Prosecutors Say Adnan Syed's DNA Was NOT Found On Tested Items From Crime Scene

“There is no forensic evidence linking him to this crime,” defense attorney C. Justin Brown tweeted.

March 29, 2019
Adnan Syed [Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images]

2053951500

Officials escort "Serial" podcast subject Adnan Syed from the courthouse on Feb. 3, 2016, following the completion of the first day of hearings for a retrial in Baltimore. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images)

Photo by: Adnan Syed [Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images]

Adnan Syed [Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun/TNS via Getty Images]

By: Catherine Townsend

BALTIMORE, MD — Prosecutors involved in the murder case of Adnan Syed, the Baltimore student whose story was followed by the entire nation in the hit true crime podcast Serial, say Syed's DNA was not found on items tested from the crime scene.

In 2000, Syed was convicted of strangling his high school ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. According to documents obtained by The Baltimore Sun, prosecutors recently tested items including fingernail clippings, a rope, blood samples, a liquor bottle, items of clothing, and a condom wrapper. None tested positive for Syed's DNA.

According to the newspaper, the only DNA found belonged to the victim and another unidentified woman. Defense attorney C. Justin Brown confirmed that he received the results several months ago – and stated on Thursday that no forensic evidence had been found linking Syed to the murder.

“NOTHING was matched to Syed,” Brown tweeted. “There is no forensic evidence linking him to this crime.”

Brown pointed out that the fingernail clippings were significant because, he argued, Syed’s DNA should have been present if the theory that he and Lee fought inside the car was true.

According to The Baltimore Sun, the forensic testing done last year was more comprehensive than tests done at the time of the murder. But Maryland Attorney General’s Office spokeswoman Raquel Coombs played down the results and stated that the findings “in no way exonerate" Syed.

Prosecutors at the time of Syed's trial argued that Syed, who had dated Lee, killed her out of jealousy because she was dating someone else. Though no physical evidence linked him to the murder, a witness, Jay Wilds, testified that he had helped him bury the body.

Syed's attorneys asked for a new trial. But Maryland’s Court of Appeals recently denied this request, reversing the opinion of a lower court and reinstating Syed's murder conviction.

Though the court agreed with the lower court’s decision that Syed’s first defense attorney had been “deficient” — and failed to present jurors with a possible alibi witness — the court disagreed that he had been prejudiced, and stated that there had been sufficient evidence to convict him.

Syed was sentenced to life in prison in 2000, but has always maintained his innocence.

Brown says that the defense team is currently considering what steps to take next.

Read more: TribLive, The Baltimore Sun, Gazette Xtra

Next Up

Baltimore Prosecutors Drop All Charges Against ‘Serial’s’ Adnan Syed

After spending over two decades behind bars for the 1999 murder of his former girlfriend Hae Min Lee, Balitmore prosecutors have released Syed from prison and dropped all charges against him.

Judge Orders New DNA Testing In Adnan Syed Case From 'Serial' Podcast

In a move applauded by Kim Kardashian, evidence collected from the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee will be tested using modern DNA technology that was not available at the time Syed’s 2000 murder trial.

‘I Was Sitting There Defending A Guilty Person’: Woman Receives Devastating Package From Incarcerated Partner

“I thought, I’ve got to fix this, I’ve got to make it right. They’ve got the wrong person.”

The Search Continues To Find Hanna Choi's Killer As Her Family Raises Reward Money

Police in Virginia believe that 35-year-old Hannah Choi is dead and that her ex-boyfriend Joel Mosso Merino is behind her murder.

Loved Ones Of Ex-Marine Convicted Of Murder Fight To Clear His Name

The family of an Iraq war veteran is asking retired detective Chris Anderson and criminal defense attorney Fatima Silva of Reasonable Doubt to re-examine Tim Wright Jr.’s 2008 murder conviction.

Judge Accused Of Recording Children On Bathroom Hidden Camera Kills Himself

During an FBI search, Jonathan Gray Newell allegedly ate a memory card that may have contained evidence.

True Crime News Roundup: Former NFL Player Indicted For Murdering Girlfriend, Prosecutors Say

Plus: Maryland woman allegedly shoots her husband after he’s accused of sexually abusing children; hit-and-run driver kills man who had plans to propose; police determine what happened to slain Rhode Island couple; three school employees indicted in connection with autistic student’s death.

True Crime News Roundup: Texas Doctor Arrested For Contaminating IV Bags After His Colleague Died

Plus: Prosecutors move to overturn Adnan Syed’s murder conviction; human remains of missing woman found; suspect in Eliza Fletcher case indicted on separate rape case; Cincinatti woman arrested after her baby dies from ‘co-sleeping’.

True Crime News Roundup: Alabama Realtor Murdered After Protection Order Against Husband Lifted

Plus: Chicago police search for person responsible for fatally shooting child; gunman who killed retired Wisconsin judge dies; college student left blind and unable to walk after fraternity hazing incident in Missouri; and Vermont yoga teacher accused of murder spotted for second time in New York City area.

‘Their Innocence Was So Crystal Clear’: Couple Cleared Of Murdering 4-Year-Old Girl In ‘87

“I'm just happy to be out of this mess, which has cost me half of my life for nothing,” Joyce Watkins says.