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Full episode
537: The Alibi
Act One

Act One

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Sarah Koenig tells the story of the murder of Hae Min Lee, a popular high-school senior in Baltimore County, Maryland. She disappeared after school one day in January, 1999. Six weeks after her disappearance, police arrested her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, for the crime. Though he was convicted and sentenced to life in prison, he still maintains his innocence. But, he also can't really remember what he was doing on that January afternoon. As Sarah digs into the case, she learns that there's someone who does remember where Adnan was.

By

Sarah Koenig

Song:

“I Don't Know What to Believe” by Daniel Pettitt

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706: A Mess to Be Reckoned With
May 29, 2020

Act One

When Lissa’s niece, Carla Yellow Bird, went missing in 2016, Lissa threw everything she had into figuring out what happened to her—including talking for hours on the phone with someone she suspected was involved.
660: Hoaxing Yourself
Nov. 2, 2018

Act Two: Conning The Con Men

The story of a con man, one of the most successful salesmen in a long-running multimillion-dollar telemarketing scam, who finally got caught when he was conned himself.
653: Crime Scene
Aug. 3, 2018

Act One: Grime Scene

Reporter Nancy Updike spends two days with Neal Smither, who cleans up crime scenes for a living, and comes away wanting to open his Los Angeles franchise, despite the gore — or maybe because of it.

More by Sarah Koenig

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745: Getting Out
Aug. 27, 2021

Act Four: Blue Kid on the Block

Leo’s family moved away from Rochester, NY, leaving behind all of Leo's friends and stranding him in a new — and in his opinion, much worse — middle school. (10 minutes)
535: Origin Story
Sept. 19, 2014

Act One: Mad Man

Sarah Koenig tells the story of her father, Julian Koenig, the legendary advertising copywriter whose work includes the slogan "Timex takes a licking and keeps on ticking" and Volkswagen's "Think Small" ads.
513: 129 Cars
Dec. 13, 2013

Act Seven

Joe Monti’s real name is Joe Montalbano.
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This American Life is produced in collaboration with WBEZ Chicago and delivered to stations by PRX The Public Radio Exchange.

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