A US judge has ordered the release of Adnan Syed, the man convicted for the 1999 murder of high school student Hae Min Lee, and whose case was highlighted by wildly popular podcast Serial.
Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn ordered that Mr Syed’s conviction be set aside at the behest of prosecutors who had uncovered new evidence.
She approved the release of the now-41-year-old who has spent more than two decades behind bars to gasps and applause in the crowded courtroom.
Judge Phinn ruled that the state violated its legal obligation to share evidence that could have bolstered Mr Syed’s defence and ordered him to be placed on home detention with location monitoring.
The judge said the state must decide whether to seek a new trial date or dismiss the case within 30 days.
“All right Mr. Syed, you’re free to join your family,” Judge Phinn said as the hearing ended.
Minutes later, Syed emerged from the courthouse and briefly smiled as he was shepherded to a waiting car.
Syed did not speak during the hearing, but after the hearing, his lawyer Erica Suter described his reaction to the decision, saying: “He said he couldn’t believe it’s real.”
During the hearing, Hae Min Lee's brother Young Lee spoke to the court, saying he feels betrayed by prosecutors, since he thought the case was settled.
“This is not a podcast for me. This is real life,” he said.
Mr Syed, who has always maintained his innocence, came to the attention of millions in 2014 when the debut season of Serial focused on Ms Lee’s killing and raised doubts about the evidence used.
Last week, prosecutors filed a motion saying a lengthy investigation conducted with the defence had uncovered new evidence that could undermine the conviction of Syed, Ms Lee’s ex-boyfriend, in 2000.
Prosecutors said they weren’t asserting that Syed is innocent, but they lacked confidence “in the integrity of the conviction" and recommended his release.
After the hearing, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said investigators are waiting for the results of “DNA analysis” before determining whether to seek a new trial date or throw out the case against Syed and “certify his innocence.”
An investigation “revealed undisclosed and newly-developed information regarding two alternative suspects, as well as unreliable cell phone tower data,” Ms Mosby’s office said in a news release last week.
The other suspects were known persons at the time of the original investigation, said prosecutors, who declined to release information about the suspects, citing an ongoing investigation.
