who was adnan syed lawyer

Who is Adnan Syed and what did he do?

Adnan Syed is a Muslim-American man who was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999.

Was Adnan Syed's evidence inadmissible in court?

A lawyer representing Adnan Syed, the Baltimore convicted murderer whose case was profiled in the popular podcast Serial, says evidence that helped send his client to jail was inadmissible.

What happened to Adnan Syed's first attorney Cristina Gutierrez?

What Happened To Adnan Syed's First Attorney, Cristina Gutierrez? Adnan Syed might not be getting a new trial, but even the courts agree Cristina Gutierrez didn't give him effective legal counsel. Oxygen Insider Exclusive! Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more!

Was Adnan Syed coached by Baltimore Police?

Since Syed's conviction, Wilds has changed his story multiple times, and recent analysis of Wilds' police interviews suggest he had been heavily coached by the Baltimore police. Adnan Syed following the completion of the first day of hearings for a retrial in Baltimore on February 3, 2016.

Who defended Adnan Syed?

Cristina GutierrezCristina Gutierrez, who has since died, defended Syed in trial. Syed's new attorneys said Gutierrez failed to effectively investigate alibi claims from fellow classmate Asia McClain. McClain said she talked to Syed at a library during the time frame that prosecutors say he killed Lee.

What happened to Adnan's lawyer?

Two Maryland courts found that Syed deserved a new trial. His lawyer during his first trial, Cristina Gutierrez, failed to contact a woman who said she saw Syed at a library at the time prosecutors say he strangled his ex-girlfriend in 1999. Gutierrez has since died.

Who is Rabia Why is she involved in the case Serial?

Rabia Chaudry is an attorney, advocate, and author of the New York Times bestselling book "Adnan's Story" and Executive Producer of a four-part HBO documentary "The Case Against Adnan Syed."

Why is the Nisha call so important?

The Nisha Call is one of the strongest pieces of evidence suggesting that Adnan isn't innocent. But that isn't saying much. It's a 3:32 pm call on January 13, 1999, on Adnan's cell phone records to Nisha, a friend of his who did not know Jay. Nisha testified in trial that she spoke to both Jay and Adnan.

Who is the lawyer for Adnan Syed?

Although Syed's lawyer Cristina Gutierrez didn't make an appearance on the first season of “Serial,” which questioned whether Syed was wrongfully convicted for Lee's murder all those years ago, Gutierrez's voice was heard over and over as host Sarah Koenig played back tapes of Syed's original court case, questioning Gutierrez's job performance. Now, HBO’s four-part docuseries “The Case Against Adnan Syed” which premiered on March 10, two days after Syed's conviction was upheld, picks up right where “Serial” left off. Much like the podcast, the Amy Berg-directed film also reexamines Gutierrez's role in Syed's original conviction. So, in the midst of all this speculation over her handling of the case, where is Gutierrez now?

When did the case against Adnan Syed air?

Now, HBO’s four-part docuseries “The Case Against Adnan Syed” which premiered on March 10, two days after Syed's conviction was upheld, picks up right where “Serial” left off. Much like the podcast, the Amy Berg-directed film also reexamines Gutierrez's role in Syed's original conviction.

Why was Gutierrez disbarred?

However, in 2001, a year after Syed’s conviction, Gutierrez was disbarred following allegations she drained a trust account containing client funds , according to The Baltimore Sun. She died three years later.

When was Syed's murder conviction upheld?

However, Syed saw his murder conviction upheld on Friday, March 8 after Maryland's highest court disagreed that Gutierrez prejudiced the case during the original trial proceedings.

Did Gutierrez mishandle his case?

Syed has long maintained that Gutierrez mishandled his case over her failure to investigate his alibi Asia McClain, who claimed she saw Syed in her high school library at the time of the murder. Syed claimed Gutierrez told him at the time that she had investigated the alibi, but “nothing came of it.”.

Who defended everyone from allegedly corrupt city officials to accused kid killers to serial child molesters to teachers?

Gutierrez defended everyone from allegedly corrupt city officials to accused kid killers to serial child molesters to teachers charged with sexually assaulting their students. “ [Gutierrez] had a tremendous reputation,” Petit told Oxygen.com.

Did Gutierrez cross-examine the prosecution?

Syed’s attorneys also allege Gutierrez didn’t cross-examine the prosecution’s cell phone tower expert, who placed him at the crime scene using cell phone tower records, which Syed's team now argues is unreliable evidence.

Who did McClain write to after Syed was arrested?

Syed had given the letters to his original defense attorney, Cristina Gutierrez. But Gutierrez never contacted McClain and she never got to testify at his trial that she was with him until about 2:40 p.m. the day Lee disappeared.

What is the book Adnan's Story about?

She now has written a book, Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial, in which she questions the innocence of Don Clinedinst, Lee’s boyfriend at the time of her death, and lays out new details that she believes exonerate Syed.

Why didn't Chaudry do DNA testing?

Chaudry suspects they didn’t do this and other DNA testing because the results would show Syed had no involvement with Lee’s murder.

How long did it take for Chaudry to write an affidavit?

Chaudry asked McClain to write an affidavit describing what happened. It took 16 years before McClain testified in court.

Did the judge grant Syed a new trial?

While the judge did not grant Syed’s new trial due to McClain’s testimony at the post-conviction hearing, Chaudry believes McClain will still help his case when there is a retrial and a jury hears that McClain was with Syed during the time the state argues Lee was killed.

Who helped Syed bury Lee?

