Adnan Syed, Subject of 'Serial' Podcast, Has Conviction Overturned

The murder conviction of Adnan Syed, whose case was documented on the popular podcast Serial, was overturned by a Baltimore judge on Monday.

Syed, 41, has served 23 years of a life sentence in prison after he was convicted in 2000 for the 1999 murder of his high school classmate and ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Syed has long maintained his innocence, and prosecutors last week filed a motion that said a recent investigation conducted with the defense found new evidence that undermined Syed's conviction.

Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn ordered that Syed's conviction be vacated. She also approved his release from custody and placed him on home detention with GPS location monitoring.

The Associated Press reported that Phinn's ruling said the state had violated its legal obligation to share exculpatory evidence with Syed's defense.

Syed's case garnered much public attention following the release of the first season of the podcast Serial in 2014. The show chronicled Lee's death and called into question evidence prosecutors had used that led to Syed's conviction. HBO also covered the case with the 2019 docuseries The Case Against Adnan Syed.

In its recommendation to the court, prosecutors noted that they were not asserting that Syed is innocent. However, they cited a lack of confidence in the "integrity" of his conviction.

The prosecution now has 30 days to decide if they will seek a new trial against Syed or drop the charges.

The New York Times reported that following his release, Syed exited the courthouse and was met outside by a gathering of cheering supporters. He declined to address reporters but reportedly waved to the crowd.

Syed's release comes after several legal maneuvers. In 2019, a Maryland court denied a new trial for Syed following a series of appeals. That same year, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review his case.

The success of Serial, due in large part to its coverage of Syed, made a celebrity of the show's host, journalist Sarah Koenig. In 2015, Time magazine named Koenig one of "The 100 Most Influential People." Her podcast was parodied by Saturday Night Live and Koenig was portrayed by cast member Cecily Strong. Koenig also made a cameo as herself on the animated series BoJack Horseman in 2015.

On Monday, the official Twitter account for Serial wrote that Koenig was present at the courthouse when Syed's conviction was overturned. The tweet added a new episode of Serial will be released on Tuesday.

Newsweek reached out to Syed's attorney for comment.

Correction 09/20/22, 11:32 a.m. ET: This article was updated to correct the spelling of Hae Min Lee's name.