Final chapter for 'Serial' podcast: Judge overturns Adnan Syed's conviction

'Serial' revolutionized podcasts and opened the doors of

to audio with its account of the case of Adnan Syed, who was sentenced to life in prison on charges of strangling his ex-girlfriend at age 17.

The documentary kept Americans on edge for months and cast doubt on the fairness of the sentence.

Eight years after its issuance, a judge in Baltimore (Maryland) has annulled the conviction of Syed, who is now 41 years old, on Monday.

The judge has listened to the Baltimore Prosecutor's Office, which last week requested the annulment of the conviction, alleging that after a year of investigation new evidence had appeared and that there were two other potential suspects in Lee's murder.

Judge Melissa Phinn has decided to annul the life sentence in the interest of justice and has ordered that he be released and placed under house arrest while the prosecution decides within a month whether or not to present charges again.

Syed, of Pakistani origin, has left the court this Monday afternoon smiling and making the gesture of victory, dressed in a white shirt, a blue tie and a hat on his head.

The sight has aroused enormous expectation.

Relatives of the condemned man, the media and followers of the podcast crowded at the exit of the Baltimore courthouse where it was held.

During the 23 years he has spent in prison, Syed has consistently defended his innocence, but the echo of his case did not resonate until 2014, thanks to the work of the journalist Sarah Koenig on the murder of the teenager Hae Min Lee in a suburb in Baltimore City in 1999.

In a 12-part podcast, Koenig reviewed in detail all the peculiarities of the case and cast doubt on the investigation and the validity of the evidence provided at trial.

At the time, it was an unknown case, but Koenig's talent was able to keep millions of Americans on their toes every week, wondering if Syed was guilty or innocent.

Sarah was at the courthouse when Adnan was released, a new episode is coming tomorrow morning.

https://t.co/GmO3jmGeoy

— Serial (@serial) September 19, 2022

The journalist conducted interviews with the convicted person, friends and acquaintances of himself and the victim, visited the crime scenes and reviewed the details of the investigation.

She also examined the figure of her lawyer, later disqualified between accusations of malpractice.

The podcast, initially broadcast on public radio, broke records for millions of downloads with its first season, dedicated to this case.

HBO subsequently made a docuseries about it in 2019.

"Sarah was in court when Adnan was released, a new episode is coming tomorrow morning," the official

which has already produced two other seasons dedicated to other cases.

The franchise accumulates hundreds of millions of downloads, mainly in the United States, but its diffusion has crossed borders.

The success of

it made podcasts begin to be perceived as a formula with enormous possibilities and unleashed a fever of

based on real crimes.

The popularity of the genre has been such that it has even given rise to parodies, such as in the brilliant television series

starring Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short.

a new investigation

Syed's lawyers managed to get a court to order a retrial, but that decision was appealed and overturned.

Although they tried to appeal to the Supreme, it declined to enter the case.

In 2019, the defense of the convicted tried another route that in the end has been more fruitful: asking the prosecution to reopen the investigation itself.

Baltimore (United States), 09/19/2022.- State's Attorney for Baltimore Marilyn Mosby (CR) speaks to the media after a judge vacated the murder conviction of 'Serial' podcast subject Adnan Syed in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, 19 September 2022. Syed has been in prison for more than 20 years after being convicted of strangling his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. (United States) EFE/EPA/JIM LO SCALZOJIM LO SCALZO (EFE)

After further analysis, the prosecutor has concluded that two potential suspects were prematurely ruled out, including one who, according to his inquiries, has once said in private that he was the one who made the victim disappear, who was found in a baltimore park.

In addition, some data from the original investigation, including witness statements and analysis of data and phone records, also cast doubt on its reliability.

The prosecution also violated Syed's rights of defense by withholding key evidence from his lawyers that could have influenced the case.

During the hearing held this Monday, relatives of the victim have shown their displeasure at the judge's decision.

"For me this is not a podcast, it is an endless nightmare of real life that has lasted more than 20 years," said the brother of the murdered woman, who has expressed concern about the possibility that the crime will go unpunished.

Prosecutors have assured that they keep the new investigation open and that they will try to see justice done.

Perhaps there are still new chapters to be broadcast.

You can follow EL PAÍS TELEVISIÓN on