The Serial podcast was one of the first truly breakout shows. Podcasting had been fairly niche until they hit on this engrossing formula: true crime told from a journalistic and narriative point of view. Their subject, Adnan Syed, was convicted of a murder he claims he didn't do. The evidence seemed flimsy.
The more Serial dug, the more doubt many people had about the crime's investigation. For years Syed was helped by the attention to get the case reviewed by the courts. Now, hot off the presses, the prosecutors in Baltimore have announced they are dropping all charges. Jacob Knutson of Axios has the scoop.
Baltimore prosecutors on Tuesday dropped charges against Adnan Syed, whose conviction for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee was vacated last month based on new evidence discovered after his case became the subject of the first season of the hit podcast "Serial," according to the Baltimore Sun.
Baltimore's State’s Attorney’s Office was deliberating whether to dismiss Syed's case or attempt to retry him over Min Lee's death after his life in prison sentence was overturned.
Axios
This is huge news and shows the power of hard-hitting journalism. Serial's future seasons were not nearly as compelling as their first, but they easily could've done one season and still be a hit. That season alone had over 80 million downloads.
The real question is what will happen now? Will any other suspects be considered? Will the case remain unsolved? At the core of this entire situation is still a dead teenager who still deserves justice. I hope for her and her family that it is served in a satisfying manner.