True crime podcast Serial podcast has released a new episode after a judge overturned the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, the subject of the famed podcast series.
The podcast, from the creators of This American Life, first aired eight years ago and quickly became a sensation. The 12-episode arc of the first season examined a case from 1999, when Syed, then a Baltimore high school senior, was convicted of the murder of fellow student Hae Min Lee.
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Serial host Sarah Koenig was on the ground in Baltimore on Monday, where Judge Melissa M. Phinn of Baltimore City Circuit Court vacated the conviction. Prosecutors (State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby and Sentencing Review Unit chief Becky Feldman) had filed a motion for the judge to overturn it last Wednesday. After a year-long investigation, Feldman and Syed's defense team (led by Erica J. Suter of the Office of the Public Defender and the University of Baltimore's Innocence Project), found evidence pointing to "alternative suspects."
According to the New York Times, Phinn declared prosecutors had failed to hand over existing evidence and had found new evidence that could have affected the outcome of Syed's trial. Prosecutors said, "The state no longer has confidence in the integrity of the conviction." They now reportedly have 30 days to decide to proceed with a new trial or not.
The much-awaited reversal of his conviction comes after Syed spent 23 years in prison — serving a life sentence — for a crime he said he did not commit.
The Innocence Project, an organization working to prevent wrongful convictions, welcomed the news in a statement, writing, "The integrity of the legal system requires accountability for not only Mr. Syed’s wrongful conviction but also the pain the State’s unlawful conduct caused to Hae Min Lee’s family."
The latest episode, running at around 16 minutes, features recordings from inside and outside the courtroom, including endless cheers from Syed's supporters. Koenig reports from the scene, also explaining the legal history of the conviction, the state's motion, and Syed's journey.
"I do know that the chances of the State ever trying to prosecute Adnan again are remote at best."
"Adnan's case was a mess. Is a mess. That’s pretty much where we were when we stopped reporting in 2014," says Keonig in the episode.
"Baltimore City Police have told the prosecutor’s office they’re going to put someone back on the case. Someone will try to talk to the two suspects Becky [Feldman] identified in the motion. I have zero predictions about what would come of that. But I do know that the chances of the State ever trying to prosecute Adnan again are remote at best."
Serial's new episode is now streaming Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora or wherever you listen to podcasts.
