Adnan Syed, ‘Serial’ Podcast Subject, Asks To Be Release From Prison

Adnan Syed, the subject of the hit podcast Serial, requested on Monday to be released from prison until his new trial. Syed’s conviction for the 1999 murder of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee was vacated by the court in July after revelations from the podcast called into question the effectiveness of his defense.

Syed’s defense team claims that he does not pose a threat to the community, stating that he has an excellent record for the past 17 years he has been in prison. “Syed has been waiting 17 years to get back into court to prove his innocence,” his attorneys write. “With that moment within his grasp, there is no reason to think he would now abscond from justice and risk everything he has accomplished to date.

Syed’s records from the department of corrections said show that he has been an excellent worker and requires “minimal supervision.” However, he was caught in 2009 with a contraband cell phone.

“Under these circumstances, the nature of the evidence, in this case, tilts decidedly in favor or releasing Syed before another jury has the unenviable task of sorting through the inconsistencies in the brand-new story that Wilds will inevitably tell,” Syed’s attorneys write in their brief to the court, referring to a key witness in the case.