Serial's Adnan Syed has all charges dropped in light of DNA evidence
![erica suter photo](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YXQsneAJRVBn4Zxgc6ZnbF-415-80.jpg)
Baltimore prosecutors officially dropped the charges against Adnan Syed, the man previously convicted of murdering his high school girlfriend, The Baltimore Sun reports. Syed's story gained public attention after the podcast "Serial" called his conviction into question.
Syed was initially convicted of the murder of Hae Min Lee in 1999. A Baltimore judge overturned the conviction last month after the state attorney's office lost faith in the original verdict. They decided to overturn his conviction after his legal team discovered evidence of two possible alternative suspects that went unreported. State Attorney Marilyn Mosby was then given a month to decide whether to dismiss his case or grant him a new trial in light of the new evidence.
Mosby was reportedly waiting for last-minute DNA testing on evidence collected when the murder occurred, per the Sun. In a news release after the Tuesday court decision, the public defender's office revealed that the DNA test results excluded Syed as a suspect.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"Finally, Adnan Syed is able to live as a free man," Syed's attorney, Erica Suter, said in a statement. "The DNA results confirmed what we have already known and what underlies all of the current proceedings: that Adnan is innocent and lost 23 years of his life serving time for a crime he did not commit."
Mosby has said that she would be prepared to certify Syed's innocence if the DNA results exonerated him, which would make him eligible for up to $2.2 million in compensation for the years he was falsely incarcerated per the Walter Lomax Act, the Sun reports.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
The worst baseball franchises of the Wild Card era
The Explainer These teams have consistently failed to find a winning formula
By David Faris Published
-
Canadian takeover bid for Japan's 7-Eleven could change how the Asian country does business
In the Spotlight Would a foreign company upend konbini culture?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Why are older workers staying on the job?
Today's Big Question And what does it mean for younger workers?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Swearing in the UK: a colourful history
In The Spotlight Thanet council's bad language ban is the latest chapter in a saga of obscenity
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published