Adnan Syed, who became the subject of the hit 2014 podcast “Serial,” was freed by a Baltimore court after a judge vacated his murder conviction Monday.
Syed was convicted for the 1999 murder of ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, but a new investigation found that police withheld information, including the existence of two additional suspects, from Syed’s lawyers.
As prosecutors requested last week, Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn ordered that Syed’s conviction be vacated. She approved his release: The now 41-year-old had been in prison more more than 20 years.
According to the Associated Press, Phinn ruled that the state violated its legal obligation to share exculpatory evidence with Syed’s defense. She ordered him released from custody and placed on home detention with GPS location monitoring. Per her ruling, the state has 30 days to decide whether to seek a new trial or dismiss the case.
A crowd outside the court room burst into cheers at the formal announcement of the decision to vacate and social media was flooded with jubilant reactions to Syed’s release.
Syed did not comment to reporters who asked him, “How does it feel?” as he was escorted to his car, but he did wave and acknowledge the throng gathered to celebrate his release.
His case also inspired the 2019 HBO docuseries “The Case Against Adnan Syed.”
