BALTIMORE (AP) — After spending 16 years in prison, a man convicted of murder who was at the center of the podcast "Serial" has won a new trial in Baltimore.
An attorney for a man who won a new trial after a popular podcast took up his case says he hasn't yet been able to reach his client to tell him the news.
Adnan Syed's attorney, Justin Brown, called the granting of a new trial "an incredible victory" that he'd been fighting for for eight years.
Brown said Thursday that the next step is to try to get Syed released from jail while he awaits retrial.
Syed was convicted of murdering his former high school girlfriend and burying her in a park. He was sentenced to life in prison.
A judge ruled Syed deserves another trial because his attorney failed to cross-examine a cell tower expert about the reliability of data that placed Syed's cellphone near the burial site.
Syed's case was widely publicized by the podcast "Serial."
A family friend and staunch supporter of Adnan Syed says she is "overwhelmed and weepy" after learning that a judge has ordered a new trial for the man convicted of killing his girlfriend.
Rabia Chaudry said in a phone interview Thursday that although she's thrilled Syed will get a new trial, she finds it "surreal" that the ruling she's been hoping for finally arrived.
Chaudry brought his case to the attention of Sarah Koenig, the host of the "Serial" podcast. Syed was convicted of strangling Hae Min Lee in 2000 and sentenced to life in prison.
Chaudry has written a book about Syed that is scheduled to be published in September.
