Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Amy Berg, HBO’s ‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ is a documentary series delving deep into the aftermath of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee’s 1999 disappearance and murder. The Baltimore native high school senior actually went missing upon leaving school on January 13, only to be found dead almost a month later in a desolate area of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park. Her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was soon arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced, yet there have since been other reports that have indicated serious possible suspicions around Alonzo Sellers.
Alonzo Sellers Discovered Hae Min Lee’s Remains
It was on the morning of February 9, 1999, when officials were called about a partially buried body in the wooded area of Leakin Park, having been found by 22-year-old Alonzo Sellers. He claimed he found it while driving to a school where he worked as a maintenance man while drinking a 22-ounce beer, stopping in the middle of the way because he had to urinate. So, he pulled off the side of the road and walked into the wooded area for privacy, as per his accounts to officials, until he was through the bushes and near tall trees, just to then look down and see Hae.
“I was getting ready to urinate when I looked down, I seen something that looked like hair, something was covered by the dirt,” Alonzo said. “And I looked real good again, and that’s when I seen what looked like a foot.” However, after his initial statements, he was again called in to be questioned by officials around 9 days later because the distance he had crossed just to urinate was suspicious – 127 feet. Many have since claimed that going that far, just under the banner of privacy, does make sense because of the open area, whereas others still think it was a little strange.
Nevertheless, not only did officials soon clear him of any suspicion, but he was also called in to testify against 17-year-old Adnan Syed when he went on trial in 2000. The truth is that he had taken a polygraph test, yet many still wonder whether he was telling the entire truth owing to how defensive and aggressive he came across on the stand. When asked about why February 9 was an important day for him, he asserted he didn’t know until the lawyers clarified, following which he said, “If you explained that, I would know what you’re talking about!” before detailing the day.
There Seems to be a Lot of Circumstantial Evidence Against Alonzo Sellers
While Alonzo was cleared by officials in 1999, he returned to the limelight in connection with this case with the ‘Serial’ podcast as well as the aforementioned documentary series. That’s because private investigators found some concerning information about him regarding his possible connections to different areas involved in the matter. Tyler Maroney and Luke Brindle-Khym asserted in the HBO original that they have no concrete evidence regarding any aspect, yet they did think it strange that Alonzo lived a mere 5-minute walk from Woodlawn High School, which Hae attended.
They also pointed out that Hae’s remains were found with several bruises and impressions on her collarbone, including one in the distinct shape they deemed a double diamond. They wondered what caused the mark and then discovered that such impressions can be made by the specific type of footwear concrete/maintenance workers usually wear, and there is documented proof of Alonzo working with concrete for years in the 1990s. In the show, they theorized it’s possible she got the impression from there and was kept in a different area before eventually being buried at the park.
As if that’s not enough, it has been pointed out that one of Alonzo’s relatives lived right across from where Hae’s vehicle was ultimately recovered. In other words, they wondered if he was responsible for her murder and then tried covering it up by reporting that he had found her remains, but there is no concrete proof that suggests the same. The fact that Alonzo refused to speak with them to give his side of the story didn’t help them either, but it’s imperative to note that he remains innocent of any possible rumor swirling around because he has never been arrested or convicted.
Alonzo Sellers Has a Criminal History Dating Back Over Three Decades
Although Alonzo has never been charged in connection with Hae’s disappearance and murder, he does have a criminal history as an alleged streaker, as he has been arrested for indecent exposure many times. According to records, his first arrest goes back to 994 when he was allegedly taken into custody for running naked in a residential neighborhood. Then, two years later, in 1996, he was reportedly arrested for wearing a hoodie, white sneakers, sunglasses, and absolutely nothing else. Then, in 2020, he was allegedly walking in a suburban Baltimore neighborhood wearing nothing but a ski mask, only to then rush towards a postal worker in her truck. He reportedly banged on her door before speeding past in his own vehicle, only to receive a suspended term after his conviction in 2020 itself.
However, things changed for Alonzo in 2022 as the District Attorney filed to get Adnan’s conviction vacated, which specified the belief that there were two other suspects in Hae’s murder. As per the documents, not only were these suspects not properly looked into, but their existence was also kept from the defense, which is a direct technical error known as a Brady violation. The District Attorney’s filing did not name these suspects, but it did identify one of them as a man who had taken the polygraph back in 1999 and had a conviction for attacking a woman in her vehicle. In other words, it alluded to Alonzo, but it must be stated that he has never been arrested or charged, let alone convicted, for this crime. So, today, from what we can tell, he simply prefers to lead a quiet life in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland.
Read More: What Happened to Adnan Syed’s Family?
