The convicted murderer at the center of 'Serial' is getting a new trial
Adnan Syed, the subject of the wildly popular true-crime podcast "Serial" was granted a new trial by a Baltimore judge on Thursday.
Justin Brown, who represented Syed in his motion for a new trial, could hardly contain his excitement in a tweet:
Syed is serving a life sentence plus 30 years in prison for the 1999 first-degree murder of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee, his former girlfriend and high school classmate.
Sarah Koenig, a former Baltimore Sun reporter, closely analyzed his alleged crime and subsequent trial in Season 1 of "Serial."
Syed began his motion for a retrial in February.
Based on evidence brought to light in the podcast, Syed's attorney argued that the cell tower data used to place Syed at the general location of Lee's murder should be reexamined because it may be inaccurate and misleading.
In addition, a new potential alibi, Asia McClain, said in an affidavit that she was in the library with Syed at the time of th murder.
The judge who presided over the case, Martin Welch, wrote in his opinion that Syed's original trial attorney "rendered ineffective assistance when she failed to cross-examine the state's expert regarding the reliability of cell tower location evidence," The Baltimore Sun reports.
Syed's family is ecstatic about the court's decision.
"I had a feeling in my heart it was going to happen," Yusuf, Syed's brother told The Baltimore Sun. "We are just very happy. It's not only a win for us but a win for a lot of people who are stuck in the system because it opened a lot of people's eyes about the justice system."