Crime

Defense Says Evidence In 'Serial' Case Should Be Thrown Out

A lawyer for Adnan Syed says he has discovered evidence that could lead to Syed's conviction being overturned.

Defense Says Evidence In 'Serial' Case Should Be Thrown Out
Getty Images / Mike Coppla
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A lawyer for Adnan Syed, the subject of the popular podcast "Serial," says he has new evidence that could potentially overturn Syed's conviction. (Video via WMAR)

Syed is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of his high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee in Baltimore. (Video via WMAR)

Now his defense attorney, C. Justin Brown, has filed a motion arguing some of the cell tower evidence used to convict Syed was misleading. (Video via Law Office of C. Justin Brown)

In Syed's first trial, prosecutors used cellphone towers to corroborate eyewitness testimony of Jay Wilds, who claimed he helped Syed bury Lee's body.

In the podcast, "Serial" host Sarah Koenig spent time explaining how cell tower evidence can be unreliable. She questioned why Syed's first attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, didn't challenge it further. (Video via Comedy Central / "The Colbert Report")

And now, Brown has uncovered a document that reveals Syed's cell carrier AT&T had warned police about the accuracy of the data when it was handed over before Syed's first trial. 

A cover sheet faxed to the Baltimore police read: "Outgoing calls only are reliable for location status. Any incoming calls will NOT be considered reliable information for location."

In the podcast, Koenig questioned other facets of the trial that are being re-examined by Syed's new attorney. Such as why a witness who could give Syed an alibi for the time of the murder was left out of the first trial.

This video includes images from Getty Images.