Adnan Syed leaves the courthouse after a judge overturned Syed's 2000 murder conviction and ordered a new trial in Baltimore, US
(Picture: Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)Hit podcast Serial creators announced a revival episode on Monday (September 19), following the successful outcome of the true-crime case of Adnan Syed they followed.
The new chapter returns after a Baltimore judge overturned a 22-year-old conviction against the man accused of Hae Min Lee’s brutal murder in 1999.
Syed, 41, dated Lee in high school – a secret they kept from both their parents – a link that led to his conviction.
Prosecutors recommended his conviction be thrown out, resulting in his release from prison after 23 years, during which he continued to maintain his innocence.
Now they may request a new trial within 30 days or dismiss the case.
On Monday, Syed was let free “in the interests of justice and fairness”, US judge Melissa Phinn said.
She added: “At this time, we will remove the shackles from Mr Syed.”
When is the new Serial episode being released?
Sarah Koenig, host of the Serial podcast since 2014, was reported to be present at the courthouse when Syed was released.
Sarah was at the courthouse when Adnan was released, a new episode is coming tomorrow morning. https://t.co/GmO3jmGeoy
— Serial (@serial) September 19, 2022
The team behind the podcast, that has the world record for number of downloads, exceeding 340 million, announced the new episode would air on Tuesday morning.
Episode 13 ‘Adnan is out’ is available to listen from the Serial podcast site or Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Pandora.
The former reporter and radio producer spent more than a year investigating Syed’s case after discovering inconsistencies in statements, gaps in the defence’s work, and investigating weak evidence used against Syed.
The 17-minute episode synopsis said: “[Syed] has exhausted every legal avenue for relief, including a petition to the United States Supreme Court.
“But then, a prosecutor in the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s office stumbled upon two handwritten notes in Adnan’s case file and that changed everything.”
