BALTIMORE _ The HBO series examining the now-famous murder case against Adnan Syed left legions of fans in suspense this week at the hint of unknown DNA evidence.
The Woodlawn man's case became a national obsession with the hit podcast "Serial." Millions of listeners tuned in and home sleuths still debate the evidence online. DNA results wouldn't make a splash, but a tidal wave.
Do tests finally exonerate Syed? Do they incriminate him? Do they even exist?
After the third episode of "The Case Against Adnan Syed" documentary _ the screen goes dark as his lawyer emails "DNA request form" _ The Baltimore Sun filed a request under the Public Information Act for the results. Documents show prosecutors tested evidence last summer including fingernail clippings, necklaces, T-shirt and jacket of Hae Min Lee. The Woodlawn High School student was murdered and found buried in Baltimore's Leakin Park in February 1999; she had dated Syed. Last summer, authorities also tested a condom wrapper, rope and liquor bottle from the scene.
Tests of about a dozen items either proved inconclusive, showed no DNA or only that of the victim. None tested positive for Syed's DNA.
His attorney C. Justin Brown received the results last year. He worked with prosecutors to have the evidence tested. He said the absence is significant.
"There remains no forensic link between Syed and the crime," he wrote in an email to The Sun. "While these DNA results do not reveal the true killer, they do go a long way in showing that the wrong person is in prison for this crime."
He drew attention to tests of the teen's fingernail clippings. State prosecutors, he said, had argued she and Syed struggled violently in the car.
"If such a struggle occurred," he wrote, "it seems likely that the assailant's DNA would have been present under the victim's fingernails, or somewhere else inside the car. The recent testing, however, found none."
Prosecutors submitted the evidence for DNA testing in July 2018 as they prepared for Syed's retrial. Brown said he was in discussions with prosecutors to have the evidence tested. Some limited DNA testing of her bloody shirt was done in 1999. So the latest items had not been tested before.
"We consulted with defense counsel and upon receipt of the results, immediately shared with them. After receipt of results of the testing, no further action was warranted," a spokeswoman for Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh wrote in an email.
Frosh's office declined to comment further.
The results and HBO documentary series come as Brown considers his next move in the long-running legal battle.
Three weeks ago, Maryland's highest court determined Syed does not deserve a new trial, reversing the opinion of a lower court. The ruling reinstated his murder conviction.
Syed was convicted 19 years ago of killing his former girlfriend and has been serving a life sentence.
