Adnan Syed gets new trial
Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit podcast series Serial, walked out of court to cheers after a Maryland judge overturned his murder conviction and ordered his release after over 23 years behind bars.
Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated the 41-year-old’s conviction and granted him a new trial on Monday.
The quashing of his conviction came after prosecutors said that an almost year-long investigation had cast doubts about the validity of cellphone tower data and uncovered new information about the possible involvement of two alternate unnamed suspects.
Officials now have 30 days to decide whether they will fully drop the charges against Mr Syed. There’s reason to believe they will.
In the meantime, Mr Syed will remain on home detention with a GPS bracelet monitoring his movements.
Mr Syed was convicted in 2000 of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping and imprisonment of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.
Lee, 18, vanished after leaving her high school on 13 January 1999. Her strangled body was found in a shallow grave in a Baltimore park around a month later. Mr Syed has always maintained his innocence.
What happens next?
Adnan Syed walked free from the Baltimore courthouse on Monday when a judge vacated his sentence – 23 years after he was first put behind bars.
Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn ordered the 41-year-old to be released on his own recognizance and placed on home detention with GPS monitoring.
Now, the prosecution has 30 days to decide whether to drop the charges against Syed or to set a date for a new trial.
Rachel Sharp20 September 2022 20:50
Maryland AG pushes back at arguments of a Brady violation
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.”
Rachel Sharp20 September 2022 20:20
Fundraiser for Adnan Syed tops $67,000 in less than a day
A fundraiser to help Adnan Syed….. has topped $67,000 in donations in less than 24 hours.
The Launchgood Campaign, titled “Help Adnan Syed restart his life!” and launched by attorney and family friend Rabia Chaudry, had reached $67,855 as of Tuesday afternoon ET.
A total of 1,117 people had contributed to the fund.
“Over 23 years later Adnan Syed, an innocent man serving a life sentence is finally seeing freedom. Please support his re-entry into society,” reads the campaign objective.
Ms Chaudry writes on the fundraising page that while the 41-year-old “is finally reunited with his loved ones outside bars”, he now “faces the uphill battle many exonerees do of re-entering society and getting back on their feet”.
Rachel Sharp20 September 2022 19:50
Serial host says Syed’s case involves ‘just about every chronic problem’ in justice system
The host of the Serial podcast has said that Adnan Syed’s case involves “just about every chronic problem” in the criminal justice…