After millions tuned in to revisit Adnan Syed’s 2000 murder case on the immensely popular “Serial” podcast, a judge will also give the trial another hearing.
Syed, who was convicted of a strangling death of his then-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999, has been fighting for his freedom since the trial 16 years ago.
On Thursday, Baltimore judge Martin P. Welch granted Syed’s request for a new trial, on an issue surrounding a “cell fax cover sheet,” Rabia Chaudry, Syed’s friend and advocate said in a tweet.
During the fight for a new trial, Syed’s lawyer, Justin Brown, argued that cellphone data was misrepresented as linking him the murder.
Brown argued the cell tower data linking Syed to Lee’s burial site was misleading, as prosecutors presented the evidence without a warning that information about incoming calls was unreliable.
The judge hit on the original trial’s failure to cross-examine the state’s cell tower expert, according to court documents. Welch wrote in his opinion that Syed’s original attorney fell below professional standards when she failed to cross-examine the expert.
“This is obviously an incredible victory, I’m trying to act calm right now,” Brown told reporters at a press conference after the ruling. “We have been fighting for this day for about eight years now.”
Syed, now 35, was originally convicted at 18 and accused of killing Lee and burying her body in a wooded park on the northwestern edge of Baltimore.
During the trial, deputy District Attorney Thiru Vignarajah argued there was overwhelming evidence that Syed had a fair trial and was properly sentenced to life in prison.
Judge Welch rejected Syed’s argument for a testimony from Asia McClain, who claimed she was with him the day Lee was murdered. Syed tried and failed earlier in 2014 to win a new trial.
The argument for Syed’s innocence resurfaced after the “Serial” brought it to light in 2014, becoming a national obsession, shattering podcast download records.
Brown thanked the national spotlight “Serial” gave the conviction, and the researchers that helped win the new case.
“Sarah Koenig put out ‘Serial,’ but the real investigation that has yielded real results, a lot of that occurred by the work of Susan Simpson and Colin Miller, especially Susan’s work on the cell tower issue,” Brown said.
He told reporters he didn’t think he would even be in this position without the podcast. With the conviction overturned, Syed remains in prison, waiting to find out if the state will decide to appeal the decision or go fight a new trial.
Syed’s brother Yusuf told the Baltimore Sun the family was “feeling great” after he was granted a new trial.
“I had a feeling in my heart it was going to happen,” Yusuf told the newspaper. “We are just very happy.”
When the case for a new trial began in February, the victim’s relatives spoke out against Syed, insisting he was guilty.
“Unlike those who learn about this case on the internet, we sat and watched every day of both trials,” Lee’s family said.
