New Installment of ‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ Deepens Intrigue

Emerging half a decade since the release of the original HBO series ‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’, a fresh installment is slated to hit screens. National interest in Syed’s case first mounted following the 2014 podcast ‘Serial’, a pioneering true-crime narrative that left audiences questioning the legitimacy of his guilt. The initial four chapters of ‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ followed his appeal battle while also highlighting Lee’s story to a greater extent than ‘Serial’. As the 2019 climax of episode four aired, viewers were left on a cliffhanger as Syed’s petition for a retrial was squashed by the Maryland Court of Appeals.

Fast forward to the present, and the riveting ‘Part Five: The Tree Grew’ delves into the complex legal journey culminating in Syed’s liberation. Syed’s case became entangled in America’s racial reckoning in 2020, which affected numerous aspects of society. A groundbreaking district attorney assumed the mission of vindicating the wrongfully convicted in Baltimore, a crusade she speculated encompassed Syed.

However, her tenure at the state attorney’s office was prematurely terminated. Despite this, her department had made significant discoveries during their investigation into Lee’s murder, uncovering untested DNA evidence and identifying two potential alternate suspects. These breakthroughs seen in the concluding episode of ‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’ are integral to the unfolding narrative.

At the commencement of episode five, audiences meet Marilyn Mosby, the Baltimore City State’s attorney from 2015 to 2022. Mosby campaigned as a ‘progressive’ DA, committing to ensuring police accountability and the reversal of wrongful convictions. She spearheaded an exhaustive nearly year-long probe into Syed’s case, uncovering profound issues.

The findings of Mosby’s team included DNA traces on a liquor bottle discovered near the site of Lee’s demise. Additionally, two other suspects came into the picture during the course of the new investigation. One advocate of Syed voices, ‘The case has been dismantled, systematically, dismantled. The constitutionality of Adnan’s trial was inadequate; there’s a pressing need for annulment of his conviction.’

Mosby experienced a setback in 2022 when she was charged federally with perjury while in the thick of her reelection campaign. The documentary portrays Mosby’s indictment as part of the systemic issues that encapsulate Syed’s continued imprisonment, suggesting a part of the same mechanism. Those in higher echelons of Maryland’s government chose to close ranks instead of acknowledging any potential failings.

Regardless of her now diminishing influence, Mosby fought ceaselessly to overturn Syed’s charges within her remaining term. Speaking on her commitment, she adamantly declares, ‘We simply cannot prolong his incarceration.’ Questioned about the seeming obstinacy of the state regarding Syed’s case, she admits an absence of clear explanations, stating, ‘The situation appears more intricate than what meets the eye.’

The detailed report by the district attorney’s office shed light on two additional unknown suspects involved in Hae Min Lee’s homicide. Threateningly, one of these suspects had apparently warned he would take Lee’s life. Unfortunately, their existence was concealed from the defense team, further complicating the case.

The year 2022 saw Mosby’s department take the pivotal step of moving to rescind Syed’s conviction. Consequently, Syed was released, his new trial pending. A year hence, in a surprising turn of events, a panel from the Maryland Appellate Court reinstated his conviction. However, 2025 brought Syed relief when he had his sentencing minimised to time served under the Juvenile Restoration Act.

This led to an emotional reunion between Syed and his ailing parents – his mother now undergoing leukemia treatment. Hallmarks from his past life offer a poignant reminder of his journey – Syed feasting on leftover dumplings, the sight of his former teenage bedroom where the law caught up to him in 1999.

Further emotional moments unfold as Syed experiences the sensation of touching a tree for the first time in over two decades. He highlights one significant tree, previously a fledgling when he was incarcerated, that now stands tall. Echoing the title of the episode, Syed simply notes, ‘The tree grew.’

Commensurating with his personal journey, Syed has now assumed a role at Georgetown University’s Prison and Justice Initiative. There he supports the drive to provide education, job opportunities to incarcerated and returning individuals, and champions justice for those innocently incarcerated, a cause that resonates with his own past.