A US judge on Monday threw out the conviction of a man who has served over 20 years in prison for his ex-girlfriend's murder — a case that received worldwide attention thanks to the hit podcast "Serial."
Judge Melissa Phinn vacated the conviction of , 42, who has been serving a life sentence since 2000 for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, and ordered him released on his own recognisance pending a possible new trial.
Prosecutors had asked that the conviction be tossed following the discovery of "newly-developed information regarding two alternative suspects."
Mr Syed has steadfastly maintained his innocence but his multiple appeals have been denied, including by the US Supreme Court which declined in 2019 to hear his case.
In a surprise move on Wednesday, the Baltimore City state's attorney, Marilyn Mosby, announced that she had asked a judge to vacate Mr Syed's conviction.
The move was prompted by the discovery of "undisclosed and newly-developed information regarding two alternative suspects, as well as unreliable cell phone tower data," she said.
Officials escort "Serial" podcast subject Adnan Syed from the courthouse on 3 February, 2016, following the completion of the first day of hearings for a retrial in Baltimore, Maryland. Source: AAP / (Photo by Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS/Sipa USA).
The Baltimore City state's attorney's office said they are "not asserting, at this time, that Mr Syed is innocent" but it "lacks confidence in the integrity of the conviction."
Mr Syed's case earned attention when it was taken up by "Serial," a weekly podcast that saw a US journalist revisit his conviction and cast doubt on his guilt.
A view of the poster at the New York premiere of HBO's "The Case Against Adnan Syed" at Pure Non-Fiction on 26 February, 2019 in New York City. Source: Getty / (Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images for HBO)
The "Serial" podcast — a mix of investigative journalism, first-person narrative and dramatic storytelling -- focused its first season on Syed's story in 12 nail-biting episodes.
Both Mr Syed and Ms Lee were high school honour students and children from immigrant families — he Pakistani, she South Korean — who had concealed their relationship from their conservative parents.
Prosecutors said during the trial that Mr Syed was a "scorned lover" who felt humiliated after Ms Lee broke up with him.
Ms Mosby's office said re-investigation of the case has "revealed evidence regarding the possible involvement of two alternative suspects" who were "not properly ruled out nor disclosed to the defense."
Doubt has also been cast on the accuracy of cell phone data records that were used to determine Mr Syed's whereabouts on the day of the murder, it added.
