Adnan Syed’s murder conviction reinstated by Maryland appeals court

The Maryland appeals court has decided to reinstate the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, who was found guilty in 1999 for the murder of his former girlfriend, Hae Min Lee.

Syed’s case gained national attention after the podcast “Serial” raised doubts about his guilt in 2014. The podcast, produced by Chicago public radio station WBEZ, highlighted potential flaws in the case, prompting a closer examination.

In response to the investigation, a circuit court judge vacated Syed’s conviction last year and ordered his release from prison, where he had served more than 20 years of a life sentence. The judge left the decision to retry Syed to the prosecutors, who ultimately decided to drop the case. However, on Tuesday, a Maryland appellate court panel, in a 2-1 decision, ordered a new hearing, stating that the lower court had violated the right of the victim’s family to attend a crucial hearing in the case.

The appellate panel emphasized that it had the power and obligation to remedy the violations as long as they did not infringe on Syed’s right to be free from double jeopardy. As a result, the panel vacated the circuit court’s order, reinstating Syed’s original convictions and sentence. However, the panel did not explicitly order Syed back to prison, instead allowing a two-month delay in the “mandate” of its decision to give the parties involved time to assess their next steps.

Throughout the legal process, Syed has maintained his innocence, asserting that he did not kill 18-year-old Hae Min Lee, who was strangled and buried in a Baltimore park.

Syed’s attorney has stated that the latest decision concerns procedural matters, not Syed’s innocence. The attorney added that Syed remains free, and his legal team plans to seek a review in the Supreme Court of Maryland.

Erica Suter, Syed’s counsel, explained that the Appellate Court of Maryland reinstated Syed’s convictions because Hae Min Lee’s brother did not attend the vacatur hearing in person, not because the motion to vacate was wrong. Therefore, Suter argued that there is no reason to re-traumatize Syed by returning him to the status of a convicted felon.

In September, after a yearlong investigation conducted alongside Syed’s public counsel, prosecutors filed a motion to vacate the conviction. Ultimately, Judge Melissa Phinn of the Baltimore Circuit Court ordered Syed’s release from incarceration.