MARYLAND — A Maryland appeals court has upheld a ruling granting a new trial to a man whose conviction in the murder of his high school sweetheart became the subject of the popular podcast "Serial."
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 last year vacated Syed's conviction and ruled that he deserved a new trial because his original attorney failed to cross-examine a key witness. Prosecutors appealed that decision to the appellate court.
Syed's story was widely publicized in the 2014 "Serial" podcast, which cast doubt on his guilt and inspired armchair investigators to dig into the case and unearth new information.
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"Serial" attracted millions of listeners and shattered records for the number of times a podcast has been streamed or downloaded. Syed's attorneys say they don't think he would've likely won a new trial without the fanfare surrounding "Serial."
It was Syed's second attempt at a new trial.
Cox Media Group