At Syed’s 2000 trial, Syed acquaintance Jay Wilds testified that Syed showed him Lee’s body in the trunk of Lee’s car, and that he helped Syed bury Lee in Leakin Park around 7 p.m. the night of January 13, 1999, about four-and-a-half hours after Syed allegedly strangled her.

Who provided the alibi for Clinedinst?

Chaudry tells PEOPLE that Clinedinst’s alibi was provided by a store manager who was the girlfriend of Clinedinst’s mother – and that police were unable to talk to Clinedinst until about 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 14, 1999, the day after Lee vanished.

Who sued Gutierrez?

As Koenig discussed in Thursdays episode, the Whitmans were among the former clients who ultimately sued Gutierrez for misplaced funds. Ron and Sue Whitman hired Gutierrez to defend their son in 2000, in a horrifically tragic case; their older of their two boys, Zach, was charged with killing his 13-year-old brother Greg, by stabbing him 65 times in the neck with a pen knife. Halfway through the trial, Ron and Sue fired Cristina. In 2003, Whitman was convicted to life in prison. The latest of his numerous appeals throughout the years took place in January of this year, which he lost.

Who represented Laurie Susanne Cook?

In 1993, Gutierrez represented Laurie Susanne Cook, Anne Arundel, Maryland school teacher who was accused of sexually abusing a 14-year-old male student. Cook was 33 at the time. "We're vehemently denying the charges," Gutierrez told the Baltimore Sun. "It's not unusual... in the context of the hysteria at Northeast, to have created an accusation out of nothing." The hysteria she's referring to is the case of Walter Price, a 49-year-old Social Studies teacher who was convicted of sexually abusing a student at the very same school just a few months earlier. Cook was ultimately acquitted, but subsequently lost her job in 1995.

How many life sentences did Gutierrez get?

He was found guilty and given four life sentences. Some information in 2010 came out that could've set him free that had to do with an error on Gutierrez's part. According to an article in the Baltimore Sun, prosecutors offered Merzbacher's counsel a 10-year reduced sentence with a plea bargain.

Was Cristina Gutierrez a public defender?

Finally, we get to learn a little more about the curious case of Cristina Gutierrez and her past as a public defender, deepening our general confusion about what her strategy was with Adnan's case. According to her peers, Gutierrez was apparently a star in her prime.

Who was the first black woman to serve as Baltimore's City Comptroller?

Jacqueline F. McLean. Gutierrez served as counsel when Jacqueline F. McLean, the first black female to serve as Baltimore's City Comptroller, was charged with numerous fraud and misconduct charges in 1994. McLean was accused of stealing $25,000 from Baltimore tax payers by reporting an employee on payroll who did not exist.

Was Gutierrez accused of corruption?

Still, the fact remains that Gutierrez was accused of corruption when hundreds of thousands of dollars of client money went missing. While Adnan still trusts and reveres her, some things just don't seem right.

When was Syed convicted?

Syed, now 35, was convicted in 2000 in the January 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in Maryland. He is serving a life sentence. "Serial" raised new questions about the case and stoked national and international debate about whether or not Syed's conviction was sound.

Who is the killer on Serial?

BALTIMORE -- A Baltimore attorney says he has new evidence that calls into question key cellphone records used to convict Adnan Syed, the convicted killer at the center of the popular "Serial" podcast, reports CBS DC.

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Who is the lead author of the Adnan Syed brief?

The lead author of the brief is Elaine J. Goldenberg of Munger , Tolles & Olson. You can read the brief HERE. September 17, 2019.

Where is the Syed case appealed to?

The briefs are all in for what is probably the final appeal of the Syed case — to the Maryland Court of Appeals , the highest court in the state. You can read our filling, which addresses the cell tower issue, HERE.

Which court in Maryland upheld the trial court order granting Adnan Syed a new trial?

The Court of Appeals of Maryland — the highest court in the state — has agreed to review the decision of the Court of Special Appeals (which upheld the trial court order granting Adnan Syed a new trial). The Court of Appeals will consider both issues that were before the lower courts: the alibi issue and the cell tower issue.

Why do we care about what an Alabama court is saying?

Why do we care about what an Alabama court is saying? The reason relates to the argument initially set forth by a dissenting judge from the Court of Special Appeals, and now adopted by the State in the current appeal. The dissenting judge, and now the State, have argued that another Alabama case, Broadnax v. State, 130 So. 3d 1232 (Ala. Crim. App. 2013), should guide the Court of Appeals as it deliberates on the alibi issue. Broadnax is a case that contains some reasoning not favorable to Syed.

When was the Gissendanner oral argument?

The timing of Gissendanner is important because it comes while the Maryland Court of Appeals is deliberating. Oral arguments were held on November 29, 2018. We are now waiting to see what the Court of Appeals will decide. (There is no precise timetable for when the court will announce its ruling.)

Did Adnan Syed get a new trial?

The past year was a disappointing stretch for Adnan Syed. The Maryland Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, reversed the granting of a new trial and reinstated Syed’s conviction. Our appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was denied.

Is there stronger evidence than an alibi witness?

From the perspective of the defendant, there is no stronger evidence than an alibi witness. January 10, 2019. Syed today filed a brief providing the Maryland Court of Appeals with supplemental authority pertaining to the alibi issue now before the State’s highest court.

Who Is Adnan Syed?

See more on biography.com

Relationship with Hae Min Lee

Hae Min Lee's Murder

Arrest, Trial and Conviction

Appeals

Family Life