Murder conviction of Adnan Syed's reinstated by appeals court

The murder conviction against Adnan Syed has reportedly been reinstated by the Maryland Court of Appeals. Syed’s case gained immense notoriety after it appeared on the popular podcast Serial.

Syed spent two decades in prison for the death of Hae Min Lee, but his murder conviction was tossed out in September, and he was subsequently released in October. However, Syed’s murder conviction has been reinstated just six months after prosecutors in Baltimore provided new evidence in the 1999 killing of Lee, per NBC News. 

However, Lee’s family has filed an appeal, claiming that they were not sufficiently notified of the efforts behind Syed’s release. The Maryland appeals court ruled in their favor.

“Because the circuit court violated Mr. Lee’s right to notice of, and his right to attend, the hearing on the State’s motion to vacate … this Court has the power and obligation to remedy those violations, as long we can do so without violating Mr. Syed’s right to be free from double jeopardy,” the 2-1 decision reads, according to the New York Post.

David Sanford, Lee’s family attorney, said the following: “We are delighted that the Appellate Court of Maryland agrees with Mr. Lee that his right to have reasonable notice of the Syed vacatur hearing and his right to be physically present at that hearing were violated by the trial court.”

“We are equally pleased that the Appellate Court is directing the lower court to conduct a transparent hearing where the evidence will be presented in open court and the court’s decision will be based on evidence for the world to see.”

NBC reported that though the conviction has been temporarily reinstated, it is thought to be a mere “procedural issue,” adding that there is no reason to suggest that Syed would end up back in prison.

The prosecution has alluded to the idea that new evidence points to other suspects, but the details of who those suspects are has not yet been revealed.

Investigators targeted Lee’s ex-boyfriend, Syed, after she was discovered buried in Baltimore’s Leakin Park. Consequently, he was sentenced in 2000, despite the authorities ignoring evidence that suggested the guilt of other suspects.

NBC reported that Baltimore officials executed a new round of DNA testing on Lee’s “skirt, pantyhose, shoes, and jacket” in 2022, which apparently revealed that the DNA found belonged to “multiple contributors.”

Syed’s DNA did not show up in the latest tests.

The report noted that there were two additional suspects, one of whom had apparently threatened to kill Lee.