Prosecutors drop charges against Adnan Syed in ‘Serial’ case

— Prosecutors dropped charges against Adnan Syed on Tuesday in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee after additional DNA testing excluded him as a suspect in a case chronicled by the hit podcast “Serial.” Marilyn Mosby, the state’s attorney for the city of Baltimore, said her office would continue to pursue justice for Lee but that it had closed its case against Syed, who spent 23 years in prison for the killing. Although no DNA was recovered from the skirt, pantyhose or jacket, some was recovered from Lee’s shoes, “and most compellingly, Adnan Syed, his DNA was excluded,” she said. Mosby said that even though her administration wasn’t responsible for the pain inflicted on Hae Min Lee’s family or the wrongful conviction of Syed, “as a representative of the institution, it is my responsibility to acknowledge and to apologize to the family of Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed.” She also said her office “will continue to utilize every available resource to prosecute whoever is responsible for the death of Hae Min Lee.” Syed’s attorney Erica Suter celebrated the news, noting that Syed wasn’t ready yet to speak about it publicly. Today’s actions robbed them of both.” Mosby said Tuesday that the family’s appeal would have no effect on her office’s decision to drop the charges against Syed.