Overview

• Part Five: The Tree Grew premieres Thursday, Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max, directed by Amy J. Berg.
• The episode examines developments after an original-case suspect was later caught assaulting a woman, prompting Syed’s lawyers to seek a new investigation.
• HBO’s synopsis cites newly unearthed issues including undisclosed evidence pointing to other suspects, suppressed witness testimony, and untested crime-scene DNA.
• The film traces the legal whiplash: a 2022 vacatur and release, prosecutors’ decision not to retry, an appeals court reinstatement in 2023, and the Maryland Supreme Court’s 2024 affirmance.
• Syed remains out of prison following a 2025 Juvenile Restoration Act sentence reduction, with interviews featuring Syed, Marilyn Mosby, members of his defense team, and family.