JUST IN: Adnan Syed, of ‘Serial’ Podcast Fame, to Be Freed From Prison

Adnan Syed, who was sentenced to life in prison for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, is set to be freed after a judge overturned his conviction on Monday.

Prosecutors in Baltimore last week asked the judge to vacate the sentence of Syed, who was the subject of the first season of hit podcast Serial. The show, which debuted in 2014, called into question his conviction.

Syed, who is now 41 and has always maintained his innocence, was also the subject of 2019 HBO documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed.

The prosecutors did not argue Syed was found innocent, but that “the state no longer has confidence in the integrity of the conviction.” According to the New York Times, the prosecutors “have yet to decide if they will seek a new trial or drop the charges against Mr. Syed.”

The Times reported Monday:

In a motion filed in Baltimore City Circuit Court on Wednesday, prosecutors said that a nearly yearlong investigation, conducted with Mr. Syed’s lawyer, had uncovered information pointing to the possible involvement of two “alternative suspects,” as well as key evidence that prosecutors might have failed to disclose to Mr. Syed’s lawyers in violation of their legal duty.

The investigation also identified “significant reliability issues regarding the most critical pieces of evidence” used to convict Mr. Syed, including cellphone tower data.

Lee and Syed were classmates at a Baltimore high school when her body was found strangled in a park. Syed, who previously dated Lee, was 17 at the time. He was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping, and false imprisonment.

Syed has spent 23 years behind bars.