30 Mar Man featured in Serial podcast asks for new trial

On behalf of Jack B. Rubin, PA posted in Criminal Appeals on Monday, March 30, 2015.

Maryland residents may know about or have listened to the popular podcast ‘Serial.” The man who was the subject of that podcast has asked for a new trial citing the ineffectiveness of his original attorney. According to a 31-page motion filed by the man’s lawyer, his former lawyer failed to talk to a witness who could have provided him with an alibi that would have led to an acquittal.

The motion also claimed that his lawyer failed to look into a possible plea deal that he would have considered. It concluded by saying that the actions of the former attorney were not an accident and were actions that any reasonable attorney should know would have lost the case. The original lawyer passed away in 2003 after suffering from health issues.

“Serial” is a podcast created by a former Baltimore Sun reporter who went through hundreds of pages of documents related to the 1999 case. He was convicted of first-degree murder after allegedly killing his girlfriend and another teenager in a fit of jealousy. However, there was no eyewitness to the killing, and one woman supposedly placed him at a library when the killing took place. She has reportedly maintained her story since the event and told her story in an interview for the podcast.

Anyone who is looking to overturn a conviction or appeal a sentence may be able to do so with the help of a criminal appeals lawyer. An attorney may be able to argue that previous legal counsel did not do everything in their power to present a zealous defense. For instance, it may be argued that a witness was not interviewed or was improperly examined on the witness stand, or that a plea deal was not negotiated despite the defendant’s encouragement.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, “‘Serial’ podcast subject Syed makes his case for a new trial,” Justin George, 03/23/2015