A US judge Monday overturned the conviction of a man serving 23 years for a murder he has always denied, in a case reopened after he appeared on the global hit podcast “Serial.”
Adnan Syed, 42, was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in Baltimore, on the east coast of the United States.
In an unexpected twist, city prosecutor Marilyn Mosby last week filed a motion to overturn the verdict, explaining she had doubts about Adnan Syed’s guilt, and calling for his release.
Mosby explained that he discovered the existence of “two alternative suspects”, crucial information that had not been properly researched at the time and, especially, had not been communicated to the defense before the trial.
Last Monday, a magistrate confirmed the prosecutor’s request during a hearing in a crowded courtroom in Baltimore.
“In the interests of justice and fairness, the motion is upheld and the accused is released” and equipped with an electronic wristband, Judge Melissa Phinn said.
However, the public prosecutor insisted that the “has not yet declared Adnan Syed innocent” and that he will have to wait for the results of additional DNA analyzes before deciding whether to drop charges or advance a new trial.
He has 30 days to do so, and whatever his decision, he promised to continue the investigation “to make sure Hae Min Lee’s family knows who the culprit is.”
The case began in February 1999, when police found the body of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee half-buried in a Baltimore forest. Syed was arrested at age 17 and sentenced to life in prison a year later.
In 2014, a team of journalists conducted a counter-investigation narrated in 12 episodes of the first season of the “Serial” podcast, which has been downloaded more than 300 million times and inspired an HBO documentary.
The reporters’ investigation revealed that Adnan Syed’s lawyer neglected a cell phone investigation that was beneficial to the suspect, as well as the testimony of a young woman who offered a possible alibi.
Work in “Serial” led to the case being reopened in March 2018, when a Maryland court ordered a retrial and concluded that the attorney had provided “ineffective aid” to his client.
Source: DN
