An Example of a Misplaced Document Found in the Adnan Syed Case File

Yesterday, in the comments section of my blog, I noted that it is difficult to determine what documents Cristina Gutierrez had in the Adnan Syed case because his case file has a number of documents from other cases. In response, I’ve gotten some questions about the nature of these documents and whether they might have had some relation to Adnan’s case. The simple answer is that these documents have no relation to Adnan’s case. I can’t really post most of these documents, however, because they contain information that is covered by attorney-client privilege. That said, there is one document that I feel comfortable posting, albeit in heavily redacted form.

Here’s the document:

I’m comfortable sharing this memo because it is regarding a prospective client, and the information contained in the memo doesn’t even seem to come from the prospective client herself. That said, I don’t want to broadcast the details of the case, which is why I have redacted it.

Still, you get the general sense of the memo. Someone from the House of Ruth has called Gutierrez’s office and relayed the details of a case in which a prospective client has been charged with assault. The memo is dated March 10, 2000, so it is after Adnan’s conviction and during the process of preparing for sentencing and the motion for a new trial. It’s hard to image any relation to Adnan’s case; this is simply a memo placed in the wrong file.

What about the other misplaced documents? There are some memoranda from other cases. There are correspondence. There are pieces of evidence. As far as I can tell, none of them have any connection to Adnan’s case.

-CM