Adnan Syed case: DNA results loom as state faces deadline to retry Serial podcast subject for murder

Adnan Syed walked out of court a free man on Monday after two handwritten notes featuring the name of another potential suspect was discovered earlier this year, it has been revealed.

Serial, the podcast which propelled the case to global attention and first raised doubts about Mr Syed’s conviction, released a new episde on Tuesday revealing what finally led Baltimore prosecutors to rethink the 41-year-old’s conviction for the 1999 murder of his former girlfriend Hae Min Lee.

In the episode, journalist Sarah Koenig said that “messy” notes which languished in statet trial boxes for more than two decades revealed that two different people had placed two separate phone calls alerting prosecutors to the unnamed suspect prior to Syed’s 2000 conviction.

The notes were not shared with Mr Syed’s legal team – something the judge agreed was a Brady violation.

On Monday, Judge Melissa Phinn overturned Mr Syed’s conviction and ordered him to be released – after 23 years behind bars.

Prosecutors now have 30 days to decide whether they will fully drop the charges or retry the case.

Key points

• Adnan Syed’s murder conviction is overturned

• Serial host says case involves ‘just about every chronic problem’ in justice system

• Hae Min Lee’s family releases statement

• Maryland AG pushes back at arguments of a Brady violation

• State has 30 days to decide what happens next

• Notes about another potential suspect led to conviction being tossed

Voices: Adnan Syed’s conviction should have been thrown out a long time ago

Wednesday 21 September 2022 00:30 , Rachel Sharp

Twenty-two years ago, Adnan Syed was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Lee, a student in Baltimore County, Maryland, was 18 years old when she went missing in January 1999. She was found dead of manual strangulation in February of that year. Syed, who was 17 at the time of Lee’s death, was charged with her murder later that month; he was convicted a year later and sentenced to life in prison.

Syed’s case came to renewed attention in 2014, with the launch of Serial, the podcast that changed the face of true-crime programming and cast doubt on the solidity of Syed’s conviction.

Over the course of 12 episodes, journalist Sarah Koenig, the show’s host, pointed to weaknesses in the evidence used against Syed, as well as remaining idiosyncrasies and blurry areas. If there is one central theme to Serial’s first season (the show had two more, dedicated to other topics), it’s doubt — a crucial factor, considering that the US justice system dictates that one should only be convicted of a criminal offense if the jury believes they are guilty “beyond reasonable doubt.”

The Independent’s Clémence Michallon discusses the case:

Throwing out Adnan Syed’s conviction is the just decision — but it’s not justice

Timeline of the murder of Hae Min Lee and legal battle of Adnan Syed

Wednesday 21 September 2022 01:15 , Rachel Sharp

More than two decades on from his arrest for the murder of his former girlfriend, Adnan Syed is set to finally walk free from prison.

On Monday, ​​Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn threw out the 41-year-old’s conviction and granted him a new trial, ordering his release after spending the last 23 years behind bars.

Syed, who was 17 when he was accused of killing Hae Min Lee, will be released from prison today.

Syed’s sudden release marks just the latest twist in a legal battle that has rumbled on for more than two decades – and during which he has always maintained his innocence.

Read a timeline of the case so far:

Timeline of the murder of Hae Min Lee and legal battle of Adnan Syed

How one podcast changed the face of true crime

Wednesday 21 September 2022 02:00 , Rachel Sharp

Eight years ago, a new sound hit the airwaves. It was minimalist, just a few notes on a piano, layered with an audio recording of a phone call coming from prison. Then, two voices: that of Adnan Syed, a man who at that point had spent 14 years behind bars, and that of Sarah Koenig, a journalist who had spent a year trying to figure out whether he belonged there.

Serial’s first season aired over just two months, but it marked the beginning of a saga that remains ongoing – and recently reached a high point when a Baltimore judge granted prosecutors’ request to vacate Syed’s conviction and give him a new trial. That in itself is a momentous development, and Serial’s impact has been felt beyond Syed’s case.

