BALTIMORE (WMAR) — For the first time, we are hearing from Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby about why she has moved to overturn the murder conviction of Adnan Syed.
He was convicted in the 1999 killing of his ex-girlfriend and has fought to prove his innocence ever since.
Mosby said during an interview with Nightline that there were two errors with the case and he deserves a second chance at justice.
“Our mission as prosecutors is justice over convictions. That is our mission. Our success is not measured by the number of convictions that we have. It’s about ensuring justice for that family of the beautiful woman that was killed,” said Mosby. “I'm not at this point and at this stage declaring that Adnan Syed is innocent, but we are declaring that in the interest of fairness and justice, that he's entitled to a new trial.”
Hae Min Lee was last seen at Woodlawn High School and weeks later her body was found in Leakin Park.
Syed was sentenced to life in prison and his case gained national attention after being highlighted on the 2014 season of the podcast 'Serial.'
Now, after a yearlong investigation, Mosby is asking for his conviction to be overturned.
One of the reason she cited is the original prosecutors failed to disclose relevant information about other suspects that had a pattern of violence against women; one of whom threatened to kill the victim and had a motive.
“One of the suspects was improperly cleared by investigators based on faulty polygraph tests,” said Mosby. “I can’t go as far as to say they intentionally hid evidence. I can say that the information was not revealed. Not disclosed to the defendants.”
Much of Syed’s original trial hinged on the cell phone data records for his location during the time of her murder. At the time, the state contended dozens of calls were received placing Syed at Leakin Park on the date and time of the murder. He has long claimed to have been elsewhere at the time. Mosby said the data was unreliable and should not have been used against him.
“There was a faulty cell phone call evidence that was against Adnan Syed that probably would not stand up in court today,” said Mosby.
Syed's attorney Erica Suter is joining the state in requesting a hearing to vacate the sentence.
In a statement to WMAR-2 News, she wrote "given the stunning lack of reliable evidence implicating Mr. Syed... coupled with increasing evidence pointing to other suspects… this unjust conviction cannot stand."
Back in March, Lee's clothing was tested for “touch DNA” which was unavailable at the time of the trial. No useful results were found.
More samples are still being reviewed.
Lee’s family referred to a 2016 statement believing he is guilty.
The case has gone through multiple appeals that reached the U.S. Supreme Court, who refused to overturn the conviction. There's no date at this time for when the motion will be heard before a judge.
