Adnan Syed, the man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend in 1999 and sentenced to a life term the next year,will have an opportunity to plead his innocence once more thanks to the Serial Podcast.
Syed was convicted of killing Hae Min Lee after her body was found buried in Baltimore’s Leakin Park. According to the the Baltimore Sun retired Judge Martin Welch vacated the conviction after an alibi witness was a guest on the popular podcast disputing the evidence introduced at trial. After the show aired, listeners became engrossed in the facts and downloading the show millions of times scrutinizing the elements of the case. Serial producer Susan Simpson, an attorney and “Serial” blogger, would ultimately be credited for tracking down the evidence that forced Welch to vacate the 16 year old verdict after four months of consideration.
Syed was convicted despite there being no physical evidence to tie him to the crime. The star witness in the case Jay Wilds, an acquaintance who said he helped Syed bury the body in Leakin Park, cooperated with authorities in exchange for no immunity.