By now, many of us are familiar with the name Adnan Syed. He was the subject of an overwhelmingly popular true crime podcast by This American Life called ‘Serial’. Over the course of 12 intense episodes the series took us through the story of high school student Hae Min Lee’s death. Adnan, Hae Min’s ex-boyfriend, was convicted for her murder and is currently serving a life prison sentence.
Adnan has always maintained that he is innocent. His account of events and the questionable gaps in the case that spurred the podcast’s producer Sarah Koenig into an elaborate year-long investigation retracing old phone calls, re-interviewing friends and family, and speaking to various experts, gripped and divided listeners quite dramatically.
Needless to say, though, when the series eventually ended we only wanted to know more about what really happened between the couple back in 1999. The story is not yet over, though...
A new documentary, ‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ is officially in the works. Produced by HBO, the series is already hotly anticipated despite little having been announced yet. That said, there are a few things we do know already. Here’s everything you need to know while we wait…
What Is The Adnan Syed Documentary About?
The new documentary is apparently going to re-examine the entire case and will also take a dive into what happened before Hae Min was killed. The series has been in production since 2015 and, by the sounds of it, we can expect even more exclusive access to Adnan himself as well as the legal team involved in the case.
In the documentary's announcement, HBO said _The Case Against Adnan Syed '_closely re-examines the events leading up to Hae Min Lee’s disappearance, from high school romance, forbidden love and cultural conflict, to the aftermath of her disappearance, the original police investigation and the present day, when Syed awaits a new trial'.
So far we've been teased with 'new discoveries' and 'groundbreaking revelations', however as for whether or not they'll contribute or be influential in a retrial, we'll have to wait and see.
How Can I watch 'The Case Against Adnan Syed' In The UK?
The documentary-series has been picked up by both HBO and Sky Atlantic so from this side of the pond, as long as you have a Sky or Now TV subscription, you shouldn't have any issue watching the story unfold.
When Is ‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ Released?
So far, no release date. But it wouldn't be surprising if we had to wait a little while for something to actually hit our television screens. We're expecting a few intense trailer releases (at the very least) in the meantime.
Will It Be Different To The Adnan Syed: Innocent or Guilty? documentary?
In case you missed it, this is not the first documentary to follow the Serial podcast in unpicking Adnan Syed's case. The Investigation Discovery channel aired a TV special called Adnan Syed: Innocent or Guilty? back in 2016 in which Justin Brown (Adnan's lawyer at the time) discussed two key pieces of evidence - cell phone records and Adnan's best friend's inconsistent testimony - in the now almost twenty-year-old case.
It came ahead of the announcement that after a long slog of appealing to the courts, Adnan was finally granted a retrial on the basis that his original attorney 'fell below the standard of reasonable professional judgment'.
What Happened To Adnan Syed After The Serial Podcast?
For the duration of the podcast and the resulting fanfare that developed in its wake, Adnan Syed was (and is still) serving a sentence of lifetime imprisonment for Hae Min's murder.
Adnan's defence team pushed for a new trial on the basis that he wasn't given effective council in the original one. In February 2016 there was a hearing for a re-trial in which a Asia Mclain, Adnan's friend and potential alibi who also wrote a book about the whole thing, was cross examined an d testified that he had seen Adnan at the time the prosecution claimed Hae Min had been murdered. The hearing lasted 5 days and in July 2016 Justin Brown tweeted that a retrial had been granted.
Most recently, the Baltimore Sun reported that only a few days ago prosecutors asked the courts to reverse the ruling that would grant Adnan the new trial which means that it'll likely be quite a while before he finally finds out for sure whether or not he'll actually be receiving this new trial.
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