- #JAY SERIAL PODCAST DNA TESTING RONALD LEE TRIAL#
- #JAY SERIAL PODCAST DNA TESTING RONALD LEE SERIES#
#JAY SERIAL PODCAST DNA TESTING RONALD LEE TRIAL#
Last night, the state’s Attorney released a short statement about Welch’s decision, and indicated that they intend to appeal the ruling, potentially preventing the new trial from taking place. Judge Welch also agreed that Gutierrez acted unreasonably by failing to contact potential alibi Asia McClain, but said this wasn’t the reason he vacated the conviction, writing that Syed did not prove that calling McClain to the stand would have created a reasonable probability of a different verdict. The short story is this: Welch found that Syed’s trial attorney, the late Cristina Gutierrez, didn’t challenge the reliability of some potentially faulty cell-phone tower evidence – what the judge called the “foundation” of the state’s case – a mistake so egregious that it violated Syed’s right to effective counsel. Judge Welch’s 59-page opinion breaks down his decisions on the issues raised by Syed’s defense attorneys, Justin Brown and Chris Nieto, in their appeal. Welch, who presided over Syed’s post-conviction relief hearing in February, vacated his conviction and granted him a new trial. The HBO series’ season finale is scheduled for Sunday night.Yesterday, Adnan Syed, whose conviction and life sentence for the murder of his high-school girlfriend was the focus of the first season of the hit podcast Serial, got the news he had been waiting to hear for over 16 years – Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Martin P. The case attracted millions of enthusiasts in 2014 when it was featured on “Serial.” Syed never admitted to killing Lee.Ĭonvicted in 2000, he was sentenced to life in prison but has maintained his innocence. No physical evidence tied Syed to the crime, but a witness testified that he helped Syed bury her body. Prosecutors said the then-17-yer-old had murdered her out of jealousy after finding out she was dating someone else. But they disagreed that it had prejudiced Syed, saying the evidence against him was otherwise strong.ĭetectives pursued Syed, Lee’s ex-boyfriend, after an anonymous tip and eventually charged him with killing her. The Court of Appeals agreed with the lower court that Syed’s first defense attorney was “deficient” for failing to present jurors with a possible alibi witness. The ruling reinstated his murder conviction. Three weeks ago, Maryland’s highest court determined Syed did not deserve a new trial, reversing the opinion of a lower court. HBO included video clips and recordings from the old case. State law forbids the broadcast of courtroom proceedings. Michel Pierson, the administrative judge of Baltimore Circuit Court. Meanwhile, the filmmakers drew a rebuke last week from W. None of it’s his … I don’t see it as really establishing that he wasn’t there.” “I respect the defense attorney for pushing as hard as he can,” Bernstein said, “but it doesn’t do much for me. “That’s evidence of exclusion.”Ĭharles Bernstein, a retired Baltimore Circuit judge and trial lawyer, who is not involved in the case, said the results don’t settle questions over guilt or innocence, Bernstein said. "Of course, it’s important that there’s not a DNA match of Adnan Syed,” Miller said. He too expected Syed’s DNA to show up if the couple actually struggled in the car. University of South Carolina law professor Colin Miller has been tracking the case. And so, the results will likely inspire more debate over guilt or innocence.
But the recent findings bring the most comprehensive tests in the highly scrutinized case. “After receipt of results of the testing, no further action was warranted,” Coombs said.Īuthorities had conducted a limited DNA test when Lee was murdered. Neither side has yet presented the findings to the court. Prosecutors received the results with Brown last October. State prosecutors routinely take action to exonerate defendants when new evidence emerges to prove their innocence. “There will be more news from us very soon.” “We haven’t settled on a final strategy,” Brown said. It remains unknown what steps the defense will take with the results. Syed’s defense could have requested such a DNA test at any time in about the last 20 years, prosecutors said.
#JAY SERIAL PODCAST DNA TESTING RONALD LEE SERIES#
The recent testing, however, found none.”įilmmakers hinted at the DNA evidence in the third episode of the documentary series “The Case Against Adnan Syed.” In the episode’s final moments, Brown sends an email with “DNA request form,” then the screen goes dark. “If such a struggle occurred,” Brown said, “it seems likely that the assailant’s DNA would have been present under the victim’s fingernails, or somewhere else inside the car.
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