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Prosecutors Ask Judge To Clear Murder Sentence At 'Serial' Podcast Center

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Baltimore City prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to vacate the sentence of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend when he was 17 and whose story was featured on the popular podcast “Serial,” according to multiple outlets., After investigators found new evidence pointing to the other two suspects.

Key facts

Baltimore State Attorney’s Office Marilyn Mosby asked judges for a new trial for Syed, saying the state “no longer has confidence in the integrity of the sentence,” wall Street Journal reported, citing court filings.

Syed, who has consistently claimed he is innocent, has been serving a life sentence after being found guilty in 2000 of strangling his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999, when he was tried as an adult for crimes he allegedly committed at the age of 17. .

The decision to request a new trial was prompted by new evidence showing two other suspects, whose names were withheld from the filing, could be involved in the crime, including one who threatened to “make” Lee disappear and “kill him”. in front of other people, while investigators also found Lee’s car was found behind a house owned by one of the suspect’s relatives, according to the report. Journal.

Mosby Office wrote in tweet Wednesday “it became clear” additional forensic testing that was not available at the time of the initial trial would be “the right path to pursue,” after Syed’s lawyers requested the Sentencing Review Unit, which allows detainees to request changes to their sentences after serving their sentences. at least 20 years in prison, to re-examine his case in March.

The news comes eight years after the “Serial” podcast highlighted Syed’s story and sparked questions about his involvement in the crime. Mosby’s office and Syed’s representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Forbes.

Important quotes

“There are many issues that concern the State,” Baltimore prosecutors wrote in the court filing, according to Journal. Prosecutors also promised to “ensure justice is served” for Lee.

Which must be considered

The news means Syed could get a new trial or potentially be released after more than 20 years in prison. According to journal, Prosecutors recommended Syed be released unconditionally as long as he promises to make the necessary court appearances, because continuing to detain him while the investigation is ongoing would be “unfair,” they said.

Key Background

42-year-old Syed was tried twice for Lee’s murder and convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment in 2000. Syed and Lee were seniors at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County when Lee went missing in January 1999. His bodies were found in Baltimore County. forest three weeks later, and an autopsy confirmed that the 19-year-old girl had died from strangulation. Prosecutors accused Syed of committing the crime after being jealous of Lee, who was dating someone new after the two broke up. Authorities at the time claimed Syed killed Lee after a fight in his car. They relied on testimony from Syed’s classmate, Jay Wilds, who claimed he helped Syed dig a hole to bury Lee’s body, as well as cell phone tower data to locate him at the crime scene. Syed said he was in the library at the time of Lee’s murder, a claim former classmate Asia McClain has confirmed, although he was not called to testify during the first trial. Several investigations—including the producers of the “Serial” podcast as well as the HBO documentary “The Case Against Adnan Syed’—have raised concerns about the evidence linking Syed to Lee’s death. In the HBO documentary, the lawyer for Syed said his DNA was not found in any of the 12 samples taken from Lee’s body and car, although testing was not included in the original investigation.

Tangent

Syed has appealed his sentence on several occasions, and a special appeals court ruled in 2018 to give him a new trial, but that decision was overturned by Maryland’s highest court a year later. In Wednesday’s court filing, Maryland prosecutors said one of the two new suspects had assaulted a woman in her car without “provocation,” while the other was later convicted of rape and sexual assault, both of which occurred after Syed’s trial, according to the court. Journal.

Big Number

340 million. That’s how many times the first two seasons of “Serial”—the first focusing on Syed’s case—were downloaded in 2018, according to Variety.

Next Read

Adnan Syed’s Murder Sentence Should be vacated, Prosecutors Say (Wall Street Journal)

Baltimore prosecutors move to vacate Adnan Syed’s sentence in 1999 murder case that was brought to national fame on the ‘Serial’ podcast (Baltimore Sun)

Judge approves additional DNA test in case of Adnan Syed, subject of ‘Serial’ podcast (CNN)

Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/09/14/adnan-syed-case-prosecutors-reportedly-ask-judge-to-vacate-murder-conviction-at-center-of- serial-podcast/