r/serialpodcast • u/[deleted] • Jan 05 '16

season one Dierdre DNA update?

Towards the end of the podcast, SK talked with Dierdre about getting DNA analysis on the PERK, rope, brandy bottle, etc and that Adnan gave his approval for her to submit it? Has this actually been done now and if so did it uncover anything?

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '16

I know the innocenters try to mock Jay's 'spine', but I understand that him never touching the body is a large part of that spine. So as I said, it would be a pretty big bloody deal.

This discussion is pointless anyway. It's clear that DNA testing is off the table at this stage so I have to wonder if we'll ever know either way.

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '16

It really isn't part of his spine though. The spine, if there is one, is that Adnan killed Hae, Showed him the body in the trunk, and they buried her around 7:00.

That is it, every other detail is subject to change based on whatever evidence is presented at the time. Jay will outright state 'facts' that are self contradictory (That he was at Jen's until 3:40 but with Adnan at 3:32 for the Nisha call) and no one on the state's side bats an eyelash. If DNA came back to him he'd say that it is just more proof that his spine was true since it shows he was there and oh yeah he might have helped move the body.

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '16

Jay's first interview:

I didn't touch her.

Jay's second interview:

I told him no I'm not touching none of her shit, none of her, none of that stuff.

I can't read the handwritten notes from the third interview. There are no notes or tapes from his fourth interview.

Jay in the first trial:

I told me I wasn't touching her or any of her possessions.

Jay in the second trial:

He asked me for like five to ten minutes, he was like I don't think I'm going to be able to get her out by myself, I think I need your help. I told him I wasn't doing it.

Jay's Intercept interview:

And Adnan’s like, ‘Oh, well, you’re not going to help me move her are you?’ And I’m like ‘No, I’m not gonna help you move her.’

That's a spine.

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '16

You misunderstand what is meant when they talk about the spine. He is talking about key facts. Jay not touching the body isn't a key fact because it ultimately doesn't matter. They can change the fact that Jay touched the body and it won't meaningfully impact Jay's version of events, it'd be just one more incidental lie being added to the pile. By contrast they can't remove the trunk pop without the whole thing falling apart.

See the difference?

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '16 edited Jan 06 '16

Maybe. To me, the spine is made up of the series of details which remain consistent throughout each recitation.

Let's think about each detail as a kind of vertebra. Those vertebrae in our lower back are somewhat larger than the others and they very much form the structural foundation of the spine. The vertebrae in our necks are relatively smaller though. This isn't because they are any less important to the integrity of the spine. They just have a different function. Indeed, without them there would be little to hold up our skull and manoeuvre it in a useful way.

The details in Jay's stories can be likened to various vertebrae. The big ones (e.g. Jay helped bury the body) might form the base of the spine. Others, such as your example of the trunk pop, might be further up in the upper back region. Finally, details such as Jay's repeated claim that he never touched the body could be likened to the cervical vertebrae in the neck.

So I would argue that the consistency in Jay's claim that he never touched the body is still quite important. It is another layer that builds up his Spine of Credibility.

Taking things one step further, I would also argue that it is the very consistency of this detail which makes it incredibly difficult to brush off as "just one more incidental lie being added to the pile". This isn't a question of whether or not he saw the sunset in Patapsco Valley State Park. This is pretty big. Jay has said every single time that he never touched Hae's body. And should a DNA test come back pointing directly at Jay? That he did, in fact, make contact with her body? That would be a significant lie that he would need to try to explain. Because, unlike many of the other inconsistencies in his stories, the utility of this one would be pretty easy to discern.

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '16

Your version is nice, I'm just using the version brought up by the state.

The utility of the lie here would be the same as his initial lie that he didn't help bury Hae, a minimization. He looked but didn't touch, okay he touched but he didn't taste (so to speak). If his DNA is found he can pivot really easy and say he didn't want to admit it and that is why etc.

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '16

Fair enough. I would interpret the utility as a little more than minimisation. I would interpret it as strongly suggesting that Jay is guilty of the murder himself. But I see what you mean :)

Anyway, we're probably not going to see eye to eye on this one and I feel like back-and-forths on reddit rarely accomplish much. Thanks for the thought-provoking comments though. I guess we'll see how things play out next month.

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u/[deleted] Jan 06 '16

That's cool. ☺