The conviction of Adnan Syed, who was imprisoned for more than 20 years for murdering his ex-girlfriend in 1999, has been upheld. In a 2-1 decision, a Maryland appellate court on Tuesday threw the case back open and ruled that the lower court had violated the victim’s family’s right to witness a crucial hearing in the case.
Syed was found guilty of killing Hae Min Lee, but her brother Young Lee’s legal right to be present at one of the crucial sessions was violated.
“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 court observed.
“Accordingly, we vacate the circuit court’s order vacating Mr. Syed’s convictions, which results in the reinstatement of the original convictions and sentence.”
Syed won’t be returned to prison right away
After an investigation revealed issues with the case, a circuit judge overturned the murder conviction, and Syed was freed from prison last year. Notably, the popular podcast “Serial” threw doubt on his guilt, which helped the case gain national notice.
While releasing him, the court left it up to the prosecutors to determine whether or not to retry him. Following the ruling on Tuesday, Syed won’t be returned to prison right away because the parties have been allowed two months to decide how to proceed.
Syed’s attorney announced that the group would ask the Maryland Supreme Court to reconsider the decision.
“The Appellate Court of Maryland has reinstated Adnan’s convictions, not because the Motion to Vacate was erroneous, but because Ms. Lee’s brother did not appear in person at the vacatur hearing,” Eric Suter, Syed’s counsel was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Syed has insisted he is innocent despite being found guilty. Hae Min Lee, who was an adolescent (18 at the time), was reportedly killed by being strangled and buried in a park in Baltimore.