DA Drops Charges Against Adnan Syed of “Serial” After 23 Years in Prison

Prosecutors dropped all charges against Mr. Syed based on DNA test results that excluded him.

09.19.22 By Innocence Staff

Adnan Syed, center, whose case gained notoriety from the hit podcast “Serial,” leaves a courthouse after a judge vacated his 2000 murder conviction Monday, Sept. 19, 2022 in Baltimore. (Image: Steve Ruark/AP Images for The Innocence Project)

Adnan Syed, center, whose case gained notoriety from the hit podcast “Serial,” leaves a courthouse after a judge vacated his 2000 murder conviction Monday, Sept. 19, 2022 in Baltimore. (Image: Steve Ruark/AP Images for The Innocence Project)

Update (10/11/2022): On Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022, Baltimore prosecutors dropped all charges against Mr. Syed based on DNA test results that excluded him from the DNA recovered from crime scene evidence. 

We welcome Judge Melissa Phinn’s decision to vacate the conviction of Adnan Syed, grant a new trial, and order his immediate release. Mr. Syed, who is represented by Erica Suter of the University of Baltimore Innocence Project Clinic, has maintained his innocence throughout the 23 years of his wrongful imprisonment. The focus of the podcast “Serial” and HBO’s documentary “The Case Against Adnan Syed,” Mr. Syed was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. The court concluded that Mr. Syed’s trial was unfair because the State failed to disclose key exculpatory evidence.

Mr. Syed’s Attorney Hold Press Conference