"Serial" Subject Adnan Syed Granted an Appeal in Maryland Court

He could get a new trial.

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Adnan Syed, the subject of the podcast Serial, has been granted an appeal by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. Syed was convicted in 2000 of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and is currently serving a life sentence. The podcast, from This American Life, explored the case over eight episodes, including many uncertainties and doubts about the police investigation and subsequent prosecution case.

The appeal argues that Syed's late lawyer, Christina Gutierrez, was "ineffective counsel" and failed to seek a plea deal as Syed requested and did not investigate a witness, who appears on Serial, who gives Syed an alibit for the time of Lee's death. "It's the first step in a pretty long process but we're extremely happy," Syed's new layer, C. Justin Brown said.

The appeal will be heard in June 2015; the court could grant Syed a new trial, deny him one, or send the appeal back to the circuit court.

[via the Baltimore Sun]

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