Adnan Syed, who was convicted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend from high school, has been granted a hearing that would give him the opportunity to present new evidence before the court.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin Welch issued an order, which was posted by Syed's lawyer online, on Friday to reopen Syed's post-conviction proceedings, which the team considers a victory in giving the inmate a new trial.
"We think this is a very big step in the direction of getting Adnan a new trial," C. Justin Brown, the new defense lawyer of Syed, said according to the New York Times. "We were happy that the judge is going to hear more evidence. It's exciting news for us, but there's still a long way for us."
The new trial is set to introduce two elements. The first is the affidavit and testimony by Asia McClain from Jan. 13. McClain may possibly testify again and be subjected to cross-examination, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Second is the evidence regarding the reliability of cell phone towers, where Brown stated in a court motion that AT&T, Syed's phone service provider, warned the police about relying on its accuracy.
Syed was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend from high school Hae Min Lee, who was discovered strangled to death and buried at a car park in Baltimore in 1999 and was convicted in 2000. He was featured in last year's "Serial" podcast, HNGN previously reported.
