Basic Theory
Jay and Adnan did spend the day of Hae's murder together, but neither of them had anything to do with the murder. Instead, they hung around Woodlawn high school and got high before Adnan's track practice, then spent part of the evening together. When the police called Adnan at Jenn's house that evening, they both freaked out, but did not bury the body.
When the police started interrogating possible suspects, Jay believed that his drug-selling activity made him an easy target for someone to pin the murder on, so he told the police that Adnan had committed the murder. The police, eager to have a solid suspect, helped coach Jay through the evidence they had already collected.
Adnan, unaware that the police and Jay were colluding to pin the murder on him, was unable to mount a convincing defense or account of his day. Because Jay used several true elements of the afternoon they had spent together on the day Hae disappeared, Jay's story was believable enough that a jury supported conviction.
Supporting Evidence
Jay's story changes several times throughout the interrogation. Most notably, at one point he tells a story of a trip to Patapsco State Park, which has disappeared entirely by the time of his testimony at trial.
The cell tower data does not corroborate most of Jay's description of the call log.
Throughout the police tapes, the police appear to be coaching Jay on what he needs to say in order
This article cites a possible connection to another death by strangulation in the Woodlawn area in May 1998; the murderer in that case could be the same person who strangled Hae.
Detective Ritz, a detective in the case, was implicated in a separate incident for framing someone as a suspect for murder. Source
Questions / holes in the theory
- If Jay wasn't involved, how was he able to lead police to Hae's car? Could it be that the police knew where the car was, and coached him on how to find it? The car was found near the body, so it is plausible that they found the car when discovering the body, but kept it concealed until they could coach their witness to "leading" them to the car.