Serial - the podcast *spoilers*

Freed

Judge also orders Syed released under home detention. Removing his shackles now. Orders new trial.

— Lee Sanderlin (@LeeOSanderlin) September 19, 2022

BTW, what happened with the DNA testing back in March -- does that typically take this long to come out?

― longtime caller, first time listener (man alive), Thursday, September 15, 2022 9:47 PM (four days ago)

Mentioned in the Sun's write-up:

"While examining the case, prosecutors agreed to request new DNA testing for items collected as evidence of Lee’s killing.

Phinn ordered the tests in March, but the results have so far been inconclusive, court documents show. Tests for a few of the items are pending."

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/crime/bs-md-ci-cr-adnan-syed-hearing-to-vacate-conviction-20220919-ynxvlcuqpbch5h6h2xl5xleh7q-story.html

I wonder if they might negotiate an Alford plea? Although it sounds like the current prosecutors actually want to make sure they convict the right person, not just win.

Just relistened to the first two episodes, and already I am much less happy about the standard of journalism in this than I was in 2014. Some of this may be to do with being able to hear the birth of the generally-repugnant True Crime Podcast industry, but I think the way it tells the story is messier and more simplistic than I remembered too.

Serial is supposedly dropping a new episode tomorrow

It would be interesting to know whether either of these two new suspects is the guy Serial and team Adnan were trying to pin the murder on

I heard koenig on The Daily. From her reporting, I can accept why the prosecutor made the decision she did, if you take the story at face value. I still think Adnan is guilty, but if the state comes forward with some convincing evidence that someone else did this, I'm prepared to be open minded about it. Unfortunately, if I had to bet, I'd bet there will be no new trial for Adnan and no trial for anyone else either.

Baltimore prosecutors on Tuesday dropped all charges against Adnan Syed, the man who spent over two decades behind bars for the 1999 killing of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and whose murder case was featured in the landmark podcast “Serial.”

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said Tuesday she instructed her office to dismiss the charges after results of advanced DNA testing of Lee’s shoes, skirt, pantyhose and jacket ruled out Syed.

“The items that we tested had never before been tested,” Mosby said. “We used advanced DNA to determine that it was not Adnan Syed.”

So was it the fuckin... six-fingered man?? What?

So, apparently there was no recoverable/testable DNA on the skirt, pantyhose and jacket at all. There was DNA on the shoes of "multiple" individuals who did not match Syed.

I am having a really hard time understanding how that would eliminate Syed as the murderer - the shoes weren't even on her when she was buried, they were in the car. I feel increasingly out on a limb arguing with a prosecutor's decision to overturn a conviction and at the same time I am completely baffled by this and do not understand.

The ONLY way it would wind up making sense is if that DNA specifically matches one of the "alternative suspects," and that suspect wouldn't otherwise have had contact with Hae such that the DNA accidentally got on her shoes (this is trace DNA so it's like tiny amounts of skin cells). And even then, you'd need a lot more than just DNA on shoes to convict. I guess we will see if that's the case?

Meanwhile, Rabia Chaudhry is now insisting that Scott Peterson is innocent too.

I'm not following that closely, but he was released on house arrest because they realized the defense was not told about other suspects... and whatever else was wrong about that trial. Meantime, they ordered new DNA work. Now that's back and in the absence of any more evidence against him, he's not going to be tried. Right?

There's no real question of eliminating him as a suspect.

I’ve read a few articles and I’m equally kinda baffled.

Mosby is kind of a sullied prosecutor and politician here in Baltimore, she’s currently under federal indictment. Would not at all be surprised if this was a cheap ploy to drum up good will.

“We used advanced DNA to determine that it was not Adnan Syed.”

I mean, this is a Trump-level statement.

I’ve read a few articles and I’m equally kinda baffled.

Mosby is kind of a sullied prosecutor and politician here in Baltimore, she’s currently under federal indictment. Would not at all be surprised if this was a cheap ploy to drum up good will.

― circa1916, Tuesday, October 11, 2022 8:53 PM (fifty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

At first I dismissed this as conspiracy theory, but there are literally stories in the news RIGHT NOW about how her attorneys are being accused of trying to influence the jury pool.

Becky Feldman, the attorney who wrote the motion, may have been a true believer, but it reads like she watched the HBO Doc and took it as gospel. She gets significant facts blatantly wrong.

xp OK I missed them coming right out and saying that. Wow.

This feels like a Mad Lib: Serial subject Adnan Syed spent his first Thanksgiving out of prison with Young Sheldon pic.twitter.com/TlPAHIJ6HO

— Jillian Sederholm (@JillianSed) November 30, 2022