Adnan Syed Murder: ‘Serial’ Podcast Subject Granted Appeal By The Maryland Court Of Special Appeals [VIDEO]
Adnan Syed is currently serving time in prison after being found guilty of killing his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in January 1999, but he was just granted an appeal.
The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday that the Maryland Court of Special Appeals approved Syed's application for leave to appeal on Friday.
"It's the first step in a pretty long process but we're extremely happy," Syed's attorney C. Justin Brown said.
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His appeal is scheduled for June 2015.
Syed was arrested at the age of 17 when he was a senior at Woodlawn High School. He was convicted in 2000. He is currently 33 and still serving a life sentence, but that can all change now.
Syed previously appealed, but was denied. Last year, Syed's attorney filed an application to get that denial vacated with the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. He reportedly argued that Syed had received ineffective counsel during trial from a lawyer (Christina Gutierrez) who did not check out an alibi he had or listened to his pre-trial requests, including seeing whether the state was offering him a plea deal.
The Baltimore Sun also reported that the Court of Special Appeals ruled Syed needs to file formal briefings of his appeal arguments by March 16. The State Attorney General's Office has until April 16 to file briefings opposing the appeal. Following that, the court could hear oral arguments and order a new trial or deny Syed one. The judges could also send the appeals case back to circuit court.
Sarah Koenig, the creator of Serial, weighed in on this appeal news saying, "No matter what the Court of Special Appeals rules, it's quite possible the whole megillah ends up in Maryland's highest court, the Court of Appeals."
She explained that if the current panel of judges grant Syed "relief," the state will probably appeal to the highest court and vice versa if the panel denies Syed "relief" his attorney will most likely appeal.