The Independent’s Clémence Michallon has the full story:

How Serial revolutionised true crime and cast doubt on Adnan Syed’s murder conviction

Serial host says Syed’s case involves ‘just about every chronic problem’ in justice system

Wednesday 21 September 2022 03:00 , Rachel Sharp

The host of the Serial podcast has said that Adnan Syed’s case involves “just about every chronic problem” in the criminal justice system.

Journalist Sarah Koenig released a new episode in the series on Tuesday – one day after Syed walked out of court a free man following the vacating of his murder conviction.

In it, Ms Koenig pointed out that almost all of the evidence which casts doubt on his conviction was available back when Hae Min Lee was murdered in 1999.

“Yesterday, there was a lot of talk about fairness, but most of what the state put in that motion to vacate, all the actual evidence, was either known or knowable to cops and prosecutors back in 1999,” she said at the end of the episode.

“So even on a day when the government publicly recognizes its own mistakes, it’s hard to feel cheered about a triumph of fairness. Because we’ve built a system that takes more than 20 years to self-correct. And that’s just this one case.”

Watch moment Adnan Syed walks out of court a free man

Wednesday 21 September 2022 04:00 , Rachel Sharp

Adnan Syed walked out of the court in Baltimore to cheers after the judge overturned his 2000 murder conviction on Monday.

Watch the moment he left the courthouse a free man below:

Adnan Syed was losing ‘hope’ in freedom before shock release

Wednesday 21 September 2022 05:00 , Rachel Sharp

Adnan Syed had been “trying to tamp down hope” that he would ever regain his freedom, before his shock release on Monday, it has been revealed.

In a new episode of the podcast Serial, Sarah Koenig revealed that the 41-year-old had recently been losing faith that his conviction would be overturned.

Syed was 17 when he was arrested and charged with strangling Hae Min Lee to death in 1999.

He had spent the last 23 years behind bars.

On Monday, a judge overturned his conviction and ordered his release.

Hae Min Lee’s brother says case is ‘killing me’

Wednesday 21 September 2022 06:00 , Rachel Sharp

Hae Min Lee’s brother addressed the court during Monday’s hearing to speak out about the toll the case is taking on him and his family, saying that it is “killing me”.

Young Lee joined the court hearing virtually from the West Coast where he urged the judge to “make the right decision”.

“I’ve been living with this for like 20 plus years. Everyday when I think it’s over... or it’s ended, it always comes back,” he said.

“It’s killing me. It’s really tough.”

He added that he felt “betrayed” by the prosecution, claiming they blindsided the family by casting doubt on Adnan Syed’s guilt – after spending more than two decades insisting he was the killer.

Mr Lee choked back tears as he said that he was open to a new investigation and spoke of the difficulty in learning that someone responsible for his sister’s death could currently be walking free.

What we know about two alternate suspects in 1999 murder

Wednesday 21 September 2022 07:00 , Rachel Sharp

Adnan Syed walked out of court a free man on Monday, after an almost year-long investigation uncovered new evidence about the possible involvement of two alternative suspects in the 1999 slaying of student Hae Min Lee.

On Monday, Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated the 41-year-old’s conviction “in the interest of justice”, granted him a new trial and ordered him to be released under home detention while the investigation into Lee’s murder continues.

His release came days after Maryland prosecutors made a bombshell request for his conviction to be quashed.

On Wednesday – after more than two decades behind bars where Syed has continued to maintain his innocence of any involvement – Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby filed a motion to throw out his conviction.

She said that “the state no longer has confidence in the integrity of the conviction” based on doubts about the validity of cellphone records as well as new information about two unnamed suspects.

Wednesday’s court filing did not name the two alternate suspects in the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

However, prosecutors said that the two alternate suspects were both known to the initial 1999 murder investigation and were not properly ruled out or disclosed to the defence.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Adnan Syed freed: What we know about two alternate suspects in ‘Serial’ murder

New DNA testing under way

Wednesday 21 September 2022 08:00 , Rachel Sharp

The state is waiting for the results of DNA testing which they hope could advance the investigation, Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said on Monday.

