If you are like at least 39 million other people, you may have tuned into a podcast phenomenon called Serial which tracks back to the murder of a high school student in the late 1990s.

Comprising 12 episodes, which is fewer than a season of Newsroom, the show was such a hit it appeared to give the real-life Adnan Syed’s post-trial appeal a chance to argue that he was not competently represented at trial because his counsel allegedly failed to follow up on a lead / failed to negotiate a  plea and that a witness may have been encouraged by the State not to appear.

On Monday, May 18, the Maryland appellate court issued this order which calls for the trial (circuit) court to enter the witness affidavit into the trial court record and consider Syed’s motion for  a re-trial.  The order appears neutral on whether the trial court should or should not act — this appears very procedure but, at the same time, it also seems encouraging for the defendant.  We’ll keep watching.  And listening.

You may be interested in the “Undisclosed; The State v Adnan Syed” podcast as well, here.