Though Team Jay and Team Adnan may fundamentally disagree on the court verdict, one thing is pretty clear: Cristina Gutierrez, Syed’s attorney, didn’t do a very good job handling evidence or witnesses. Asia McClain, the former classmate of Syed’s who claims she can place him in the library at the supposed time of Hae Min Lee’s murder, was never even interviewed by Gutierrez, a move that may or may not have had a life-changing effect on Syed’s verdict. (McClain’s memory of seeing Syed in the library was tied to snow, but there was no snow on January 13, 1999, the day in question.) McClain was interviewed for the Serial podcast, but was never contacted by Gutierrez.
After a series of appeals, Maryland’s Court Of Special Appeals said yesterday that it would grant Syed’s request for the lower court to hear the evidence provided by Asia McClain’s affadavit. McClain says that not only was she never contacted by Gutierrez, she was also discouraged from attending the post-conviction hearings. The court stated that “we believe a stay of this appeal and a limited remand to the circuit court is in the interest of justice.” This is potentially good news for Syed, whose appeal stated that he believed McClain’s testimony “is reasonably likely to to change the outcome of the post-conviction proceeding.”
[via Huffington Post]
