Why court troway man murder conviction after 20 years in prison

One judge don quash a Baltimore man murder conviction for one case wey spawn hit true crime podcast Serial.

Adnan Syed dey 19 when court was sentence am to life in prison for di death of im ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, who dem find her body buried inside woods in 1999.

Prosecutors last week bin ask di court to throw out im conviction, saying one year-long case review don turn up two “alternative suspects”.

Dem go release Syed into home detention.

Now 41, dem remove im shackles in court on Monday after e don spend nearly 23 years behind bars.

Baltimore Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn tok say she dey vacate im conviction “in di interest of fairness and justice”, add join say state bin fail to share evidence wey fit help im defence at trial at di time.

Di decision no mean Syed dey innocent.

Judge Phinn don order a new trial.

Jury find Syed guilty in 2000 of premeditated murder, kidnapping, robbery and false imprisonment.

Prosecutors bin argue say e be bitter lover wey strangle Lee, im classmate at Woodlawn High School, and – with the help of one friend – hide her body for Baltimore Leakin Park.

Dem rely in part on mobile phone location data wey dem don prove unreliable since.

Dem don deny every appeal wey Syed don file over di past two decades, including im most recent attempt in 2019.

Na di 2014 podcast Serial wey focus worldwide attention on di case and cast doubt on Syed guilt.

Episodes of di show don dey downloaded more dan 340 million times.

Di case don also lead to oda works, wey include one HBO docuseries in 2019.

Di Baltimore State Attorney Office, wey study di case over di past year alongside Syed latest defence attorney, tok on Wednesday say e “deserve a new trial”.

Prosecutors tok say dem lack “confidence in di integrity of di conviction” and don identify two new potential suspect wey dey known to police since di 1999 murder.

Dem never name any of di suspect, but officials say both get documented records of violence towards women, wey include convictions wey occur after Syed trial.

One suspect wey dem clear from di investigation into Lee death after failing one lie-detector test, one method wey dem no longer dey admit in many US courts.”

Our prosecutors don swear to not only aggressively advocate on behalf of victims of crime but when di evidence exists to exonerate those wey don dey falsely accused and convicted,” lead prosecutor Marilyn Mosby tok outside di court.

She dey interrupted by loud cheers as Syed comot di building through one scrum of cameras and supporters.

Before di ruling, di victim brother tell di court on Monday as e dey cry say e no “against di investigate”, but dem dey blind-sided by prosecutors.”

Everyday wen I think e don dey over… or e don end, e dey always come back. E dey kill me,” tok Young Lee.”

Dis no be podcast for me. Dis na real life – never-ending nightmare for 20-plus years.”

Steve Kelly, one victim rights lawyer for di family, tok say di the Lees bin dey “shut out of di legal process” and dey “deeply disappointed” with di way dem bin treat dem.”

All dem wan na information,” tok Oga Kelly.

“If di truth na say na somebody else kill dia daughter, dem wan know dat more dan anyone.”

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Serial Productions, wey produce di podcast, tweet say e go release one new episode about di latest for di legal saga on Tuesday.