US releases man who served 23 years

On Monday, a US judge overturned the conviction of a man sentenced to 23 years in prison for a murder he has always denied and made famous on a podcast. Serial.

Adnan SayedThe 42-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 for the death of his ex-girlfriend. Hae Ming read in Baltimore, on the East Coast of the United States.

By an unexpected twist, the city attorney, Marilyn Mosbyasked last week to cancel the sentence, explaining that there are doubts about his guilt, and asked to release him.

Mosby explained that he discovered the existence of “two alternative suspects”, key information that was not valued at the time and, above all, was not given to the defense prior to trial.

On Monday, the judge granted the request at a hearing held in a courtroom in St. Baltimore completely complete.

“In the interests of fairness and equality, the motion is granted and the defendant will be released with an electronic bracelet,” the judge said. Melissa Finn.

The police then removed the handcuffs. Adnan Sayed, as part of the audience applauded before calling for order. A man with a full beard and a white cap did not react to this decision.

“She found it hard to believe that was true” and now “she wants to spend time with her family,” her lawyer, Erica Suter, said outside the courthouse as her client left without comment.

“Deceived”

Prosecutor Mosby insisted that justice “had not yet found Adnan Syed not guilty” and that she would wait for the results of the DNA test before dropping the investigation against him or organizing a new trial, which should be resolved within the maximum time limit. from 30 days.

Regardless of the decision, Mosby promised to continue the investigation “to make sure Hae Ming’s relatives know exactly who is responsible.”

During the hearing, the victim’s brother spoke on the phone to explain his confusion. He said he was “living in a nightmare that never ended” and also felt “cheated” by prosecutors who had claimed for years that they had found the culprit.

The case began in 1999 when the police found the body Hae Min Lee, aged 18, half-buried in a Baltimore forest. Adnan Sayed, then aged 17, was arrested and sentenced to life in prison a year later.

According to the accusation, the boy would not have been able to bear her leaving him and would have strangled her. Syed has always denied the crime and claimed to be the victim of anti-Muslim prejudice.

In 2014, a team of journalists conducted their own investigation, narrated over 12 episodes of the podcast. Serial and it generated, according to the producers, about 300 million downloads and also inspired a documentary on the HBO network.

Independent investigation Serial showed that the protection Adnan Sayed He did not take into account the favorable opinion of the expert on the mobile phone, as well as the testimony of a young woman who provided him with a potential alibi.

His work led to a reopening of the case, and in March 2018 a Maryland Court of Appeals ordered a new trial, finding that the defense provided “ineffective assistance” to his client. (AFP)