Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to consider an appeal for a new trial sought by Serial podcast subject Adnan Syed, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 slaying of a former girlfriend.
The Supreme Court's decision not to take up Syed's appeal means a Maryland appellate court's decision in March denying him a new trial will stand.
The high court issued no explanation for its decision Monday.
In 2000, a jury convicted Syed of the murder of 18-year-old former girlfriend Hae Min Lee. The case drew national attention in 2014 when it became the subject of the podcast Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig.
The case against Syed seemed to reach a turning point in March 2018 when the Maryland Court of Special Appeals voted 2-1 for a new trial. It said his first lawyer, Cristina Gutierrez, provided insufficient counsel by failing to call an alibi witness at trial.
The Maryland Court of Appeals, the state's highest court, ruled 4-3 in March that Syed was not entitled to a new trial -- finding that although his counsel was deficient, it did not result in any prejudice.
