The Biggest Takeaways From The Case Against Adnan Syed Episode 5

"Six years after HBO's documentary The Case Against Adnan Syedwas released, we are getting a new episode. Syed's case was first brought to national attention with the podcast Serial in 2014, where Sarah Koenig reported on the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee and the conviction of Lee's ex-boyfriend, Syed, for that murder. The podcast became a phenomenon and cast doubt on his conviction in one of the first instances of true-crime media having real-life consequences for its subjects."

"The first four episodes of The Case Against Adnan Syed explored Syed's attempt at overturning his conviction while also shedding more light on Lee's story than Serial ever did. In 2019, episode four ended with the Maryland Court of Appeals denying Syed a new trial. Now, six years later, "Part Five: The Tree Grew" details the long, complicated process that resulted in Syed becoming a free man."

"Syed's case got wrapped up in the racial reckoning that occurred in America in 2020. A new, progressive district attorney championed freeing the falsely convicted in Baltimore, which she felt potentially included Syed. Her career at the state attorney's office was cut short, but her office's investigation into Lee's murder found untested DNA and two potential new suspects. Here are all the new developments revealed in the final episode of The Case Against Adnan Syed."

Adnan Syed's 1999 conviction for Hae Min Lee's murder drew nationwide attention after the Serial podcast in 2014, which raised doubts about the verdict. HBO's The Case Against Adnan Syed examined legal appeals and amplified Lee's story, culminating in a 2019 Maryland Court of Appeals denial of a new trial. In 2025, Part Five: The Tree Grew recounts a reinvestigation by Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's office that uncovered multiple trial problems, including untested DNA on a liquor bottle and two potential new suspects. Those findings, alongside prosecutorial changes and a broader 2020 racial reckoning, contributed to Syed's eventual release.

Read at Vulture