Adnan Syed case: DNA results loom as state faces deadline to retry Serial podcast subject for murder

The discovery of two handwritten notes about another potential suspect ultimately led to Adnan Syed’s conviction being tossed, according to a newly released Serial episode.

The podcast, which first propelled the case to global attention and cast doubts on Mr Syed’s guilt back in 2014, published a new episode titled “Adnan is Out” on Tuesday morning – just hours after he walked out of court a free man.

In it, journalist Sarah Koenig revealed what finally led Baltimore prosecutors to rethink the 41-year-old’s conviction for the 1999 murder of his former girlfriend Hae Min Lee.

Earlier this year – 23 years on from the brutal murder – Becky Feldman, chief of the Sentencing Review Unit of the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, had stumbled across two old, “messy” handwritten notes containing the name of another potential suspect.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

A family friend of Adnan Syed has joked that the 41-year-old is not “looking to hook up” with the influx of “thirsty” ladies who have reached out following his bombshell release from prison.

“I keep getting asked this question and I’m only answering it once because first of all this is not my role in his life, but also people get a grip,” tweeted Rabia Chaudry on Wednesday morning.

“Adnan is not looking to hook up or meet any of the very thirsty, er I mean interested, ladies reaching out.”

Ms Chaudry, an attorney and family friend, shared a GIF of actor Julia Stiles gesturing to move on.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Eight years ago, a new sound hit the airwaves. It was minimalist, just a few notes on a piano, layered with an audio recording of a phone call coming from prison. Then, two voices: that of Adnan Syed, a man who at that point had spent 14 years behind bars, and that of Sarah Koenig, a journalist who had spent a year trying to figure out whether he belonged there.

Serial’s first season aired over just two months, but it marked the beginning of a saga that remains ongoing – and recently reached a high point when a Baltimore judge granted prosecutors’ request to vacate Syed’s conviction and give him a new trial. That in itself is a momentous development, and Serial’s impact has been felt beyond Syed’s case.

The Independent’s Clémence Michallon has the full story:

Serial host Sarah Koenig has said that the vacation of Adnan Syed’s conviction is “deja vu” for the defence who have 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 calling for Mr Syed’s release are “the same” as those already made by his legal team, during his decades-long fight to prove his innocence in the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee.

“A lot of what the state is saying in this motion probably feels like déjà vu for the defense side,” she said.

“Many of the arguments are the same — unreliable witness statements, unreliable cellphone evidence. A timeline of the crime that doesn’t hold up.”

Ms Koenig, who propelled the case to global attention through her podcast series, said that the “bombshell” new revelation came from the details that the state had failed to hand over information about another potential suspect back during the original case.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story: