Adnan Syed walked from court a free man on Monday after two handwritten notes with the name of another possible suspect were discovered earlier this year, it was revealed. Serial, the podcast that propelled the case to global attention and first cast doubt on Mr. Syed’s conviction, released a new episode Tuesday revealing what ultimately led Baltimore prosecutors to reconsider the 41-year-old’s conviction for the 1999 murder of Hae’s ex-girlfriend. Min Lee. In the episode, reporter Sarah Koenig said “messy” memos that sat in trial boxes for more than two decades revealed that two different people had made two separate phone calls alerting prosecutors to the unnamed suspect before Syed’s 2000 conviction. The notes were not shared with Mr Syed’s legal team – which the judge agreed was a Brady violation. On Monday, Judge Melissa Phinn overturned Mr Syed’s conviction and ordered he be freed – after 23 years behind bars. Prosecutors now have 30 days to decide whether to drop the charges entirely or retry the case.
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Adnan Syed: What’s next for the Serial podcast issue and the Hae Min Lee murder case?
With Adnan Syed’s conviction now overturned, questions remain about what will happen next. Will Syed be tried again for Hae Min Lee’s murder? Will one of the other suspects face charges? Duncan Levin, a former assistant prosecutor in the Manhattan DA’s office and a senior criminal defense attorney at Levin & Associates who has represented clients including Harvey Weinstein and Anna Sorokin, tells The Independent on Tuesday that he believes this marks the end of two decades of Syed. long legal battle. “This is pretty much the end of the road,” he said. The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
What’s next for the serial Adnan Syed podcast?
Prominent barrister Duncan Levine tells the Independent he believes this marks the “end of the road” for Adnan Syed’s two-decade legal battle Rachel Sharp21 September 2022 22:00 1663790407
Hae Min Lee’s family demands the ‘truth’
The family of Hae Min Lee spoke out after the man convicted of murdering her 22 years ago was released from court in Baltimore on Monday. Steve Kelly, a lawyer representing the Lee family, released a statement saying “no one wanted to know the truth about who killed Hae Min Lee more than her family.” The family also criticized the prosecution for their lack of notice that they planned to overturn Adnan Syed’s sentence. “For more than 20 years, the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office has told the family of Hae Min Lee that their beloved daughter and sister were murdered by Adnan Syed,” the statement said. “A week ago, for the first time, the family was informed that, through a year-long investigation that is apparently still ongoing, the state had uncovered new evidence and would file a motion to vacate Mr. Syed’s conviction. “For more than 20 years, no one wanted to know the truth about who killed Hae Min Lee more than her family. “The Lee family is deeply disappointed that today’s hearing took place so quickly and that they were denied reasonable notice that would have allowed them to have a meaningful voice in the process.” Rachel Sharp21 September 2022 21:00 1663786817
The show’s host says Syed’s case shows problems in the justice system
Series host Sarah Koenig said Adnan Syed’s case encapsulates almost every issue with the US criminal justice system. As one of the pioneers of the true crime phenomenon, the podcast divided opinion over Said’s innocence or guilt. “We knew people would come to different conclusions, of course,” Ms. Koenig told The New York Times. “Barring some smoking gun evidence, which we haven’t found (and it seems no one else has), there was no way to definitively say what happened. “But what we pointed out in our story was that the timing of the case and the evidence in the case had serious problems. Which meant that the people who convicted Adnan of murder didn’t know what happened.” He added: “And so this kid goes to prison for life at 18, based on a story that wasn’t accurate. That’s what we wanted people to think: Even if we set aside the question of Adnan’s guilt or innocence, are we okay with a system that works like this?” Ms. Koenig went on to list the various systemic issues at play in the 2000 case, which she said are not unique to Syed’s case. “Questionable interrogation tactics and tunnel vision by the police. an overtaxed system that fails to properly interrogate evidence; prosecutors withhold evidence from the defense; our country’s tolerance for insanely long prison sentences. minors are treated as adults when science tells us they are not. racism; how terribly hard it is to get the system to take another look at your case after you’ve been convicted. prosecutors and cops who don’t police themselves and then double down when accused of doing something wrong,” he said. “It’s pretty much — you name it, this case has it. And while I’m at it: There is nothing unusual about the presence of these systemic problems in Adnan’s case. Nothing.” So far, prosecutors have stopped short of exonerating Said, saying their request to overturn his conviction – and the judge’s decision that followed – is not a declaration of innocence but that “in the interest of justice and fairness, he is entitled to a new trial.” . Rachel Sharp21 September 2022 20:00 1663783207
True crime is America’s guilty pleasure. Is it harmful?
