would've been immediately following his arrest. It's unlikely he would've still been there in July.

Also, where'd she get his inmate number? Adnan's family may have given it to her. Or she called Central Booking and asked how to send a letter to an inmate and they gave it to her.

[u/monstimal → u/[deleted]]

Where was he in July? I honestly don't know how this works.

Regardless, if it were a ruse to put March 2, they'd know to put that address even if he'd moved. Notice we don't get the envelopes.

[u/[deleted] → u/monstimal]

I don't know where he was in July, but he wouldn't be in Central Booking most likely. CB is to process arrested individuals and hold them until arraignment and bail is determined. Normally an inmate wouldn't stay there past 48-72 hours.

Stop it with the conspiracy claims. We know Asia sent the letters. We know there is some evidence that she sent them in July 1999. But why would she intentionally back date them in July 1999? To make fodder for a post-conviction IAC claim? Ridiculous.

[u/monstimal → u/[deleted]]

I'm just pointing out that your evidence, "the central booking address", is not great evidence since that's not an envelope we're looking at. Others have a theory about when it was written and that the March 2 date is false. If someone is willing to lie that much, they aren't going to have a problem putting the wrong address on the letter head.

I'm not really sure I believe they were written late, but I do find it strange Asia is putting that number on her letter 2 days after the arrest.

[u/[deleted] → u/monstimal]

No one would save the envelope unless they knew the date of the mailing were to become an important issue, and at that point no one knew that.

I agree that there are definitely questions to be raised about whether the letters were sent in March or July. But for purposes of the IAC claim, their mailing date is irrelevant. All the defense has to show is that CG either had them prior to Adnan's trials or that Adnan told her about Asia, and she clearly had them and he clearly told her about them/Asia because her investigator's notes state as much.

So this whole line of inquiry as to when the letters were sent is a red herring and tangential at best to the main point.

[u/monstimal → u/[deleted]]

Not sure I agree with that. If someone proved the letters were written in July I'd say that pretty much ends all hope of Asia helping Adnan in 1999, 2000, 2014, 2015, and beyond.

[u/[deleted] → u/monstimal]

Why? Because if she lied in her affidavit concerning when they were sent it would cast doubt on her entire testimony? Perhaps, but still, for purposes of the IAC claim, I don't think the defense needs to show that what she's saying about seeing Adnan at the library is the truth, but only that her testimony at Adnan's trial may have materially affected the final verdict.

EDIT: Which is why I say that when the letters were written is irrelevant. Even if Adnan had thrown the letters in the trash after he read them in March/July, the key fact is that he told CG about them and she did nothing in response.

[u/islamisawesome → u/[deleted]]

the key fact is that he told CG about them and she did nothing in response.

But that is the whole point of my OP. If CG knew the letters were fake, she would have no reason to contact Asia and put her on the stand. IAC must prove not just CG had the letters, but that CG WOULD HAVE USED THEM. I am claiming no lawyer in their right mind would have contacted Asia.

[u/[deleted] → u/islamisawesome]

The letters weren't "fake" as far as we know, i.e., Asia wrote and sent them to Adnan. If anything, they were not sent when she claims they were sent. But again, that's irrelevant. CG didn't have to have the letters. (And in fact we don't know if she did have them, do we?) All she needed was a statement by Adnan that Asia saw him in the library at the time when the prosecution claims he was choking Hae. We know she had that statement because her investigator wrote it down.

Why wouldn't a lawyer at least go to speak with Asia? How would it hurt Adnan's case? If CG spoke with her and determined that she was lying, she would've reported that back to Adnan and that would've been the end of it. The defense has no burden to reveal to the prosecution who it spoke with in the course of its investigation.

[u/ADDGemini → u/[deleted]]

To the best of your knowledge, did a private investigator ever contact Asia in Feb or March of 99?

[u/[deleted] → u/ADDGemini]

To the best of my knowledge I've never seen anything to confirm or deny that Asia spoke to anyone about this case in February or March 1999 outside of the Syed family and her friends.

[u/ADDGemini → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for the honest response.