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Will Serial's Adnan Syed go back to jail? Will Serial's Adnan Syed go back to jail?
(7 months later)
Adnan Syed reacts after a court overturned his 2000 murder convictionAdnan Syed reacts after a court overturned his 2000 murder conviction
A Maryland appeals court has reinstated Adnan Syed's murder conviction and sentence just months after he was released from prison. Adnan Syed, who is now free after spending more than 20 years in prison fighting charges that he killed his ex-girlfriend, has appeared in an appeals court once again arguing to keep his freedom.
Syed was convicted of the 1999 murder of his high school girlfriend Hae Min Lee and spent more than 20 years in prison. In the latest chapter of the case made famous by the hit podcast Serial, an appeals court in Maryland will decide whether to send Syed back to prison or throw out his murder conviction.
He has maintained his innocence and fought to appeal his ruling for decades, a true crime story made famous by the hit podcast Serial. After the murder of his high school classmate and ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 1999, a jury found Syed guilty of premeditated murder, kidnapping, robbery and false imprisonment.
Syed was cleared of all charges in September 2022, after the Baltimore state's attorney's office said its year-long investigation revealed Syed had been wrongfully convicted of strangling and killing Ms Lee. New DNA evidence showed he was not involved in her death, the office said. Syed was cleared of all charges in September 2022, after prosecutors in Baltimore said their year-long investigation revealed he had been wrongfully convicted of strangling and killing Ms Lee. New DNA evidence showed he was not involved in her death, prosecutors said.
But in an extraordinary move in March 2023, a Maryland appeals court reinstated Syed's conviction and sentence, demanding a new hearing to determine whether he should remain free. But in March 2023, a Maryland appeals court reinstated Syed's conviction and sentence, ordering a new hearing to determine whether he should remain free.
Why was Adnan Syed's conviction reinstated?Why was Adnan Syed's conviction reinstated?
On 28 March 2023, an appellate court reinstated Syed's conviction for the murder of Ms Lee. In a 2-1 decision, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that the lower court failed to give Ms Lee's family sufficient notice of the September 2022 hearing where Syed's conviction was ultimately vacated, as required by the state's law. The appeals court ruled that the lower court failed to give Young Lee, Ms Lee's brother, sufficient notice of the September 2022 hearing in which a judge vacated Syed's murder conviction and freed him from prison.
Ms Lee's brother, Young Lee, who represented Ms Lee on behalf of the court, was only given one business day's notice before the September hearing. The court ruled this was insufficient to allow Mr Lee to attend the hearing in person. Instead, Mr Lee attended the hearing online. Thursday's hearing in the Maryland Supreme Court included arguments over whether Syed's conviction should remain on the books and whether crime victims have a right to speak and to challenge evidence during hearings to vacate convictions.
"We remand for a new, legally compliant, and transparent hearing on the motion to vacate, where Mr. Lee is given notice of the hearing that is sufficient to allow him to attend in person," the court said. Attorneys for Syed argued that despite the lack of notice given - Young Lee was told of the hearing to vacate on the Friday before a Monday hearing - the result would have been the same.
Will Adnan Syed go back to jail? The Lee family has continued to argue that Syed is guilty and opposed his release.
Syed does not have to return to prison for now. The state supreme court justices will announce their decision at a later date.
The court's order to reinstate his conviction and sentence does not go into effect for 60 days. During that time, a new hearing will be scheduled. Syed remains free while the decision is pending.
"The appeal was not about Adnan's innocence but about notice," said Erica J Suter, Mr Syed's attorney. Ms Suter, the director of the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore, plans to appeal the decision to reinstate Syed's conviction. Outside the court after the hearing, he told reporters: "We look forward to hearing the court's decision, and we're hoping that in the end we'll have a chance to do justice, not just for Hae's family, but for our family as well."
Serial podcast asks: Who killed Hae Min Lee?Serial podcast asks: Who killed Hae Min Lee?
More than a decade after Syed was sent to prison, Rabia Chaudry, a Baltimore-based lawyer and family friend of the Syeds, emailed a journalist named Sarah Koenig and asked her to re-investigate Lee's murder. Hae Min Lee disappeared after school in January 1999, and her body was discovered partially buried the following month. Syed was arrested and convicted on the basis of evidence including phone records and the testimony of one of his friends, who told police he helped bury Lee's body. He was sentenced to life in prison.
That email helped launch the first season of the podcast Serial. The show premiered in autumn 2014 and each episode tried to piece together a timeline of what happened the night Ms Lee was killed. More than a decade after the conviction, Rabia Chaudry, a Baltimore-based lawyer and family friend of the Syeds, emailed journalist Sarah Koenig and asked her to re-investigate Lee's murder.
