Adnan Syed Alibi Witness Asia McClain Says She 'Hates 'Serial''

Asia McClain, the alibi witness in the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, recently revealed that she actually hates the Serial podcast, following the vacating of Syed's conviction.

In 2000, Syed, now 41, was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years for the 1999 murder of his high school classmate and ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. He served 23 years of that sentence, but on Monday, the murder conviction was overturned, and he was released from custody.

The Serial podcast, which launched in 2014 and was hosted by journalist Sarah Koenig, brought international attention to the Syed case, chronicling Lee's death and questioning the evidence used to convict Syed of her murder.

McClain, one of the key witnesses in the case, became a subject of the podcast, having written several letters to Syed in 1999 saying that she and a friend saw him at the library at the presumed time of Lee's murder. While her letters and testimony were not used by the defense in the initial murder trial, her story was brought back into the picture after she made an appearance on Serial.

However, early Wednesday morning, McClain tweeted, "I'm just gonna say it. I hate Serial and I feel like it lacked a real genuine concern for the people involved. I feel Sarah don't give a damn about any of us. Adnan included."

Some fans of the show agreed with her. One user commented, "I would agree. Very 'distanced' tone when talking about the fate and status of a person's whole life and the potential that Hae's true killer has been free for decades."

McClain replied, "YES! FELT SOOOOO STERILE! Like how does she know all that's happened and sound so cold?! I've always felt like her saying she cares NEVER matched up with how she made me feel. Like she started all this & then abandoned it and now she is swooping in as the all saving Sarah Koenig."

Another commented, "I can see how you can read this way, but without her shedding light on it with her [mastery], the story would have been buried till today."

McClain responded by saying, "I can say it that was because I know some of what went down behind the scenes. You guys don't."

The podcast launched Koenig into the spotlight, and in 2015, Time magazine named Koenig on its list of "The 100 Most Influential People." Her podcast was even parodied by Saturday Night Live, and Koenig was portrayed by cast member Cecily Strong.

Others have credited the podcast for bringing McClain back into the case, including Syed's attorney Justin Brown, who had trouble getting in touch with McClain prior to her appearance on the show.

Brown told The Washington Post recently, "I always get asked the question, 'Did Serial help the case?' It absolutely did help. It brought us Asia McClain, which kept this thing alive."

Syed is now facing a retrial in the case, which could make his freedom temporary, but Koenig said on a new episode of the podcast Tuesday that the chances of another prosecution are slim.

"Adnan's case was a mess—is a mess," Koenig said on the podcast. "Baltimore City Police have told the prosecutor's office they're going to put someone back on the case....But I do know that the chances of the state ever trying to prosecute Adnan again are remote at best."

Newsweek reached out to McClain and the Serial podcast for additional comment.