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Adnan Syed, focus of ‘Serial’ podcast, seeks release on bail

Award-winning program helped put spotlight on 17-year-old case

- John Bacon @jmbacon USA TODAY

A lawyer for Adnan Syed, the Baltimore man whose 2000 murder conviction was thrown out after becoming the subject of the smash-hit podcast Serial, filed a motion Monday seeking Syed’s release on bail.

Justin Brown said in his court motion that Syed has served more than 17 years for a crime he did not commit and that evidence “has crumbled in the face of ongoing investigat­ion.”

Syed, now 35, was convicted of killing ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and burying her body in a park in 1999 while both were students at Baltimore’s Woodlawn High School. Syed, who was sentenced to life in prison, steadfastl­y maintained his innocence.

“He is also not a flight risk; it makes no sense that he would run from the case he has spent more than half his life trying to disprove,” Brown said.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Martin Welch granted Syed a new trial in June. Welch found Syed’s original lawyer, Cristina Gutier- rez, might have provided “ineffectiv­e assistance” in her failure to cross-examine an expert about the reliabilit­y of cell tower evidence. The case was heavily centered on two incoming phone calls that put Syed at the location where his victim was buried. AT&T said at the time that incoming calls were not reliable for determinin­g locations.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh has appealed Welch’s ruling, saying there was no new evidence that needed to be heard. Christine Tobar, a spokeswoma­n for Frosh, said his office had not yet received the bail filing. “Once we do, we will review and determine how best to respond,” Tobar said in an email to USA TODAY.

Jason Ott, a Baltimore defense lawyer not directly involved in the case, says Syed has a strong argument for bail.

Ott says Syed should not be considered a threat to the community since, with his conviction thrown out, he has no criminal conviction­s and no history of violence. Syed also isn’t a threat to flee, given that he has become famous, has spent the last 17 years in prison and “probably has no place to go,” Ott said.

“If he is released and something happens, God forbid, the judge is on the hook,” he said. “This is a highly publicized case. No one likes bad publicity.”

is a podcast produced by Sarah Koenig that uses investigat­ive journalism to tell a non-fiction story over multiple episodes.

Syed’s story in 2014 drew millions of listeners, smashing iTunes podcast records.

The Syed podcasts won a Peabody Award, which recognizes meritoriou­s public service among U.S. radio and TV networks and online media.

“He is also not a flight risk; it makes no sense that he would run from the case he has spent more than half his life trying to disprove.” Lawyer Justin Brown in bail motion

 ?? BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLOR, AP ?? Adnan Syed is shown in February, entering Courthouse East in Baltimore.
BARBARA HADDOCK TAYLOR, AP Adnan Syed is shown in February, entering Courthouse East in Baltimore.

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