BALTIMORE (AP) — After spending 16 years in prison, a man convicted of murder who was at the center of the podcast “Serial” has won a new trial in Baltimore.
Adnan Syed was convicted of murdering his former high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999 and burying her in a park. He was sentenced to life in prison.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Martin Welch ruled Thursday that Syed deserves another trial because his attorney failed to cross-examine a cell tower expert about the reliability of data that placed Syed’s cellphone near the burial site.
Syed’s case was widely publicized by “Serial.” The podcast attracted millions of listeners by showcasing little-known evidence and raising questions about Syed’s guilt.
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My 20 something kids were really into this podcast. It was good to hear them outraged by what seemed to be unconscionable bias and bad defense.
Whether the man is innocent is still a question but so many people seem to get convicted if they are not rich or powerful.
So does every prisoner incarcerated under questionable circumstances need a tv show or podcast before we take their case seriously?
This was a really good podcast series. I enjoyed hearing about the various innocence projects around the country and the selfless people dedicated to that cause.
It’s nice to know that sometimes, an injustice can be corrected. Thank goodness for the very hard work of Adnan’s friends and advocates, and especially of
Susan Simpson. I want her on my team.
The “Undisclosed” podcast went into a lot more nitty-gritty detail on the case. One thing was pretty clear: the police decided on their narrative and wouldn’t be dissuaded from it. Unfortunately, I think this brand of tunnel vision is all too common in murder investigations.
I don’t know who did the crime, but I agree with Sarah Koenig that there was not enough convincing evidence to vote for Syed’s conviction. And there is no doubt that he was very poorly served by his defense counsel.