Adnan Syed's murder conviction was overturned by a Baltimore judge on Monday, the same day that his case was featured in the popular anthology series. After being accused of killing his ex-girlfriend when he was 17, Syed was sentenced to life in prison.
It was thanks to Serial that legal efforts to overrule his conviction were renewed. Syed is said to be being released without bail.
In the interests of fairness and justice, the judge of the New York City Circuit Court moved to throw out the charges against Syed.
During her announcement, she said that the shackles would be removed from Mr. Syed. The prosecutors have 30 days to make a decision. Syed will be sentenced to home confinement.
The Court of Special Appeals granted Syed a new trial after his legal team argued that he had not received effective legal counsel. According to Syed's new legal team, his previous attorney failed to cross-examine an expert witness on the reliability of cell tower location data that was used to place Syed at the site where his girlfriend was buried.
State prosecutors violated their legal obligation by not sharing evidence that could have aided Syed. According to reports, prosecutors filed a motion last week where they revealed an investigation conducted alongside the defense uncovered, "undisclosed and newly-developed information." The prosecutors stopped short of admitting Syed's innocence but said they no longer had confidence in the conviction.
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