In March, prosecutors and Adnan Syed’s defence attorneys filed a joint request for Hae Min Lee’s clothing to be tested using new touch DNA testing, which was not available at the time of the original trial.

The analysis came back in August without anything conclusive.

But, Ms Mosby said on Monday that further testing is under way.

She added that if the tests come back with Syed’s DNA, then her office would pursue a new case against him.

But, either way, he is still entitled to a new, fair trial, she said – after pointing out multiple issues with his original case.

Moving video shows Adnan Syed enjoying food with family at home

Wednesday 21 September 2022 09:00 , Rachel Sharp

A moving video has captured Adnan Syed enjoying food at his family home not long afte his release on Monday.

The footage, posted on Twitter by family friend and attorney Rabia Chaudry, shows the 41-year-old searching through the fridge in the home, looking for food.

Syed is seen taking out samosas and dumplings while his brother Yusuf stands next to him, happily grabbing and sharing the food.

“We got fresh samosas coming though,” Ms Chaudry is heard saying.

Syed is seen trying a dumpling and smiling, after two decades of prison food.

“Pretty good,” he says.

Ms Chaudry captioned the post: “Leftovers at home never tasted so good!!”

The key issues with the conviction:

Wednesday 21 September 2022 10:00 , Rachel Sharp

Prosecutors have listed several issues with Adnan Syed’s conviction, which led them to call for his release “in the interest of fairness and justice”.

Two alternate suspects

Evidence has been found about two other potential suspects.

The two suspects, who were not named because of the ongoing investigation, were both known to the initial 1999 murder investigation and were not properly ruled out, prosecutors said. One of the suspects had made a threat to kill Hae Min Lee.

The two suspects, who were not named because of the ongoing investigation, were both known to the initial 1999 murder investigation but the state did not disclose the information to Syed’s legal team.

The judge ruled that this was a clear Brady violation – where a prosecutor fails to provide the defence with evidence that could be helpful to a defendant’s case.

Validity of cellphone data

Cellphone location data placing Syed at the crime scene has since been found to be inaccurate and inadmissible in court.

Unreliable witness

The prosecution also cast doubt on the credibility of Jay Wilds – the star witness in the state’s original trial.

Wilds, a friend of Syed’s, claimed that he helped Syed to dispose of Lee’s body in the shallow grave in Leakin Park, Baltimore.

Prosecutors said that Wilds has changed his story multiple times – with contradictions between his first interviews with police, his trial testimony and a recent interview with the press.

Detective on original case

One of the main detectives on the original case, Bill Ritz – who interviewed Wilds, was later accused of misconduct in another 1999 murder case.

The man convicted in that case was exonerated in 2016.

Voices: Adnan Syed’s conviction should have been thrown out a long time ago

Wednesday 21 September 2022 11:00 , Rachel Sharp

Twenty-two years ago, Adnan Syed was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Lee, a student in Baltimore County, Maryland, was 18 years old when she went missing in January 1999. She was found dead of manual strangulation in February of that year. Syed, who was 17 at the time of Lee’s death, was charged with her murder later that month; he was convicted a year later and sentenced to life in prison.

Syed’s case came to renewed attention in 2014, with the launch of Serial, the podcast that changed the face of true-crime programming and cast doubt on the solidity of Syed’s conviction.

Over the course of 12 episodes, journalist Sarah Koenig, the show’s host, pointed to weaknesses in the evidence used against Syed, as well as remaining idiosyncrasies and blurry areas. If there is one central theme to Serial’s first season (the show had two more, dedicated to other topics), it’s doubt — a crucial factor, considering that the US justice system dictates that one should only be convicted of a criminal offense if the jury believes they are guilty “beyond reasonable doubt.”

The Independent’s Clémence Michallon discusses the case:

Throwing out Adnan Syed’s conviction is the just decision — but it’s not justice

Timeline of the murder of Hae Min Lee and legal battle of Adnan Syed

Wednesday 21 September 2022 12:00 , Rachel Sharp

More than two decades on from his arrest for the murder of his former girlfriend, Adnan Syed is set to finally walk free from prison.

