MD Supreme Court reinstates Adnan Syed murder conviction

 August 31, 2024

Maryland's Supreme Court has upheld a previous decision to reinstate the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, who became famous in 2014 when his case was featured on an edition of the popular Serial podcast.

Syed had served more than 20 years for the 1999 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee.

Syed had been freed from prison in 2022 after "Baltimore prosecutors found flaws in the evidence presented at trial and a judge agreed to vacate his conviction."

Syed's freedom didn't last for long though:

Lee's relatives appealed the decision, contending they didn't receive sufficient notice to attend the hearing that set Syed free. In March 2023, the Maryland Appellate Court agreed and reinstated Syed's conviction and ordered a redo of the hearing.

After the state Supreme Court's decision, Syed will remain free at least until his next hearing which has not been scheduled.

The high court ruled that the "Lee family must have sufficient notice of the new hearing and a new judge must preside."

The Lee family attorney said, "If there's actually evidence presented that shows that Adnan Syed should not have been convicted, we would be the first ones to congratulate Adnan Syed and argue he should be a free man. That hasn't happened yet."