The journalist and host of the popular podcast spoke to The New York Times after a judge released Syed — who was serving a life sentence for the murder of Hae Min Lee — and overturned his conviction on Monday.
After more than two decades behind bars, Syed was freed, at age 41, after Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn in Baltimore overturned his conviction for the murder of Lee, who was Syed’s ex-girlfriend, ruling that the state violated its legal obligation to share exculpatory evidence with Syed’s defense. At the time of Lee’s murder, Syed was 17; he has maintained his innocence at all times since.
Syed, who has been placed on home detention with GPS monitoring, now faces either a new trial or dismissal of the case, a decision the state will make within 30 days.