Syed was found guilty of killing his girlfriend.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Pakistani American Adnan Syed, in prison since 2000 for murder, has been granted an appeal, after his case was popularized by the critically acclaimed podcast Serial.
At the turn of the millennium, Syed, who is now 33 year old, was found guilty on charges of killing ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and has consequently been serving a life sentence plus 30 years ever since.
On February 6, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals awarded Syed the right to an appeal, acknowledging claims that Syed’s attorney during the first two trials was ineffective.
In their petition for appeal, Syed’s current legal counsel argued his original lawyer, Christina Gutierrez, not only refused to seek a plea deal but also failed to examine key witness Asia McClain, who now claims she can provide Syed with an alibi. According to McClain, she remembers speaking to Syed in the public library next to their school at the time of Lee’s untimely death.
Further muddying the waters, McClain also filed an affidavit in January stating original case prosecutor Kevin Ulrick coerced her into withholding from the trial.
Considering the original appeal was denied in Baltimore City Court in 2003, and given the rarity of rulings overturning decisions on cases such as Syed’s, it may be safe to assume Serial may have had a palpable hand in influencing the court’s decision to reexamine the appeal.
“I’m excited about it,” C. Justin Brown, Syed’s attorney, told the Washington Post. “I think that it shows that the court is interested in the issues that we raised. If they weren’t interested in them they wouldn’t have granted the [application for leave to appeal].”
1 Comment
Hats off to Sarah Koenig for getting this out there. In post-conviction litigation the burden of proof is heavy to say the least. Syed will have to bring something more compelling than ineffective assistance of counsel to get anywhere from here. At least the doors open now for him which is something several thousands just like him can’t say.