More Testimony For Convicted Killer's Alibi In Case On "Serial"

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BALTIMORE (AP) — A Maryland prosecutor on Thursday sought to poke holes in the testimony of an alibi witness who says she spotted a convicted killer at a library about the time prosecutors say he was killing his high school girlfriend in a case that was profiled on the "Serial" podcast.

Asia McClain, now known as Asia Chapman, testified again Thursday during a hearing for Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering Hae Min Lee and is serving a life sentence. He is seeking a new trial on the grounds that his first attorney was ineffective for failing to contact McClain.

During cross-examination, Deputy Attorney General Thiru Vignarajah peppered Chapman with questions about the details of her account, including the weather that day in 1999. Although McClain had told Sarah Koenig, host of "Serial," that the season's first snow fell on Jan. 13, the day Lee went missing, Vignarajah asked if it would surprise her "if it didn't snow at all that day," adding that the first snow was the week before. "Is it possible you're misremembering?" Vignarajah asked.

Chapman's testimony, however, has been consistent with her previous accounts.

Chapman has said she saw Syed in a library within the time when prosecutors contend he was killing Lee. But McClain was never contacted by Syed's attorney to testify at his trial. Syed's current lawyer contends that failure amounts to ineffective council and Syed should have a new trial.

Chapman told the court Wednesday that years after Syed was convicted, Syed's new attorney, who was working on an appeal, visited her at her home and left a business card. She called then-prosecutor Kevin Urick because she figured he'd be less biased than the defense attorney.

In their 34-minute phone conversation, during which she took detailed notes, McClain said Urick told her that Syed "killed that girl."

"I walked away feeling like (the defense) was trying to manipulate the court to get him in front of a judge," Chapman testified, adding that Urick told her that Syed "was 100 percent guilty," and made her feel that "it was a waste of my time to get involved."

Chapman clarified Thursday that Urick never referenced her alibi during their phone conversation, and didn't directly discourage her from sharing her story, though he did freely volunteer his own opinions about Syed's guilt.

But McClain said Urick later testified at Syed's first post-conviction hearing that his phone call with her lasted only five minutes, and said that she'd told him that her affidavit was false.

"He said I told him everything I said in the affidavit was not true, that I wrote the affidavit because I was pressured," Chapman said of Urick's testimony. "All of this was news to me. I was in shock. I was angry that I had allowed my thoughts and opinions to be represented by a third party."

After learning of Urick's testimony Chapman said she requested her phone records and verified that her conversation with Urick lasted 34 minutes.

Chapman also said she would have come to court to testify even if she hadn't been subpoenaed.

"I felt it was the right thing to do," she said. "For justice to be served all information has to be on the table."

A message left at Urick's office was not immediately returned Wednesday. He is expected to be called to testify during the hearing.

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