After more than 20 years in an indefinite sentence, Adnan Syed, the host of the podcast about true crime “Serial,”is scheduled to be released from jail.
A jury has found Syed of abducting and killing his former girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 2000. Lee was only 18 when she disappeared in the month of January, 1999. her body was discovered buried in a nearby park just a few days following. Lee was strangled to death.
Syed was always adamant about his innocence, and over his entire life making motions to appeal and motions to get post-conviction relief. However, those motions didn’t make it much further in Maryland court until prosecutors from Baltimore submitted a motion to lift Syed’s conviction last week.
“To be crystal clear The state is not affirming, at present, that the accused has committed a crime,” it reads. “However…the government has lost confidence in the validity of the decision.”
An examination of the investigation revealed that the police knew of two more suspects in Lee’s death. An investigation of a year long, carried out by both the state as well as Syed’s defense group has revealed additional DNA evidence as well as possible Bradyviolations that may confirm Syed’s innocence.
More importantly, this could mean that Hae Min Lee’s murderer is probably on the loose.
What are Brady Violations?
Criminal lawyers often speak of Bradyviolations in their legal representation, they’re referring to the 1963 Supreme Court decision, Brady v. Maryland. The case involved a an unidentified 25-year-old John Brady was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced death due to his involvement in a robbery that ended in the death of someone. Brady declared that his accomplice, Charles Boblit, committed the murder. In fact the prosecution had an unsigned confession from Boblit. However, that confession was not presented at trial or discussed with Brady’s defense attorneys.
It was the case that Supreme Court held that if investigators discover evidence that may help a defendant in their case and is able to exonerate them, they must turn it over to the defendant’s defense team. If they fail to turn it over, they are in violation of the due process clause. Bradyviolations could be interpreted as overturned convictions or the reduction of someone’s sentence or even the denial of the charges completely.
What is the reason that Prosecutors Wouldn’t Vacate Their Case?
The state’s motion was based on a law that was passed in Maryland in the year 2019. The initial goal was to invalidate convictions that were based on the testimony of those who are part from The corruption-ridden Gun Trace Task Force. It is also applicable to verdict where evidence from the present makes the government question the credibility of an earlier criminal trial.
A recent investigation revealed that there were additional suspects involved in Lee’s death However, one suspect was actually threatening to murder Syed. The information might have assisted Syed’s legal team to present another theory for the murder case had prosecutors given it to the defense team.
State officials point to evidence that suggests that others suspects were convicted of sexual assault , and also committed violence towards women. Certain of the crimes took place in the days prior to Syed’s trial and some were committed after. The investigation also revealed that the area in which Lee’s vehicle was discovered when she disappeared was located right next to a home that belonged to a family member of one of the other suspects.
Since the majority of testimony against Syed was incidental, the new evidence will likely have been an enormous difference during the trial. Furthermore, since some of the evidence was made available to the prosecutors in 1999, the fact the information was not given to the defense the conviction he was previously given is suspicious and could be in violation of the Constitution.
Syed was released on the State’s request
It was, in fact, the state of Maryland that demanded Syed to be released on own recognizance in the event that its request to overturn his conviction was accepted. Baltimore’s prosecutor in chief, Marilyn Mosby, released the following statement outlining the office’s policy.
“We think that the idea of keeping the accused Mr. Syed detained as we are continuing to probe the matter using all the information we have today, even though we aren’t confident on the outcome from the initial trial is unjust.”