On Monday, ​​Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn threw out the 41-year-old’s conviction and granted him a new trial, ordering his release after spending the last 23 years behind bars.

Syed, who was 17 when he was accused of killing Hae Min Lee, will be released from prison today.

Syed’s sudden release marks just the latest twist in a legal battle that has rumbled on for more than two decades – and during which he has always maintained his innocence.

Read a timeline of the case so far:

Timeline of the murder of Hae Min Lee and legal battle of Adnan Syed

Serial podcast reveals notes about another potential suspect led to conviction being tossed

Wednesday 21 September 2022 13:00 , Rachel Sharp

The discovery of two handwritten notes about another potential suspect ultimately led to Adnan Syed’s conviction being tossed, according to a newly released Serial episode.

The “messy” notes, which were found deep within boxes of files on the case earlier this year, revealed that two different people had placed two separate phone calls alerting prosecutors to the unnamed suspect prior to Syed’s 2000 conviction.

Despite the tipoffs, the notes were not shared with Syed’s legal team and instead sat gathering dust in boxes inside the state attorney’s office for the past 23 years – all the while Syed was holed up behind bars for a crime he says he didn’t commit.

Now, in 2022, the notes have finally come to light and “shocked” both the prosecution and the defence.

On Monday, a judge overturned Syed’s conviction and he walked out of court a free man.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Notes about potential suspect led to Syed conviction change, Serial reveals

Adnan Syed: What happens next for the Serial podcast subject and the murder case of Hae Min Lee?

Wednesday 21 September 2022 14:00 , Rachel Sharp

With Adnan Syed’s conviction now quashed, questions remain around what happens next.

Will Syed be retried for Hae Min Lee’s murder?

Will one of the other suspects face charges?

Or is the case now cold?

Duncan Levin, former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office and a prominent criminal defence attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Sorokin, tells The Independent on Tuesday that he thinks this marks the end of Syed’s two-decade long legal battle.

“This is pretty much the end of the road,” he said.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

What happens next for the Serial podcast subject Adnan Syed?

Serial host says she ‘did not see this coming at all’

Wednesday 21 September 2022 15:00 , Rachel Sharp

Serial host Sarah Koenig has said that she “did not see it coming at all” when prosecutors made the bombshell announcement last week that they were calling for Adnan Syed’s release.

After following the case for close to a decade – and seeing multiple legal setbacks for Syed along the way – she told the New York Times that she was “shocked” when the state suddenly “pulled off a rubber mask and underneath was a scowling defense attorney”.

“I was shocked. I did not see this coming at all. One of the first things I did was call Adnan’s brother and then his mother — they told me they didn’t know either,” she said.

“The prosecutors who filed the motion to release him kept it pretty tight, it seems.

“But the shocking part was that this was coming from the state’s side. I felt almost disoriented for about a day. Like the city prosecutor’s office suddenly pulled off a rubber mask and underneath was a scowling defense attorney.”

Ms Koenig launched the podcast in 2014, after being contacted by Syed’s family friend and attorney Rabia Chaudry.

The podcast series propelled the case to international attention and raised serious doubts about Syed’s conviction, as one of the pioneers of the true crime phenomenon.

What we know about two alternate suspects in 1999 murder

Wednesday 21 September 2022 16:00 , Rachel Sharp

Adnan Syed walked out of court a free man on Monday, after an almost year-long investigation uncovered new evidence about the possible involvement of two alternative suspects in the 1999 slaying of student Hae Min Lee.

On Monday, Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated the 41-year-old’s conviction “in the interest of justice”, granted him a new trial and ordered him to be released under home detention while the investigation into Lee’s murder continues.

His release came days after Maryland prosecutors made a bombshell request for his conviction to be quashed.

On Wednesday – after more than two decades behind bars where Syed has continued to maintain his innocence of any involvement – Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby filed a motion to throw out his conviction.

She said that “the state no longer has confidence in the integrity of the conviction” based on doubts about the validity of cellphone records as well as new information about two unnamed suspects.

