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BALTIMORE — A Maryland appellate court has reinstated the conviction of Adnan Syed, the man who spent over two decades behind bars for the 1999 killing of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and whose murder case was featured in the landmark podcast "Serial."
The appellate court said the lower court had violated the rights of the victim's brother, Young Lee, to attend a key hearing.
"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's opinion said.
Syed was accused of killing Hae Min Lee and served more than 20 years in prison before a judge vacated his conviction in a September hearing, leading to Syed's release.
The judge cited material in the state investigation that was not properly turned over to defense attorneys, as well as the existence of two suspects who may have been improperly cleared as part of the investigation, in explaining her decision to vacate. Lee's brother had requested a redo of that hearing, arguing in part he didn't have enough notice to attend in person.
The decision to vacate came nearly eight years after the "Serial" podcast dug into the case and raised questions about the conviction and Syed's legal representation.
