Adnan Syed, the convicted killer featured in the hit podcast Serial, was granted a new trial Thursday in the 1999 slaying of his former girlfriend.
Baltimore City Circuit Judge Martin Welch vacated Syed's conviction, saying his original attorney "fell below the standard of reasonable professional judgment." Syed's current attorney Justin Brown posted the news in all-caps on Twitter: "WE WON A NEW TRIAL FOR ADNAN SYED!!! #FreeAdnan"
The decision was a major victory for Syed, 35, who was convicted in 2000 of killing his former girlfriend Hae Min Lee and burying her body at Leakin Park, a few miles from Woodlawn High School, where they both attended. Syed, who has served 16 years of a life sentence, has maintained his innocence in her death and had exhausted all appeals.