WASHINGTON - The podcast 'Serial' was a pop cultural phenomenon that captivated listeners around the world. At the center, Adnan Syed, a Baltimore man sentenced to life in prison in 1999 for murdering his girlfriend and burying her in a park located in Northwest Baltimore.
Earlier this year Adnan Syed, 35, celebrated a huge victory when the Baltimore City Circuit Court granted him a retrial for the murder of Hae Min Lee. Click here to read more on what lead Judge Martin Welch to his decision.
Adnan has been incarcerated for 16 years but continues to maintain his innocence. Rabia Chaudry, a friend of Adnan, visited FOX 5 DC to discuss the podcast following 'Serial' called 'Undisclosed' and her new book that travels deeper into the case.
In the interview, Chaudry said that she believed there would eventually be a way to get him a new trail or to completely exonerate him. When she heard the news she turned to social media to celebrate-- what took 17 years to accomplish.
She told Holly Morris," even if he isn't exonerated, the world now understands that something went wrong with his trail." Rabia feels it's virtually impossible for Syed to be convicted again if he gets a new trail.
So much has come out of the Serial podcast with tons of undisclosed information. However, if you believe that the reason Adnan was able to get a new trail because of the podcast-- you're wrong . Ultimately, it was due to Rabia's team and their findings in the investigation.
"Serial did a great job at illustrating the story but doing an actual criminal investigation is a different type of endeavor," said Chaudry.
Her newly published book 'Adnan's Story' sheds light on facts that were not presented in the podcast. Additionally, and what may be the butter to the bread, are Adnan's letters.
So what can readers expect to gain from her book?
For starters, Adnan's voice will be heard. "They're going to see letters he wrote 17 years ago, letters when he was arrested, when he was convicted, when he was sentenced. They're going to find out what the family went through," said Chaudry.
If you haven't kept up with the case or are unfamiliar with it, everything that has transpired before and after the podcast is illustrated in her book.
Lastly, Chaudry explains that there is no set date for trial and it will take more time to secure.
She remains optimistic and states Adnan remains in a positive place.