Adnan Syed, the subject of the first season of Sarah Koenig’s popular “Serial” podcast in 2014, just won a new murder trial on appeal.
Syed, 35, was convicted in 2000 for the 1999 slaying of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. He has maintained his innocence and through “Serial” convinced many listeners that perhaps an actual “reasonable doubt” existed in his case.
On Wednesday, retired Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin P. Welch officially vacated Syed’s conviction and life sentence. He also ruled that he wants to see the recent affidavit and testimony of Asia McClain, an alibi witness who was a key part of the “Serial” revelations, re-transmitted to the Maryland Court of Appeals.
Furthermore, Syed’s previous attorney’s failure to cross-examine the state’s cell tower evidence expert was also found to be flawed and unfair to the then-defendant, Welch decided.
Welch had overseen three days of post-conviction hearings in February in which Syed’s legal team presented new evidence, including McClain’s testimony, and argued that for the gross negligence of his original defense attorney.
C. Justin Brown, a trial lawyer for the Maryland-based Brown & Nieto, LLC, who represents Syed, offered a celebratory tweet:
“Serial” Season 2 was focused on Afghanistan POW Bowe Bergdahl. That run of the podcast proved far less of a cultural phenomenon than the Syed season.
The sophomore effort did air a few interstitial updates on Syed’s appeal, however.
“Serial” is a production of “This American Life.”
Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.
6 Times Hollywood Shook Up Criminal Justice Before 'Making a Murderer'
"Making a Murderer" subject Brendan Dassey had his conviction overturned by a federal judge on August 12. But it's not the first time a film or documentary has been a factor in a major legal reversal of fortune.
"Gimme Shelter" (1970)
A documentary directed by the Maysles brothers, "Gimme Shelter" started out as a simple concert film about The Rolling Stones, but turned out to be essential documentation of the fights and violence that erupted at the Altamont Free Concert.
Cinema 5
"The Thin Blue Line" (1988)
Errol Morris' documentary depicted Randall Dale Adams, a man serving life in prison for a murder he did not commit. Adams was exonerated and released from prison a year after the movie's release.
Miramax
"Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills" (2003-11)
In a series of three documentaries, filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky chronicled the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of the West Memphis Three, a trio of teenagers wrongfully accused of murdering three children with Satanic overtones. By the time the final installment aired on HBO, the case had generated enough publicity to with the trio's release from prison.
HBO
"The Invisible War" (2012)
The Oscar-nominated "The Invisible War" documented the culture of widespread sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military, and led to new legislation changing the way those cases are handled.
Cinedigm
"Serial" (2014)
The first season of Sarah Koenig's podcast re-investigated the case of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of murdering his high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999. Thanks in part to the attention from "Serial," Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin P. Welch on June 30 2016, officially vacated Syed’s conviction and life sentence, and ordered a new trial.
The night before the high-profile and highly incriminating series finale aired, real estate heir Robert Durst was arrested in New Orleans and charged with murder. In February, he pleaded guilty to gun charges but still awaits trial in L.A. for the killing of his friend, Susan Berman.
“What the hell did I do?” Durst asked himself while still mic-ed in the final episode. “Killed ’em all, of course.”
The overturning of Brandon Dassey’s murder conviction isn’t the first time a documentary has helped right a legal wrong
"Making a Murderer" subject Brendan Dassey had his conviction overturned by a federal judge on August 12. But it's not the first time a film or documentary has been a factor in a major legal reversal of fortune.