Serial star Adnan Syed’s murder conviction reinstated after appeal of victim’s family

The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled in favor of the victim’s family, leading to the reinstatement of the murder conviction of Adnan Syed. He was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, and false imprisonment, for the alleged murder of his former girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, back when he was 17. The 41-year-old was handed a life sentence in 2000.

Adnan’s case drew national attention in 2014 after being featured in the true-crime podcast, Serial. It eventually led to a retrial and the overturning of Adnan’s conviction in 2022.

However, on Tuesday, the ruling was overturned after Hae Min Lee’s brother, Young Lee, filed an appeal arguing that he was deprived of his right to attend the trial in-person and participate meaningfully. He claimed that he had not been given enough notice of Syed’s retrial and had only attended via Zoom.

Ruling 2-1 in Young Lee’s favor, the court called for a new hearing where he would be able to attend in person. While Adnan Syed’s lawyer is set to appeal the decision, he will not have to return to prison immediately — the appeals court issued a 60-day stay of its ruling to allow for both the prosecution and defense to prepare their next moves.

Young Lee’s lawyer, David Sanford, expressed satisfaction at the decision, stating that the Appellate Court’s directive for a transparent hearing “will be based on evidence for the world to see.”

Meanwhile, Adnan Syed’s lawyer, Erica J. Suter, denounced the ruling, and in a statement obtained by the outlet, she said, “Ensuring justice for Hae Min Lee does not require injustice for Adnan.”

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