Serial podcast theories about murder of Adnan Syed’s ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee

Adnan Syed, now 41 years old, has been released from prison after being convicted of the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend in 2000

Now, after spending more than two decades behind bars, Syed has been after Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn ordered that his conviction be vacated. She also ordered the state to decide whether to seek a new trial date or dismiss the case within 30 days.

Lee was a Korean-American high school student who was born on 15 October 1980, and was last seen alive on 13 January 1999 when she was 18 years old.

She was born in South Korea and, in 1992, emigrated to Baltimore, Maryland in America with her mother, Youn Kim, and brother, Young Lee, to live with her grandparents.

She attended Woodlawn High School and, according to an article from Inside Edition, competed at varsity level in field hockey and lacrosse, and was on the Honour Roll. She also took part in the ecology club, French club and Students Against Destructive Decisions.

In the ninth episode of Serial, using information gathered from friends, host Sarah Koenig said of Lee: “She was cheerful and light and funny. That she loved the movie Titanic. That she sometimes put nail polish on just so she could pick it off.

“She wasn’t insecure seemingly ever. Sprite was her favourite soda, the Dallas Cowboys her favourite team, not because she cared about football, but because she liked the colours blue and silver.

“That she could charm you without trying. That she was a good friend to her friends. She took in their problems and their pain and tried to help them if she could.”

In 2016, Lee’s family released a statement in which they described her as someone who “stood up for what was right, regardless of popular opinion” and added: “In her diary, Hae once wrote: “Do love and remember me forever.” We do, and we always will.”

What happened to her?

On 9 February 1999, Lee’s body was discovered in Leakin Park, a huge woodland park in Baltimore, four weeks after she was last seen alive on 13 January 1999. It was determined that she had been killed by manual strangulation.

She was reported as missing by her family after Lee didn’t turn up to collect her younger cousin from daycare on 13 January at roughly 3:15pm. She had been in school earlier that day and had been seen by a number of people leaving the campus at the end of the school day.

Police originally focused their efforts on the man who reported finding the body, however, on 12 February, the Baltimore City Police Homicide Division received an anonymous call that suggested investigators look into Lee’s ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed.

One of Syed’s friends, Jay Wilds, told police that Syed had talked about wanting to kill Lee in the past, and claimed that he had helped Syed to bury Lee’s body after he confessed to killing her on 13 January.

Syed was arrested on 28 February and charged with first degree murder. He was convicted of Lee’s murder and spent more than two decades behind bars.

What theories did Serial have about her death?

These are some common theories that the podcast, and its fans, have come up with: