BALTIMORE, Md. (WUSA9/AP) — A man who was convicted in 1999 for the murder of his high school girlfriend will get a new trial, according to an opinion from the Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
Adnan Syed's Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel was violated, per the court's opinion. The Court of Special Appeals upheld the ruling by the trial court.
Adnan Syed was convicted in 2000 of killing Hae Min Lee and burying her body in a shallow grave in a Baltimore park. A three-judge panel on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling granting him new trial.
Syed's story was widely publicized in the 2014 "Serial" podcast, which cast doubt on his guilt. The show attracted millions of listeners and shattered podcast records.
A lower court judge vacated Syed's conviction in 2016, citing his attorney's failure to cross-examine a key witness. Prosecutors appealed to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the state's intermediate appeals court.
The opinion was made available on the court's website under the Reported Opinions and in the Highlighted Cases page.
A press conference is expected around 2:30 p.m.
This story is developing. Stay with WUSA9 for the latest.
Adnan Syed - Court of Special Appeals Opinion by WUSA9-TV on Scribd
