US murder conviction of Adnan Syed from 'Serial' overturned
A court in the US state of Maryland ordered the release of Adnan Syed on Monday, after overturning his conviction for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend in a case that was chronicled in the hit podcast "Serial".
A Baltimore Circuit judge made the decision after both Syed's lawyer and prosecutors filed motions that questioned the integrity of the trial.
Judge Melissa Phinn ordered Syed to be placed on home detention with GPS location monitoring. She also said the state must decide whether to seek a new trial date for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, or dismiss the case within 30 days.
"All right Mr Syed, you’re free to join your family," Phinn said as the hearing ended.
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Outside, Syed smiled as he was shepherded to an SUV, through a sea of cameras and cheering supporters.
Syed has maintained he was innocent and did not kill Hae Min Lee, who was 18 when she was strangled and buried in a Baltimore park.
His case was picked up by the podcast Serial, hosted by investigative journalist Sarah Koenig, and drew international attention to the case in 2014.
Syed's first trial in 1999 ended in a mistrial, but in February 2000 he was convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping, and sentenced to life plus 30 years in prison.
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