Adnan Syed, subject of Serial podcast, granted new trial

Syed's trial for the murder of a high-school student in 1999 was documented in Sarah Koenig’s popular Serial podcast

Adnan Syed, whose murder case received international attention through viral podcast Serial, has been granted a new trial.

Syed's trial for the murder of high-school student Hae Min Lee in 1999 was documented in Sarah Koenig’s popular Serial podcast.

Syed’s lawyer announced that he had been granted a new trial on Twitter.

WE WON A NEW TRIAL FOR ADNAN SYED!!! #FreeAdnan

— Justin Brown (@CJBrownLaw) June 30, 2016

“I had a feeling in my heart it was going to happen. We are just very happy,” Syed’s brother Yusuf told the Baltimore Sun. “It’s not only a win for us but a win for a lot of people who’re stuck in the system because it opened a lot of people’s eyes about the justice system.”

According to the Huffington Post, Judge Martin P Welch agreed with the defense’s claim that the lawyer in Syed’s initial trial provided ineffective counsel when she failed to cross-examine the state of Maryland’s cell tower expert about the reliability of key evidence. The state had argued that the cell tower data accurately placed Syed at the location near where Lee’s body was found.

Adnan Syed has been granted a new trial. Judge Welch's order: https://t.co/Io4HRRNWLt pic.twitter.com/CzT4LK2w79

— Serial (@serial) June 30, 2016

It was actually the unofficial spinoff “undisclosed” that unearthed crucial new evidence. “Undisclosed,” created by Syed family friend Rabia Chaudry, discovered a fax cover sheet from AT&T that noted the unreliability of cell tower information due to a technical glitch.

“Outgoing calls only are reliable for location status. Any incoming calls will not be considered reliable information for location,” the sheet read. Syed’s original lawyer, Cristina Gutierrez, did not introduce it at trial.



However, the Maryland attorney general’s office said in a statement that it continues to consider Syed’s conviction valid and suggested it would appeal Thursday’s ruling.

For Lee’s family, the trial will mean reliving painful memories and returning to the spotlight. In February, the family said in a statement that the push for a new trial had “reopened wounds few can imagine.”

“It remains hard to see so many run to defend someone who committed a horrible crime, who destroyed our family, who refuses to accept responsibility, when so few are willing to speak up for Hae,” the family said. “Unlike those who learn about this case on the Internet, we sat and watched every day of both trials — so many witnesses, so much evidence.”