Wednesday’s court filing did not name the two alternate suspects in the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

However, prosecutors said that the two alternate suspects were both known to the initial 1999 murder investigation and were not properly ruled out or disclosed to the defence.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Adnan Syed freed: What we know about two alternate suspects in ‘Serial’ murder

Rabia Chaudry jokes he’s not looking to ‘hook up’ with ‘thirsty’ ladies

Wednesday 21 September 2022 16:30 , Rachel Sharp

A family friend of Adnan Syed has joked that the 41-year-old is not “looking to hook up” with the influx of “thirsty” ladies who have reached out following his bombshell release from prison.

“I keep getting asked this question and I’m only answering it once because first of all this is not my role in his life, but also people get a grip,” tweeted Rabia Chaudry on Wednesday morning.

“Adnan is not looking to hook up or meet any of the very thirsty, er I mean interested, ladies reaching out.”

Ms Chaudry, an attorney and family friend, shared a GIF of actor Julia Stiles gesturing to move on.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Adnan Syed family friend jokes he’s not looking to ‘hook up’ with ‘thirsty’ ladies

Maryland AG pushes back at arguments of a Brady violation

Wednesday 21 September 2022 17:15 , Rachel Sharp

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh has pushed back against the argument that there were Brady violations in the case of Adnan Syed.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said that prosecutors withheld information about two other potential suspects from Syed’s defence team at his 2000 trial.

Based on that, she said that his conviction should be overturned, pending the possibility of a new trial.

A Brady violation is where a prosecutor fails to provide the defence with evidence that could be helpful or beneficial to a defendant’s case.

Mr Frosh released a statement saying that the allegations that prosecutors did not hand over evidence to Syed’s defencce is false.

“Among the other serious problems with the motion to vacate, the allegations related to Brady violations are incorrect,” Mr Frosh said in the statement.

“Neither State’s Attorney Mosby nor anyone from her office bothered to consult with either the assistant state’s attorney who prosecuted the case or with anyone in my office regarding these alleged violations.

“The file in this case was made available on several occasions to the defense.”

Sarah Koenig says vacation of Adnan Syed’s conviction is ‘deja vu’ for defence

Wednesday 21 September 2022 18:00 , Rachel Sharp

Serial host Sarah Koenig has said that the vacation of Adnan Syed’s conviction is “deja vu” for the defence who have argued there were flaws in the case for years.

Ms Koenig told the New York Times that many of the arguments made by the prosecution calling for Syed’s release are “the same” as those already made by his legal team, during his decades-long fight to prove his innocence in the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee.

“A lot of what the state is saying in this motion probably feels like déjà vu for the defense side,” she said.

“Many of the arguments are the same — unreliable witness statements, unreliable cellphone evidence. A timeline of the crime that doesn’t hold up.”

Ms Koenig, who propelled the case to global attention through her podcast series, said that the “bombshell” new revelation came from the details that the state had failed to hand over information about another potential suspect back during the original case.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Serial host says vacation of Adnan Syed’s conviction is ‘deja vu’ for defence

True crime is America’s guilty pleasure. Is it harmful?

Wednesday 21 September 2022 19:00 , Rachel Sharp

Maybe you’ve seen The Thing About Pam, the recent NBC black comedy starring Renee Zellwegger as convicted killer Pam Hupp – and you devoured it in one binge-session. Or maybe you watched it week to week, reading reviews of how much time Zellwegger spent in the makeup chair.

But you probably didn’t know that a detective who worked on the actual Hupp case thought the show was “despicable,” misrepresentative of the case, the witnesses, the investigation, and everything else.

The true crime phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down – as documentaries, podcasts, dramatizations and all manner of content continue to explode across platforms – and the reaction of that Hupp detective is not unusual. Armchair sleuths may spend countless hours poring over the lives of crime victims while concocting their own theories, but family members, investigators, victims themselves and even offenders frequently bristle when they see portrayals of their own lives.

Why are we so fascinated by gory tales of death, murder and mayhem? And is the public’s bombardment with true crime content helping or hurting?