Maybe you’ve seen The Thing About Pam, NBC’s recent dark comedy starring Renee Zellwegger as convicted murderer Pam Hupp – and devoured it in a binge. Or maybe you watched it from week to week, reading reviews about how much time Zellwegger spent in the makeup chair. But you probably didn’t know that a detective who worked on the real Hupp case found the show “despicable,” misleading about the case, the witnesses, the investigation, and everything else. The true crime phenomenon shows no signs of slowing down – as documentaries, podcasts, dramatizations and all manner of content continue to explode across platforms – and this Detective Hupp’s reaction is not unusual. Armchair sleuths may spend countless hours poring over the lives of crime victims while devising their own theories, but family members, investigators, the victims themselves and even the perpetrators often cringe when they see depictions of their own lives . Why are we so fascinated by gruesome tales of death, murder and mayhem? And does bombarding the public with true crime content help or hurt? The Independent’s Sheila Flynn investigates:
True crime is a guilty pleasure. Victims, families and killers have words of caution
From podcasts to primetime, true crime content has been exploding exponentially for nearly a decade as streaming services diversify and lockdown habits increase consumption. But everyone from victims’ relatives to serial killers themselves is asking one question: Is it harmful? Sheila Flynn reports Rachel Sharp21 September 2022 19:00 1663779617
Sarah Koenig says Adnan Syed sentencing break is ‘deja vu’ for defense
Show host Sarah Koenig said Adnan Syed’s sentencing suspension is “deja vu” for the defense, which has argued there were flaws in the case for years. Ms. Koenig told The New York Times that many of the arguments made by the prosecution seeking Syed’s release are “the same” as those his legal team had already made during his decades-long fight to prove the his innocence in Hae’s murder in 1999. Min Lee. “A lot of what the state is saying in this motion probably feels like déjà vu on the defense side,” he said. “Many of the arguments are the same — unreliable witness statements, unreliable cell phone evidence. A Timeline of Crime That Can’t Endure.” Ms. Koenig, who propelled the case to global attention through her podcast series, said the new “bombshell” revelation came from details that the state had not turned over information about another possible suspect during the original case. The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:
Show host says Adnan Syed sentencing break is ‘deja vu’ for defence
“I felt almost disoriented for about a day. Like the city attorney’s office suddenly pulled off a rubber mask and underneath was a sullen defense attorney,” says the podcast host Rachel Sharp21 September 2022 18:00 1663776907
Maryland AG rejects Brady violation arguments
Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosch countered the argument that there were Brady violations in Adnan Seid’s case. Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said prosecutors withheld information about two other potential suspects from Syed’s defense team at his 2000 trial. On that basis, he said his conviction should be overturned, pending a possible new trial. A Brady violation is when a prosecutor fails to provide the defense with evidence that could be useful or beneficial to a defendant’s case. Mr. Frosh released a statement saying claims that prosecutors did not turn over evidence to Syed’s defense are false. “Among the other serious problems with the eviction motion, the allegations related to Brady’s violations are inaccurate,” Mr. Frosch said in the statement. “Neither State’s Attorney Mosby nor anyone in her office bothered to consult with either the Assistant State’s Attorney who prosecuted the case or anyone in my office regarding these alleged violations. “The file in this case was made available to the defense on multiple occasions.” Rachel Sharp21 September 2022 17:15 1663774217
