That was until Sept. 19, when a judge overturned his murder conviction.
The 41-year-old had been serving time for the 1999 murder of his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, who was found dead in a Baltimore park.
In 2014, the podcast, Serial, was created, which took a deep dive into all of the details within Syed's case. Host Sarah Koenig caught the attention of people across the county, all wondering if Syed was truly guilty of Lee's tragic murder.
"This is not a podcast for me. This is real life - a never-ending nightmare for 20-plus years,"
Lee's brother was shocked that there was even a chance Syed's conviction would be vacated, CBS Baltimore reported.
Over the last two decades, Syed continued to proclaim his innocence. Judge Melissa Phinn of Baltimore City Circuit Court recently learned that the prosecution withheld certain pieces of evidence that could have helped Syed's case. After that, she started to think Syed could be telling the truth.
Judge Phinn ruled that the prosecutors have 30 days to ask for a new trial or drop the case. The prosecutors alluded to the fact that other suspects could be involved in this case, but no further information was given about what their next move will be.
Although it is not clear what the future holds for Syed, the judge made it clear that she is still committed to bringing justice to the Lee family.
While in prison in Jessup, Syed had been studying for a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University through its Prison Scholars Program, according to the New York Times.
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