Who says true crime podcasts are a waste of time

Baltimore prosecutors asked a judge on Wednesday to overturn the conviction of Adnan Syed in the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, a case that came to widespread attention when it was featured on the first season of the hit podcast “Serial.”

• It was also the subject of a 2019 HBO docuseries called “The Case Against Adnan Syed,” which questioned his guilt as well.

⚖️ More deets… To be clear, prosecutors aren’t necessarily saying Syed is innocent – just that they lack confidence "in the integrity of the conviction," and recommend he be released on his own recognizance or bail before a new trial begins (technicalities, amirite?).

Per the court filings, the reinvestigation uncovered evidence that two other suspects may have been involved, either separately or together. They were known during the initial investigation, but not properly ruled out.

Some other info uncovered by the reinvestigation:

• The grassy lot where Ms. Lee’s car was found in Baltimore was located behind a house that belonged to one suspect’s relative.
• One suspect (we don’t know if it’s the same one) had even threatened to kill the victim – information the prosecution had at the time. Prosecutors are required by law to give defense counsel exculpatory evidence upon request.

🎧👩‍⚖️ Zoom out: This isn’t the first time a podcast has helped set the wheels of justice in motion. Last month, a 74-year-old former high school teacher in Australia was found guilty of murdering his wife in 1982 after popular true-crime podcast "The Teacher's Pet" renewed an investigation.