Appeals court refuses to intervene in ‘Serial’ ruling

BALTIMORE (AP) — A Maryland appeals court has refused to intervene in a lower court’s decision to free a man who served over 20 years in prison for a high school student’s killing. The decision came in a case chronicled by the groundbreaking “Serial” podcast. The state Court of Special Appeals issued Wednesday’s order — a day after prosecutors dropped charges against Adnan Syed in the 1999 killing of 18-year-old Hae Min Lee. Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn ruled last month that the state had violated its legal obligation to share evidence that could have bolstered Syed’s defense. Lee’s family asked the Court of Special Appeals to halt the case and suspend the deadline set by Phinn.