In 2014, the world became obsessed with Adnan Syed. Thanks to the first season of the wildly popular Serial podcast, his conviction for the murder of his former girlfriend Hae Min Lee became a deepening puzzle for true crime fans to grapple with.
HBO's documentary series The Case Against Adnan Syed is a continuation of that fascinating story - and it's coming to SBS.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Amy Berg, the series will premiere in Australia on SBS at 8:30pm on Sunday 7 April, with subsequent episodes airing on 14, 21 and 28 April at 9:30pm.
UPDATE: SBS has now made episode one, 'Forbidden Love' available for early streaming at SBS On Demand
Picking up after Serial, which was produced by Julie Snyder and Sarah Koenig, who also hosted the show, the series returns to the 1999 murder of Lee, an 18-year-old high school student, and the conviction in 2000 of Syed for the crime.
With exclusive access to the Syed family, friends and teachers of both Syed and Lee, Baltimore law enforcement officers, the defence team, as well as Syed himself, the series reveals groundbreaking new discoveries that challenge the original case against Syed.
In the rush for a conviction, more questions seem to have been raised than answered. As became clear in Serial, many eyewitness accounts appeared to conflict with each other and people’s memories of relevant events seemed tenuous.
Murder victim, Hae Min Lee was only 18 years old when she was killed. Source: HBO
Interview: Director Amy Berg
In production since 2015, The Case Against Adnan Syed re-visits the teen romance between Lee and Syed and the ultimate demise of their relationship. It also re-examines the events leading up to Lee’s disappearance, the original investigation and subsequent conviction of Syed, and follows present-day developments in the courts as they unfold.
Syed was granted a fresh trial in June 2016 after new evidence came to light questioning the cell phone data that linked him to the crime scene - as well as introducing new, long-awaited alibi witness testimony. Last month, however, a court denied Syed his retrial request.
The documentary features exclusive access to members of the Syed family. Source: HBO
His attorney has vowed to continue the fight...
The Case Against Adnan Syed premieres on SBS at 8:30pm on Sunday 7 April.
