“Serial” podcast case: Adnan Syed released


BALTIMORE-

A Baltimore judge on Monday ordered the release of Adnan Syed after overturning Syed’s conviction for the 1999 murder of high school student Hae Min Lee – a case that was chronicled on the hit ‘Serial’ podcast, a series of true crimes that transfixed listeners and revolutionized the genre.

At the request of prosecutors who had uncovered new evidence, Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn ordered Syed’s conviction to be quashed as she approved the release of the 41-year-old who has spent more than two decades behind bars. There were gasps and applause in the crowded courtroom as the judge announced her decision.

Phinn ruled that the state violated its legal obligation to share evidence that could have bolstered Syed’s defense. She ordered that Syed be placed under house arrest with GPS location monitoring. The judge also said the state must decide whether to request a new trial date or drop the case within 30 days.

“Okay, Mr. Syed, you are free to join your family,” Phinn said at the end of the hearing.

Minutes later, Syed emerged from the courthouse and flashed a small smile as he was guided to a waiting SUV through a sea of ​​cameras and a cheering crowd of supporters.

Syed has always maintained his innocence. His case caught the attention of millions in 2014 when the first season of “Serial” focused on Lee’s murder and raised doubts about some of the evidence prosecutors had used, inspiring heated debates around dinner tables and water coolers about Syed’s innocence or guilt.

Last week, prosecutors filed a motion saying a lengthy investigation with the defense uncovered new evidence that could undermine the 2000 conviction of Syed, Lee’s ex-boyfriend.

“I understand how difficult it is, but we have to make sure we hold the right person accountable,” Assistant State’s Attorney Becky Feldman told the judge, outlining various details of the case that undermine the decades-old conviction, including other suspects, faulty cellphone data, unreliable testimony and a potentially biased detective.

After the hearing, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said investigators are awaiting ‘DNA analysis’ results before determining whether to seek a new trial date or dismiss the case against Syed. and “certify his innocence”.

Syed was serving a life sentence after being convicted of strangling 18-year-old Lee, whose body was found buried in a Baltimore park.

The investigation “uncovered undisclosed and newly developed information regarding two alternate suspects, as well as unreliable cellphone tower data,” Mosby’s office said in a news release last week. The suspects were known people at the time of the initial investigation, but were not properly excluded or disclosed to the defence, prosecutors, who declined to release information about the suspects, said due to the investigation. In progress.

Prosecutors said they were not asserting that Syed was innocent, but they lacked confidence “in the integrity of the conviction” and recommended that he be released on bail or bail. The state’s attorney’s office had said that if the motion were granted, it would effectively place Syed in a new trial status, overturning his convictions, while the case remained active.

Syed was ushered into the crowded courtroom in handcuffs on Monday. Dressed in a white shirt with a tie, he sat next to his lawyer. His mother and other family representatives were in the room, as was Mosby.

In 2016, a lower court ordered a new trial for Syed on the grounds that his attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, who died in 2004, failed to contact an alibi witness and provided ineffective counsel.

But after a series of appeals, Maryland’s highest court in 2019 denied a new trial in a 4-3 opinion. The Court of Appeals agreed with a lower court that Syed’s lawyer failed to investigate an alibi witness, but disagreed that this shortcoming hurt the case. The court said Syed waived his request for ineffective counsel.

The United States Supreme Court declined to review Syed’s case in 2019.

The true-crime series was crafted by longtime radio producer and former Baltimore Sun reporter Sarah Koenig, who spent more than a year digging into Syed’s case and reporting her findings in near real-time. one hour segments. The 12-episode podcast won a Peabody Award and transformed the popularization of podcasts to large audiences.

During the hearing, Hae Min Lee’s brother, Young Lee, addressed the court, saying he felt betrayed by prosecutors, as he believed the case was settled.

“It’s not a podcast to me. It’s real life,” he said.

Speaking outside the courthouse after the decision, Mosby expressed sympathy for Lee’s brother and said she understood why he felt betrayed.

“But I also understand the importance, as an administrator of the criminal justice system, of ensuring equality, justice and fairness. This is also up to the defendant,” she added.