Adnan Syed: Prosecutors Drop Charges in Connection With ‘Serial’ Case

Tuesday, it was reported that prosecutors had moved to drop charges against Adnan Syed, who was ordered to be released from prison last month.

Adnan Syed is seen outside a facility
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Image via Getty/Lloyd Fox/The Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service

Adnan Syed is seen outside a facility

Charges against Adnan Syed in connection with the Serial case have been dropped, lawyers said on Tuesday.

Per a report from the Associated Press, word of the dropped charges was shared to social media by Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law co-director Laura Nirider. Meanwhile, Erica Suter, a lawyer, told the Baltimore Sun her clients charges had indeed been dropped but did not provide additional information.

Breaking news: After the latest round of DNA testing generated results that, like previous rounds of testing, excluded Adnan Syed, he has now been formally exonerated! https://t.co/RgdYCvgHFz

— Laura Nirider (@LauraNirider) October 11, 2022

When reached for comment by Complex, a rep for Marilyn Mosby, the State’s Attorney for Baltimore, confirmed “the case has been dropped.” Additional details are set to be discussed during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, which the rep said would be streamed via Facebook.

In September, a judge granted a motion co-filed by Mosby to vacate Syed’s conviction and ask for a new trial. As documented on Sarah Koenig’s Serial podcast, Syed had previously been convicted in the 1999 killing of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee.

“After a nearly year-long investigation reviewing the facts of this case, my team successfully argued that Mr. Syed deserves a new trial where he can be adequately represented and the latest evidence can be presented,” Mosby, whose office noted it lacked “confidence in the integrity” of the conviction, said at the time.

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More recently, Mosby issued a public response to remarks from Attorney General Brian Frosh, who had supported efforts to pause the Syed case in response to an appeal push from Lee’s family.

“As opposed to deflecting from his prosecutorial failure, I urge AG Frosh to ‘dig a little deeper’ and evaluate any other errors infringing on the rights of other Marylanders,” Mosby said.

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