The Independent’s Sheila Flynn investigates:

True crime is a guilty pleasure. Victims, families, and killers have words of warning

Serial host says Syed’s case shows issues in justice system

Wednesday 21 September 2022 20:00 , Rachel Sharp

Serial host Sarah Koenig has said that Adnan Syed’s case contains almost all the issues with the US’s criminal justice system.

As one of the pioneers of the true crime phenomenon, the podcast divided opinion around Syed’s innocence or guilt.

“We knew people would come to different conclusions, of course,” Ms Koenig told the New York Times.

“Barring some smoking-gun evidence, which we didn’t find (and it seems like no one else has either), there was no way for us to say definitively what happened.

“But what we were pointing out in our story was that the timeline of the case and the evidence in the case had serious problems. Which meant the people who convicted Adnan of murder, they didn’t know what happened either.”

She added: “And so this kid goes to prison for life at 18, based on a story that wasn’t accurate. That’s what we wanted people to think about: Even setting aside the question of Adnan’s guilt or innocence, are we OK with a system that operates like that?”

Ms Koenig went on to list off the various systemic issues which played out in the 2000 case, which she said are far from unique to Syed’s case.

“Questionable interrogation tactics and tunnel vision by police; an overtaxed system that fails to properly interrogate evidence; prosecutors withholding evidence from the defense; our country’s tolerance for insanely long prison sentences; juveniles treated as adults when science tells us they aren’t; racism; how grindingly difficult it is to get the system to take another look at your case once you’ve been convicted; prosecutors and cops who don’t police themselves and then double down when they’re accused of doing something wrong,” she said.

“It’s pretty much — you name it, this case has it. And while I’m up here: There is nothing unusual about the presence of these systemic problems in Adnan’s case. Nothing.”

So far, prosecutors have stopped short of exonerating Syed, saying their request to overturn his conviction – and the subsequent judge’s ruling – does not mean a declaration of innocence but that “in the interest of fairness and justice, he is entitled to a new trial”.

Hae Min Lee’s family pleads for ‘truth'

Wednesday 21 September 2022 21:00 , Rachel Sharp

Hae Min Lee’s family has spoken out after the man convicted of her murder 22 years ago walked free from a Baltimore courthouse on Monday.

Steve Kelly, an attorney representing the Lee family, released a statement saying that “no one has wanted to know the truth about who killed Hae Min Lee more than her family”.

The family also criticised the prosecution for the lack of notice they gave that they planned to have Adnan Syed’s sentence overturned.

“For more than 20 years, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office has told the family of Hae Min Lee that their beloved daughter and sister was murdered by Adnan Syed,” the statement read.

“One week ago, for the first time, the family was informed that, through a year-long investigation that is apparently still ongoing, the state had uncovered new facts and would be filing a motion to vacate Mr. Syed’s conviction.

“For more than 20 years, no one has wanted to know the truth about who killed Hae Min Lee more than her family.

“The Lee family is deeply disappointed that today’s hearing happened so quickly and that they were denied the reasonable notice that would have permitted them to have a meaningful voice in the proceedings.”

Adnan Syed: What happens next for the Serial podcast subject and the murder case of Hae Min Lee?

Wednesday 21 September 2022 22:00 , Rachel Sharp

With Adnan Syed’s conviction now quashed, questions remain around what happens next.

Will Syed be retried for Hae Min Lee’s murder?

Will one of the other suspects face charges?

Or is the case now cold?

Duncan Levin, former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office and a prominent criminal defence attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Sorokin, tells The Independent on Tuesday that he thinks this marks the end of Syed’s two-decade long legal battle.

“This is pretty much the end of the road,” he said.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

What happens next for the Serial podcast subject Adnan Syed?

Timeline of the murder of Hae Min Lee and legal battle of Adnan Syed

Wednesday 21 September 2022 23:00 , Rachel Sharp

More than two decades on from his arrest for the murder of his former girlfriend, Adnan Syed is set to finally walk free from prison.

On Monday, ​​Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn threw out the 41-year-old’s conviction and granted him a new trial, ordering his release after spending the last 23 years behind bars.

Syed, who was 17 when he was accused of killing Hae Min Lee, will be released from prison today.

