Debuting in October 2014, Serial<\/em> began sharing the story of Adnan Syed, who was convicted for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, and is currently serving a life sentence plus thirty years.[2]<\/a>\u00a0 The twelve episodes pieced together the minutiae of the case exposing the unnerving partiality and inconsistencies within the investigation and the trial. \u00a0Each episode has been downloaded approximately 3.4 million times making Serial<\/em> the most downloaded podcast in history.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n No eyewitnesses and not a single piece of physical evidence tied Syed to the murder.[4]<\/a>\u00a0 It was the prosecutor\u2019s lead witness, Jay Wilds, who testified to helping him bury the body, that ultimately lead to Syed\u2019s conviction.[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Wilds has changed his story numerous times and even conceded that he had lied on the stand.[6]<\/a>\u00a0 A former classmate who has provided an alibi for Syed, at the time prosecutors claim he was committing the murder, was never asked to testify during trial.[7]<\/a>\u00a0 Additionally, Syed\u2019s counsel never sought a plea deal from the prosecutor.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n Over the span of twelve years, Syed has attempted to appeal his conviction three times claiming ineffective assistance of counsel and an unfair trial.[9]<\/a>\u00a0 Two months after the final episode aired, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals has granted Syed an appeal.[10]<\/a>\u00a0 As evidence of the media\u2019s vast captive audience, news of the appeal became a trending topic on Facebook.[11]<\/a><\/p>\n There are many incarcerated persons who maintain their innocence and whose cases remain unknown and unpublicized.\u00a0 You could say Adnan Syed is lucky that a radio producer zealously investigated his case and that his case was chosen as the story for Serial<\/em>\u2019s first season.[12]<\/a>\u00a0 It is concerning to think, though, that had Serial<\/em> not broadcasted his story, he may never have been given the chance to appeal his conviction. <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Serial, http:\/\/serialpodcast.org (last visited Feb. 24, 2015).<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> See<\/em> id.<\/em>; Abby Phillip, Md. Court Allows Adnan Syed to Proceed With Appeal in \u2018Serial\u2019 Case<\/em>, The Washington Post (Feb. 7, 2015), http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/post-nation\/wp\/2015\/02\/07\/md-court-will-allow-adnan-syed-to-appeal-his-conviction-in-serial-case\/.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> Justin George, State: \u2018Serial\u2019 Murder Case Should Not Be Reopened<\/em>, The Baltimore Sun (Jan. 14, 2015), http:\/\/touch.baltimoresun.com\/#section\/-1\/article\/p2p-82536091\/.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a> Id.<\/em><\/p>\n [5]<\/a> Phillip, supra <\/em>note 2; George, supra <\/em>note 3.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a> Catie Talarski, Rabia Chaudry: \u201cSerial\u201d Had Impact On Adnan Syed\u2019s Appeal<\/em>, WNPR (Feb. 10, 2015), http:\/\/wnpr.org\/post\/rabia-chaudry-serial-had-impact-adnan-syeds-appeal.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a> See<\/em> Phillip, supra <\/em>note 2 (\u201cAsia McClain,\u2026 who attended Woodlawn High School\u2026 with Syed, claims in letters that she wrote him in 1999 while he was in jail, and in a new affidavit filed in January, that she remembered speaking to Syed at the public library next to their school at the time\u2026\u201d); Jessica Glenza, Serial: Maryland Special Appeals Court Grants Rare Hearing to Adnan Syed<\/em>, The Guardian (Feb 7, 2015, 1:39 PM), http:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2015\/feb\/07\/serial-podcast-court-grants-adnan-syed-rare-hearing.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a> George, supra <\/em>note 3 (\u201cSyed said that he asked Gutierrez to see what prosecutors would offer as a plea deal, and that she told him there was none when she had never asked prosecutors about it. A prosecutor testified\u2026 that Gutierrez never approached him about a plea deal.\u201d).<\/p>\n [9]<\/a> See<\/em> Talarski, supra <\/em>note 6; George, supra <\/em>note 3.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a> See<\/em> Talarski, supra <\/em>note 6.<\/p>\n![\"serial-social-logo\"](\"https:\/\/jolt.richmond.edu\/files\/2017\/03\/serial-social-logo-300x300.png\"){kind=logo}
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