Podcast Murder Case Hits Final Appeal

A 15-year-old murder case that landed once-popular Baltimore County teenager Adnan Syed behind bars for life is being revived in a podcast called Serial and is also before a Maryland appeals court that will ultimately decide the man’s fate. Millions watch Serial, which tells the story of the Woodlawn High School student who was found guilty in 2000 of murdering ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The podcast is the brainchild of radio producer and former Baltimore Sun reporter Sarah Koenig, who spent more than a year digging into Syed’s case and reporting her findings in almost real-time in hour-long segments released online every Thursday. There have been nine episodes, which have attracted more than 1.5 million listeners per episode worldwide. Syed, now 34, has been trying to prove his innocence for years, and his case is now in its final stages of appeal. A hearing scheduled for January represents what Syed’s lawyer, C. Justin Brown, said is Syed's “last best chance” at freedom.