A US judge has thrown out the conviction of a man who has served over 20 years in prison for his ex-girlfriend's murder in a case that received worldwide attention thanks to the hit podcast "Serial."
Judge Melissa Phinn vacated the conviction of Adnan Syed, 42, who has been serving a life sentence since 2000 for the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, and ordered him released on his own recognisance pending a possible new trial.
Prosecutors had asked that the conviction be tossed following the discovery of "newly-developed information regarding two alternative suspects."
Ms Lee's body was found buried in February 1999 in a shallow grave in the woods of Baltimore, Maryland. She Lee had been strangled.
Mr Syed has steadfastly maintained his innocence but his multiple appeals have been denied, including by the US Supreme Court, which declined in 2019 to hear his case.
In a surprise move on Wednesday, the Baltimore City state's attorney, Marilyn Mosby, announced that she had asked a judge to vacate his conviction.
Mr Syed should be released while prosecutors conduct an investigation to determine whether he should be granted a new trial or whether the charges should be dropped, Ms Mosby said in a statement.
The move was prompted by the discovery of "undisclosed and newly-developed information regarding two alternative suspects, as well as unreliable cell phone tower data," she said.
"Syed deserves a new trial where he is adequately represented and the latest evidence can be presented," she added.
The Baltimore City state's attorney's office said they are "not asserting, at this time, that Mr Syed is innocent" but it "lacks confidence in the integrity of the conviction."
Mr Syed's case earned attention when it was taken up by "Serial," a weekly podcast that saw a US journalist revisit his conviction and cast doubt on his guilt.
His case has also been the subject of a four-part documentary on the HBO channel called "The Case Against Adnan Syed."
The "Serial" podcast - a mix of investigative journalism, first-person narrative and dramatic storytelling - focused its first season on Syed's story in 12 nail-biting episodes.
Both Mr Syed and Ms Lee were high school honor students and children from immigrant families from Pakistan and South Korea respectively who had concealed their relationship from their conservative parents.
Prosecutors said during the trial that Mr Syed was a "scorned lover" who felt humiliated after Ms Lee broke up with him.
Ms Mosby's office said re-investigation of the case has "revealed evidence regarding the possible involvement of two alternative suspects" who were "not properly ruled out nor disclosed to the defense."
Doubt has also been cast on the accuracy of cell phone data records that were used to determine Mr Syed's whereabouts on the day of the murder, it added.
