Judge orders release of Adnan Syed after more than two decades in prison
A Baltimore judge on Monday ordered the release of Adnan Syed after overturning his conviction for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee – a case chronicled in the hit podcast Serial.
Ruling that the state violated its legal obligation to share exculpatory evidence with Syed’s defense, the circuit court judge, Melissa Phinn, ordered Syed placed on home detention with GPS monitoring. Phinn also gave the state 30 days to decide whether to seek a new trial or dismiss the case.
As the hearing ended, Phinn said: “All right Mr Syed, you’re free to join your family.”
Outside, Syed smiled as he was shepherded to an SUV, through a sea of cameras and cheering supporters.
Lee was 18 when she was strangled and killed. Her body was found buried in Leakin Park, Baltimore, in February 1999.
Syed’s first trial, in December 1999, ended in mistrial. At his second trial, in February 2000, he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Now 41, he has spent more than 20 years behind bars. He has always maintained his innocence.
On Monday, he was led into the crowded courtroom in handcuffs. Wearing a white shirt with a tie, he sat next to his attorney. His mother and other family representatives were in the room, as was the state attorney, Marilyn Mosby.
The case first received widespread attention in 2014, when the debut season of Serial raised doubts about some evidence used.
The 12-part true-crime series was created by Sarah Koenig, a radio producer and former Baltimore Sun reporter who spent more than a year researching the case and reporting her findings in hour-long segments. The podcast won a Peabody Award and did much to popularize the format.
In 2016, a Maryland judge cited doubts over cellphone evidence used to convict Syed and said he should receive a new trial.
Rabia Chaudry, a lawyer and activist, wrote then: “Adnan is my younger brother’s best friend and like a brother to me as well. From the day he was taken from his bed in the pre-dawn hours of 26 February 1999 until today, he has maintained his innocence and I, and my family, have believed him.”
Chaudry also said: “Every piece of forensic evidence collected pointed to Adnan’s innocence. From the hairs found on Lee’s body, which did not match Adnan, to the dozens of soil samples taken from his clothing, shoes, car and room, which returned negative results for matching soil from Leakin Park.”
Lee’s family said then: “It remains hard to see so many run to defend someone who committed a horrible crime, who destroyed our family, who refuses to accept responsibility, when so few are willing to speak up for Hae.”
The family also said: “Unlike those who learn about this case on the internet, we sat and watched every day of both trials – so many witnesses, so much evidence.”
The state appealed the retrial order. Ultimately, the Maryland supreme court denied Syed a retrial. The US supreme court declined to review the case.
Last week, prosecutors filed a motion saying a lengthy investigation conducted with the defense uncovered new evidence that could undermine Syed’s conviction.
Mosby’s office said an investigation had “revealed undisclosed and newly developed information regarding two alternative suspects, as well as unreliable cellphone tower data”.
The suspects were known persons at the time of the original investigation but were not properly ruled out or disclosed to the defense, said prosecutors, who declined to release information about the suspects due to the ongoing investigation.
An assistant state attorney, Becky Feldman, described details that undermined the conviction including unreliable witness testimony and a potentially biased detective.
Feldman said: “I understand how difficult this is, but we need to make sure we hold the correct person accountable.”
On Monday, Lee’s family did not immediately comment.
Mosby said investigators were waiting for the results of “DNA analysis” before determining whether to seek a new trial or throw out the case and “certify [Syed’s] innocence”.
She also said: “Justice is always worth the price paid for its pursuit.”