Sarah Koenig

In the years since our story first aired, Rabia and others have pushed to find out more.

Now here come city prosecutors, and they're going even further.

And the picture that's emerged is this.

Adnan's case contains just about every chronic problem our system can cough up.

Police using questionable interview methods.

Prosecutors keeping crucial evidence from the defense.

Slightly junky science.

Extreme prison sentences.

Juveniles treated as adults.

How grindingly difficult it is to get your case back in court once you've been convicted.

The Baltimore courtroom where Adnan's hearing was held is an old-school architectural gem.

You sit there hoping the massive chandelier is well secured.

The soaring ceilings are meant to inspire soaring thoughts.

About justice, presumably, and fairness.

Yesterday, there was a lot of talk about fairness.

But most of what the state put in that motion to vacate, all the actual evidence, was either known or knowable to cops and prosecutors back in 1999.

So even on a day when the government publicly recognizes its own mistakes, it's hard to feel cheered about a triumph of fairness.

Because we've built a system that takes more than 20 years to self-correct.

And that's just this one case.

This episode was produced by Julie Snyder, Dana Chivas, and me.