For this first time in more than two decades, Adnan Syed, whose case was meticulously covered by the hugely-popular "Serial" podcast, was pictured at home and outside the prison walls.
On Tuesday, Sept. 20, attorney and family friend Rabia Chaudry shared a photo of the 41-year-old at home smiling (and free) while surrounded by family, friends and supporters.
"I arise full of joy," Rabia captioned the image. She added the hashtag, "We Freed Adnan."
Another of Adnan's attorneys also shared a snap of him enjoying his newfound freedom with his mother, Shamim Syed
"Welcome home Adnan," attorney Erica J. Suter wrote.
Based on the clothing being worn, it appears that the snaps were taken on Monday, just hours after Adnan's murder conviction was vacated by a Maryland judge.
Adnan was sentenced to life in prison when he was just 18 years old for the 1999 killing of his girlfriend Hae Min Lee. (He was 17 at the time of the murder and his arrest.) In 2014, "Serial" raised significant doubts about Adnan's conviction, and prosecutors recently argued that he should be released after new evidence was uncovered.
Primarily because of "Serial," podcast the case garnered international headlines. Sarah Koenig, who hosts the podcast, told the New York Times she's "shocked" over the release.
"I did not see this coming at all," she said. "One of the first things I did was call Adnan's brother and then his mother — they told me they didn't know either. The prosecutors who filed the motion to release him kept it pretty tight, it seems."
"I felt almost disoriented for about a day," she added. "Like the city prosecutor's office suddenly pulled off a rubber mask and underneath was a scowling defense attorney."
Prosecutors — the same ones who uncovered new evidence that points to alternate suspects —have 30 days to decide whether to pursue a new trial against Adnan, who spent 23 years locked up. Sarah, though, doesn't foresee that happening, saying the likelihood of another Adnan trial is "remote, at best."