Fifteen years after he was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend, Adnan Syed is still working to get out of prison. Last month, the Baltimore City Circuit Court granted Syed -- whose case was the focus of the first season of the popular podcast "Serial" -- will return to court in February for a hearing to reopen post-conviction proceedings and introduce new evidence, a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge ordered Monday. It's not likely his court battles will end any time soon.
Syed was convicted of murdering Hae Min Lee in 2000 and will spend his life in prison if his appeals are not successful. The hearing will focus on a new witness that would provide him an alibi and the possibility that cell phone data evidence from the original case was unreliable.
We reviewed Maryland Judiciary guidelines, court records and the court system's annual report to break down where Syed is in the process.
Syed is in the midst of a messy appeals process, which has bounced back and forth between the Baltimore City Circuit Court and the Court of Special Appeals, the state's second-highest appeals court. In Maryland, this process can take years. Cases rarely get overturned or retried.
In 2010, Syed filed a motion with the Baltimore City Circuit Court for "post-conviction relief," asking the court to grant him a new trial. The court said no.
In January 2014, Syed requested permission or "leave" to appeal that decision. In January 2015, he asked the Court of Special Appeals to let him introduce new evidence from alibi witness Asia McClain, who claimed that she saw Syed at the library during the time of Lee's murder.
A month later, in February 2015, the Court of Special Appeals approved Syed's request to appeal -- something it rarely does in post-conviction cases. The year prior, in 2014, the Court of Special Appeals did not approve any of these requests.
After the Court of Special Appeals granted Syed permission to appeal, it looked at the appeal itself. In May, the Court of Special Appeals "remanded" Syed's case, sending the case back to Baltimore City Circuit Court to decide whether it would hear the new evidence.
The Court of Special Appeals rarely remands cases. In Maryland, it is uncommon for the Court to send a criminal case back to circuit court without "affirmance" -- upholding the trial court decision -- or "reversal" -- overturning the circuit court's decision. Last year, less than 1 percent of cases were like Syed's: "Remanded without Affirmance or Reversal."
This is not Syed's first attempt to have his conviction overturned. When he was convicted of murder, kidnapping and robbery in 2000, he immediately asked for another trial. That request was denied. And for the last 15 years, Syed has repeatedly asked the Baltimore City Circuit Court and the Court of Special Appeals to take another look at key issues in the case.
After years of saying no, last month the Baltimore City Circuit Court agreed to revisit certains aspects of the case. In the 15 years between his conviction and the latest decision, Syed's case saw a lot of twists and turns.
This timeline breaks down Syed's complicated appeal process.
The next step is the hearing to decide on post-conviction relief. However, regardless of the outcome, this legal battle is likely far from over. Sarah Koenig, host of "Serial," wrote in her blog that the case could go all the way to the Court of Appeals, Maryland's highest court.
As Koenig proves on "Serial", there is always more to analyze and delve into when it comes to this case. Fortunately, many of the court records are available online. Below are the available court documents relevant to Syed's case.