Adnan Syed , the human whose murder conviction became the theme of the wildly pop Serial podcast , was grant a new trial by Maryland ’s second - high-pitched homage of appeals on Thursday . Whether that test happens , however , still remains in limbo .
Syed has been behind bars since 1999 when he was accuse of murder his X - girlfriend Hae Min Lee . The two were students at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore at the time . His trial in 2000 result in a conviction and he received a lifetime sentence . But Serial brought renewed attention to the case and Syed ’s legal team argue that he did not get a proper defense by his original direction . The conflict to overturn Syed ’s judgment of conviction has take a circuitous route through the court since 2014 . Thedecision issuedby the Maryland Court of Special Appeals on Wednesday afternoon is the best sign of the zodiac yet that Syed will get a unexampled trial .
The 138 - page opinion tally with Syed ’s claim that his original defence was n’t sufficient . Specifically , Syed ’s new lawyers maintain that his attorney , Cristina Gutierrez , should have cross - examined an expert witness for the prosecution about the reliableness of cubicle column localization information that was used as grounds against their client . The prosecution argue that the cellphone information presented at tribulation rate Syed at the web site that Hae Min Lee was found buried .
The justice on Thursday also agreed that Syed ’s defence force flush it to cater her guest with an alibi attestant . At the 2016 post - conviction hearing , Asia McClain Chapman , one of Syed ’s schoolfellow , secernate the court that she go out him at the Woodlawn library at the time that Lee was said to have been murdered . “ I have n’t picture a single case in which an lawyer flunk to contact an exculpation witnesser in which inadequacy was not found , ” Syed ’s attorney , C. Justin Brown , toldthe appeal courtat a hearing last June .
In today ’s opinion , Patrick L. Woodward write , “ there is a reasonable probability that McClain ’s alibi testimony would have call forth a sensible doubt in the creative thinker of at least one juror about Syed ’s involvement [ in ] Hae ’s murder , and thus ‘ the issue of the proceedings would have been different . ’ ”
The State of Maryland has oppose the overturning of Syed ’s sentence and in 2017 it appealed a lower court of justice ’s decision to grant a newfangled trial . Today ’s opinion could mean that Syed will have another snapshot at exemption , or it might intend that prosecutors take the compositor’s case to Maryland ’s Court of Appeals , the high court in the res publica .
[ Maryland Courts ]
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