Supreme Court of Maryland decided Friday to uphold the murder conviction against Adnan Syed, the subject of the first season of the groundbreaking true-crime podcast Seriesagreeing with an appellate court's earlier decision to reinstate Syed's conviction for the murder of Hae Min Lee.
In September 2022, a Baltimore judge ordered Syed released after overturning his conviction for third-degree murder. Syed was found guilty in 2000 of Lee's death, whose killing – and subsequent mistrials at Syed's trial – were the focus of SeriesThe first season of 2014. A month later, prosecutors announced they would not seek a retrial and instead dropped charges against Syed, who was serving life in prison plus 30 years after his conviction.
However, in March 2023, an appellate court reinstated the murder conviction, arguing that a lower court had violated the right of Li's brother, Yang Li, to attend the hearing that resulted in the conviction being overturned.
“The family received no notice and their attorney was not offered an opportunity to attend the proceeding,” said Lee's family attorney, Steve Kelly. Rolling Stone in October 2022. “In their rush to drop the criminal charges, the State Attorney's Office tried to silence Hae Min Lee's family and prevent the family and the public from understanding why the state so abruptly changed its position for more than 20 years . All this family wanted was answers and a voice. Today's actions robbed them of both.”
Nearly 18 months after the conviction was reinstated — during which Syed remained free as the appeals process unfolded — the Maryland Supreme Court upheld the appellate court's decision in a 4-3 decision.
“In an effort to remedy what they felt was an injustice to Mr. Said, the prosecutor and the district court wronged Mr. Lee by failing to treat him with dignity, respect, and sensitivity and, in particular, by violating Mr. Lee's rights as a representative of the crime victim for reasonable notice of the Vacatur Hearing, the right to attend the hearing in person, and the right to be heard on the merits of the Vacatur Motion,” the Maryland Supreme Court said in its ruling.
In a dissenting opinion, Judge Michele Holten argued that Syed should remain free since prosecutors had already announced they would drop the charges. “This case exists as a procedural zombie,” wrote Hotten (via the Associated Press). “It has been renewed, despite its expiration. The doctrine of challenge was designed to prevent such judicial necromancy.”
David Sanford, an attorney representing Lee's family, said after Friday's ruling: “If there is compelling evidence to support Adnan Syed's conviction being vacated, we will be the first to agree. To date, the public has seen no evidence to justify overturning a murder conviction that has withstood appeals for more than two decades.”
Despite the confirmed murder conviction, there's still a good chance Said will eventually be released again: His legal journey will now pick up where it left off in September 2022, when a Baltimore judge vacated the conviction due to a reinvestigation of Lee's murder that resulted in the emergence of two new suspects as well as possible DNA evidence that eliminated Syed as a suspect.
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/maryland-supreme-court-upholds-adnan-syed-murder-conviction-1235092500/