Syed’s sudden release marks just the latest twist in a legal battle that has rumbled on for more than two decades – and during which he has always maintained his innocence.

Read a timeline of the case so far:

Timeline of the murder of Hae Min Lee and legal battle of Adnan Syed

Serial releases new episode about Adan Syed’s release

Thursday 22 September 2022 00:00 , Rachel Sharp

Serial, the hit podcast that propelled the case to international attention and cast doubts on Adnan Syed’s conviction, has released a new episode following his release.

The episode titled “Adnan is Out” chronicles what led the prosecutor’s office to call for his conviction to be quashed.

In it, journalist Sarah Koenig revealed that prosecutors had discovered two handwritten notes about another potential suspect within boxes of files on the case earlier this year.

Their discovery “shocked” both the prosecution and the defence, she said.

Listen to the episode below:

Legal expert says it’s ‘unlikely’ Adnan Syed will be tried again

02:00 , Rachel Sharp

A legal expert has said he thinks it is “extremely unlikely” that Adnan Syed will be tried again for Hae Min Lee’s murder.

Duncan Levin, former assistant district attorney in the Manhattan DA’s office and a prominent criminal defence attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Sorokin, told The Independent on Tuesday that he thinks this marks the end of Mr Syed’s two-decade long legal battle.

“This is pretty much the end of the road,” he said.

“This was the prosecution’s motion to vacate the sentence so I think they’d like some time to probably tidy up the file but at this time I think it’s extremely unlikely that he’ll get a new court date in the next 30 days.”

Mr Levin said that it is unlikely that prosecutors don’t know already what they will do when the 30-day deadline comes around.

“I can’t imagine that they don’t know what direction they’re going in,” he said, adding that he thinks it’s likely that they are already planning to drop all charges against the 41-year-old.

It is of course possible for prosecutors to bring fresh charges against Syed sometime in the future, if new evidence comes to light once the 30 days passes and the current charges are dropped.

But, given the “holes” in the case against him, Mr Levin said this is also “highly unlikely”.

“I think it’s highly unlikely that prosecutors will recharge him,” he said.

“This is probably the end of the line for the case. They’ll keep looking into it, but it’s a pretty stale case at this point.

“For Mr Syed at least I think it’s the end of the line.”

Voices: Adnan Syed’s conviction should have been thrown out a long time ago

04:00 , Rachel Sharp

Twenty-two years ago, Adnan Syed was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Lee, a student in Baltimore County, Maryland, was 18 years old when she went missing in January 1999. She was found dead of manual strangulation in February of that year. Syed, who was 17 at the time of Lee’s death, was charged with her murder later that month; he was convicted a year later and sentenced to life in prison.

Syed’s case came to renewed attention in 2014, with the launch of Serial, the podcast that changed the face of true-crime programming and cast doubt on the solidity of Syed’s conviction.

Over the course of 12 episodes, journalist Sarah Koenig, the show’s host, pointed to weaknesses in the evidence used against Syed, as well as remaining idiosyncrasies and blurry areas. If there is one central theme to Serial’s first season (the show had two more, dedicated to other topics), it’s doubt — a crucial factor, considering that the US justice system dictates that one should only be convicted of a criminal offense if the jury believes they are guilty “beyond reasonable doubt.”

The Independent’s Clémence Michallon discusses the case:

Throwing out Adnan Syed’s conviction is the just decision — but it’s not justice

Serial host says she ‘did not see this coming at all’

06:00 , Rachel Sharp

Serial host Sarah Koenig has said that she “did not see it coming at all” when prosecutors made the bombshell announcement last week that they were calling for Adnan Syed’s release.

After following the case for close to a decade – and seeing multiple legal setbacks for Mr Syed along the way – she told the New York Times that she was “shocked” when the state suddenly “pulled off a rubber mask and underneath was a scowling defense attorney”.

“I was shocked. I did not see this coming at all. One of the first things I did was call Adnan’s brother and then his mother — they told me they didn’t know either,” she said.

“The prosecutors who filed the motion to release him kept it pretty tight, it seems.

