Adnan Syed — whose murder conviction was the subject of the “Serial” podcast and will be examined on an upcoming HBO documentary series — will NOT get a new trial after all … so says the Maryland Court of Appeals.
The court reinstated Syed’s conviction Friday for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, ruling that his defense attorney — while admitting she was deficient — “did not prejudice” the case.
The 4 judges wrote in their conclusion, “We agree with the conclusion of the Court of Special Appeals that Mr. Syed’s trial counsel’s performance was deficient … in failing to investigate the alibi witness,” but added … “We disagree, however with that court’s conclusion that Mr. Syed was prejudiced by his trial counsel’s deficiency.”
Translation — his lawyer sucked … but she’s not the reason why Syed was found guilty.
It should be noted the other 3 judges on the panel disagreed, and believe the deficiency was prejudicial against him and his defense.
As we reported … Adnan was granted a new trial in June 2016 by a Maryland judge because his original lawyer failed to cross-examine an expert witness. An appeal by the state was expected, though … and it didn’t go Syed’s way.
The murder was the subject of the first season of “Serial” and garnered massive attention to the case, and HBO will begin airing a 4-part docuseries Sunday night — picking up where the true-crime podcast left off — called “The Case Against Adnan Syed.”
After the court’s ruling, Syed’s attorney Justin Brown tweeted, “We will not give up. #FreeAdnan.”
He’s currently serving a life sentence.