Serial Subject Adnan Syed's Murder Conviction Reinstated

After being released from prison in September, Adnan Syed’s murder conviction has been reinstated while he awaits a new hearing.

By Kelly Gilmore Mar 28, 2023 11:58 PMTags
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An update has been made in Adnan Syed's legal journey.

Syed, the subject of the true crime podcast Serial, has had his murder conviction for the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee reinstated by a Maryland's appeals court, per NBC News.

The decision comes as a result of a procedural problem, according to the outlet. After Syed was released from prison in September, Lee's family filed a notice of appeal that same month asking that his conviction be reinstated as they were not given sufficient notice of the Sept. 19 hearing that led to his eventual release.

On March 28, the Maryland appeals court ruled in favor of the appeal filed by Lee's family. Now, a new hearing will be held, which will either lead to Syed's original conviction being reinstated again or vacated again.

Until then, his charges have been reinstated.

"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," Lee's family said in a statement to NBC News, "and the court's decision will be based on evidence for the world to see."

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Prior to his September release from prison, Syed served more than 20 years of a life sentence for Lee's murder.

Earlier that same month, City Circuit Court Judge Melissa Phinn ruled that Syed's murder, kidnapping, robbery and false imprisonment convictions be vacated, per NBC News. This decision was made on the grounds that prosecutors made a compelling argument that Syed's initial conviction, which was handed down in 2000, was flawed.

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"It seems like our family, we just always go unnoticed," Syed told reporters after a Feb. 2 hearing. "Every time we go to court we just always go unnoticed. We definitely understand that Hae's family has suffered so much and they continue to suffer. It's just that we suffer too and we hope that the court today just takes notice of that."

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