"Serial" podcast protagonist gets new glimmer of hope

The fate of convicted killer Adnan Syed, profiled in the podcast "Serial," is now in the hands of a Maryland's Court of Special Appeals. Fifteen years ago, a jury convicted Syed of murdering his girlfriend when he was just 18 years old and has spent almost half his life behind bars.

Two of his previous appeals have been rejected, but this latest development has given his family a glimmer of hope, reports CBS News correspondent Jan Crawford.

Millions of people might never have known about Syed had it not been for radio journalist Sarah Koenig and her curiosity with the case. The Maryland court apparently has questions too, agreeing to hear Syed's arguments that his defense lawyer didn't properly do her job.

His family, so accustomed to disappointment over the years, delivered the news to Syed over the phone.

"My brother didn't believe my mom," his brother Yusuf said. "When I grabbed the phone and I told him, he was so happy. He was just laughing."

Syed was sentenced to life in prison for the death of Hae Min Lee, an honors student who was strangled in 1999. The prosecution's key witness was a drug dealer named Jay Wilds who claimed he helped Syed bury Lee's body in a Baltimore park.

As "Serial" delved into the twists and turns of the case, it cast doubt on Wild's account. It also left listeners wondering why another student, who could have provided an alibi for Syed, was never interviewed by his lawyer, nor called to testify.

Syed's trial attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, died in 2004. To this day, he maintains his innocence.

"No one could ever come with any type of proof or anecdote or anything to ever say that I was ever mad at her, that I was ever angry with her, that I ever threatened her," Syed said.

His mother described how her son's conviction dramatically changed their lives.

"It's like one day, you know, you have a nice family, you have three children, you want to raise them, give them education and suddenly, it's like the storm comes, you know, they destroy everything," Syed's mother Shamin Rahman said.

Fans of the podcast have donated more than $80,000 toward Syed's legal fund. His family is grateful for all the support "Serial" has generated for his case.

"He gets a lot of letters from people that are supporting him, and believe that he didn't get a fair trial," Yusef said.

Maryland's attorney general declined to comment because the case is pending, but the odds are stacked against Syed. Even though the Maryland court said it will listen to his arguments, he is a long way away from getting a new trial, let alone being exonerated.