Syed has long sought to overturn his conviction and get a new trial for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, but he has faced opposition from state authorities in the past. Then on Wednesday, the Baltimore state’s attorney’s office said in a motion in district court that — while its investigation is ongoing — it had lost confidence in the conviction and had identified other possible suspects. “To be clear, the State does not claim at this time that the defendant is innocent,” prosecutors wrote. “However, for all of the reasons set forth below, the State no longer has confidence in the integrity of the conviction.” Prosecutors wrote that Syed should “at least be granted a new trial” and that he should be released while they continue to investigate. They suggested they could move to drop the case entirely, “depending on the results of ongoing investigative efforts.” Read the motion to overturn Said’s conviction Prosecutors said a nearly year-long investigation by them and Syed’s defense revealed new information about “the possible involvement of two alternative suspects” and violations in the government’s handover of evidence to the defense. “Additionally, the parties have identified significant credibility issues regarding the most critical evidence at trial,” prosecutors wrote. Prosecutors did not name the other suspects and released limited information about them. They said the two “may be involved individually or may be involved together” and referred to them throughout the drive as “one of the suspects”, without specifying which person they were referring to. Prosecutors said someone tipped off investigators that one of the suspects had a motive to kill Lee, and he had said that “they would do it [Lee] disappear. He would kill her.” Prosecutors also revealed that Lee’s car was found behind the home of a family member of one of the suspects. The court filing said that both prosecutors and Syed’s The defense received credible information that one of the suspects committed multiple rapes and sexual assaults, and the suspect was convicted of such conduct. Prosecutors wrote that the information “was not available at the time of trial and occurred after the trial,” but still warranted further scrutiny. Syed was a 17-year-old high school student when he was arrested in late February 1999 for Lee’s murder. His case was featured on “Serial,” which had its first season in 2014. Host Sarah Koenig described the events surrounding the death of Lee, Syed’s ex-girlfriend. Lee’s body was found in Leakin Park, Baltimore. Investigators determined she died of strangulation. Syed was convicted of murder in 2000 and is serving a life sentence. He maintains his innocence. The “Serial” podcast case through the eyes of a staunch defender of Adnan Syed In 2016, a district court overturned Syed’s conviction, citing the “effective assistance” of a former attorney who failed to investigate an alibi witness, and in March 2018, the Court of Special Appeals upheld the ruling granting Syed a new trial. But in March 2019, the Maryland Supreme Court reinstated Said’s murder conviction. Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement Wednesday that she has concluded that Said deserves a new trial “where he will be adequately represented and the most recent evidence can be presented.” “We have spoken with Ms. Hae Min Lee’s family and fully understand that the person responsible for this heinous crime must be held accountable,” Mosby said. He added that “it would be unfair to keep Mr. Syed in custody as we continue to investigate the case with everything we know now, when we have no confidence in the results of the first trial.” Syed’s defense attorney, Assistant Public Defender Erica Suter, praised the development. “Given the stunning lack of credible evidence implicating Mr. Syed, combined with mounting evidence pointing to other suspects, this wrongful conviction cannot stand,” Suter said. “Mr. Syed is grateful that this information has finally seen the light of day and is looking forward to his day in court.” Maryland Public Defender Natasha Dartigue took particular aim at what she said were the state’s failures to turn over evidence to Syed’s attorneys. “The fact that information about the alternate suspects’ motives and threats was withheld from defense attorneys for more than 20 years should shock the conscience,” Dartig said. “This is a true example of how justice delayed is justice denied. An innocent man spends decades wrongfully imprisoned, while any information or evidence that could help identify the real perpetrator becomes increasingly difficult to find.” An earlier version of this story said prosecutors filed the motion Thursday. Filed on Wednesday.
