Adnan Syed's Conviction Reinstated by Maryland Appellate Court

Adnan Syed
Lloyd Fox/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Adnan Syed's case gained national attention when it was featured on the podcast 'Serial.'

In a decision released Tuesday, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals ruled to reinstate the original convictions and sentence for Adnan Syed.

Syed, whose case gained national attention when it was featured on the podcast Serial, was released from prison in September 2022 after serving more than 20 years for the murder of his Woodlawn High School classmate and ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee.

Lee was killed in 1999.

In January, Lee's brother, Young Lee, filed a motion centered around the October 2022 hearing in which the charges were dropped against Syed. The Lee family argued that prosecutors infringed upon Maryland victims' rights and the short notice Lee's brother received ahead of the hearing.

Young Lee said the court "denied him his rights as the representative of a crime victim."    

Lee's family attorney, Steve Kelly, said the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office gave his client less than one business day's notice for the hearing, and that he was denied the right to fully participate in the proceeding because he wasn't provided with adequate notice, facts, or evidence. 

The decision released Tuesday from the Court of Special Appeals granted a new hearing where Young Lee is given notice of the hearing that is sufficient to allow him to attend in person.

This story was originally published by CBS Baltimore on March 28, 2023 at 3:41 p.m. ET.

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