As the true-life mystery podcast "Serial" continues to captivate millions, an appeal attempting to throw out the life sentence of the convicted murderer at the story's center is winding its way through court.
The Maryland attorney general's office and state prosecutors were granted an extension last week to offer opinions on whether Adnan Syed received effective legal counsel when he was convicted of first-degree murder in the 1999 killing of ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.
Syed, now 34, is serving a life sentence in a Western Maryland state prison. A jury convicted him in 2000 of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment after prosecutors alleged he strangled his Woodlawn High School classmate because he was jealous that she was dating someone else.
Much of the case hinged on testimony from a man prosecutors said helped Syed bury Lee's body in Leakin Park. There were no eyewitnesses or physical evidence tying Syed to the murder. "Serial," a multi-episode podcast from the creators of the radio show "This American Life," has brought attention to the case as its producers have raised questions about Syed's conviction.