Adnan Syed Has a Long Road in Appeals Process

By NATALIE GRIFFIN, Capital News Service

Fifteen years after he was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Adnan Syed is still working to get out of prison.

Last month, the Baltimore City Circuit Court granted Syed—whose case was the focus of the first season of the popular podcast “Serial”—a hearing to reopen post-conviction proceedings and introduce new evidence. It’s not likely his court battles will end any time soon.

• Serial’s Adnan Syed Wins Appeal
• Murder Conviction Appealed for Adnan Syed

Syed was convicted of murdering Hae Min Lee in 2000 and will spend his life in prison if his appeals are not successful. The hearing will focus on a new witness that would provide him an alibi and the possibility that cell phone data evidence from the original case was unreliable.

We reviewed Maryland Judiciary guidelines, court records and the court system’s annual report to break down where Syed is in the process.