“But the shocking part was that this was coming from the state’s side. I felt almost disoriented for about a day. Like the city prosecutor’s office suddenly pulled off a rubber mask and underneath was a scowling defense attorney.”

Ms Koenig launched the podcast in 2014, after being contacted by Mr Syed’s family friend and attorney Rabia Chaudry.

The podcast series propelled the case to international attention and raised serious doubts about Mr Syed’s conviction, as one of the pioneers of the true crime phenomenon.

What we know about two alternate suspects in 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee

08:00 , Rachel Sharp

Adnan Syed walked out of court a free man on Monday, after an almost year-long investigation uncovered new evidence about the possible involvement of two alternative suspects in the 1999 slaying of student Hae Min Lee.

On Monday, Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated the 41-year-old’s conviction “in the interest of justice”, granted him a new trial and ordered him to be released under home detention while the investigation into Lee’s murder continues.

His release came days after Maryland prosecutors made a bombshell request for his conviction to be quashed.

On Wednesday – after more than two decades behind bars where Syed has continued to maintain his innocence of any involvement – Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby filed a motion to throw out his conviction.

She said that “the state no longer has confidence in the integrity of the conviction” based on doubts about the validity of cellphone records as well as new information about two unnamed suspects.

Wednesday’s court filing did not name the two alternate suspects in the case, citing an ongoing investigation.

However, prosecutors said that the two alternate suspects were both known to the initial 1999 murder investigation and were not properly ruled out or disclosed to the defence.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Adnan Syed freed: What we know about two alternate suspects in ‘Serial’ murder

Serial reveals notes about another potential suspect led to conviction being tossed

10:00 , Rachel Sharp

The discovery of two handwritten notes about another potential suspect ultimately led to Adnan Syed’s conviction being tossed, according to a newly released Serial episode.

The podcast, which first propelled the case to global attention and cast doubts on Mr Syed’s guilt back in 2014, published a new episode titled “Adnan is Out” on Tuesday morning – just hours after he walked out of court a free man.

In it, journalist Sarah Koenig revealed what finally led Baltimore prosecutors to rethink the 41-year-old’s conviction for the 1999 murder of his former girlfriend Hae Min Lee.

Earlier this year – 23 years on from the brutal murder – Becky Feldman, chief of the Sentencing Review Unit of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, had stumbled across two old, “messy” handwritten notes containing the name of another potential suspect.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Notes about potential suspect led to Syed conviction change, Serial reveals

Rabia Chaudry jokes he’s not looking to ‘hook up’ with ‘thirsty’ ladies

12:00 , Rachel Sharp

A family friend of Adnan Syed has joked that the 41-year-old is not “looking to hook up” with the influx of “thirsty” ladies who have reached out following his bombshell release from prison.

“I keep getting asked this question and I’m only answering it once because first of all this is not my role in his life, but also people get a grip,” tweeted Rabia Chaudry on Wednesday morning.

“Adnan is not looking to hook up or meet any of the very thirsty, er I mean interested, ladies reaching out.”

Ms Chaudry, an attorney and family friend, shared a GIF of actor Julia Stiles gesturing to move on.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Adnan Syed family friend jokes he’s not looking to ‘hook up’ with ‘thirsty’ ladies

How one podcast changed the face of true crime

13:00 , Rachel Sharp

Eight years ago, a new sound hit the airwaves. It was minimalist, just a few notes on a piano, layered with an audio recording of a phone call coming from prison. Then, two voices: that of Adnan Syed, a man who at that point had spent 14 years behind bars, and that of Sarah Koenig, a journalist who had spent a year trying to figure out whether he belonged there.

Serial’s first season aired over just two months, but it marked the beginning of a saga that remains ongoing – and recently reached a high point when a Baltimore judge granted prosecutors’ request to vacate Syed’s conviction and give him a new trial. That in itself is a momentous development, and Serial’s impact has been felt beyond Syed’s case.

The Independent’s Clémence Michallon has the full story:

How Serial revolutionised true crime and cast doubt on Adnan Syed’s murder conviction