At the heart of the story is the the question: Who killed Hae Min Lee? That email helped launch the first season of the podcast Serial, a spin-off of the long-running radio show This American Life. Serial premiered in autumn 2014 and went through the evidence in minute detail.
Conviction quashed in Serial podcast murder case
"For the last year I've spent every working day trying to figure out where a high school kid was for an hour after school one day in 1999," Ms Koenig says in the first episode."For the last year I've spent every working day trying to figure out where a high school kid was for an hour after school one day in 1999," Ms Koenig says in the first episode.
Only now, the "kids" she interviewed were adults and some of their stories had changed. Conviction quashed in Serial podcast murder case
As each episode revealed new details - and potential new suspects - internet sleuths and armchair detectives sprang into action and argued their theories on social media.As each episode revealed new details - and potential new suspects - internet sleuths and armchair detectives sprang into action and argued their theories on social media.
Within months, the chatter around Syed's case would ultimately help him win a new trial. During the podcast Ms Koenig did not take a position on Syed's guilt or innocence, but the attention around Syed's case would ultimately help him win a new trial.
Why was Adnan Syed's conviction overturned?
In an episode of Serial released after Adnan Syed's conviction was overturned, Ms Koenig lays out why the case was thrown out.
She says his lawyers argued new evidence had emerged showing that during the original trial prosecutors failed to investigate and rule out two potential suspects who were known to detectives at the time.
Syed's lawyers also questioned the reliability of witness statements and mobile phone evidence originally used to convict him.
A judge agreed and overturned Syed's conviction. The state's attorney's office later cleared Syed of all charges on the basis of that new evidence, as well as multiple rounds of DNA testing that revealed his DNA was not present on any of the victims' clothing.
"As a representative of the institution, it is my responsibility to acknowledge and apologise to the family of Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed," said Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
The Serial podcast is hosted by journalist Sarah Koenig
Why was the Serial podcast so popular?Why was the Serial podcast so popular?
Serial helped ignite the popularity of podcasts. Ms Koenig's signature confessional style, as well as the true crime topic, kept listeners returning - and downloading - the show every week. Serial helped ignite the popularity of podcasts, particularly the "true crime" genre. Ms Koenig's signature confessional style kept listeners returning - and downloading - the show every week.
The first season of Serial has been downloaded more than 300m times and the show is widely cited as one of the most popular podcasts in the world. The first season of Serial has been downloaded more than 300 million times and the show is widely cited as one of the most popular podcasts in the world.
Though subsequent seasons of the show were less popular, in many ways, Ms Koenig and her team helped create the formula for a "bingeable" podcast. Though subsequent seasons of the show were less popular, in many ways, Ms Koenig and her team helped create the formula for a "bingeable" podcast series.
But did it really help Mr Syed? The Serial podcast is hosted by journalist Sarah Koenig
But did it really help Syed?
In 2015, Syed was granted a new trial based, in part, on new evidence uncovered while making Serial.In 2015, Syed was granted a new trial based, in part, on new evidence uncovered while making Serial.
But a judge also denied his request for bail. He remained imprisoned for years as his legal team argued for a new trial and tried to appeal against his conviction all the way to the Supreme Court. But a judge also denied his request for bail. He remained imprisoned as his legal team argued for a new trial and tried to appeal against his conviction all the way to the US Supreme Court.
In 2019, HBO premiered a four-part documentary series produced by Ms Chaudry called The Case Against Adnan Syed.In 2019, HBO premiered a four-part documentary series produced by Ms Chaudry called The Case Against Adnan Syed.
The series argued that Syed, who is Muslim, was convicted, in part, because of racial bias.The series argued that Syed, who is Muslim, was convicted, in part, because of racial bias.
It ultimately revealed that forensic analyses had found no trace of his DNA on Lee's body at the time of the murder. It ultimately revealed that forensic analyses had found no trace of his DNA on Ms Lee's body at the time of the murder - a major factor in the eventual vacating of his conviction.
Where does this leave Hae Min Lee's family? The state's attorney's office cleared Syed of all charges on the basis of the new evidence.
"As a representative of the institution, it is my responsibility to acknowledge and apologise to the family of Hae Min Lee and Adnan Syed," Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said at the time.
What does Hae Min Lee's family think?
The Lee family refused to participate in Serial and has always maintained they believe Syed was rightfully convicted and justice was served during the original trial.The Lee family refused to participate in Serial and has always maintained they believe Syed was rightfully convicted and justice was served during the original trial.
In 2016, when Syed was granted a new trial, the family told reporters that the podcast had "reopened wounds few can imagine", according to the Baltimore Sun. They also said they believed people had been misinformed by the podcast and regretted that "so few [were] willing to speak up for Hae".In 2016, when Syed was granted a new trial, the family told reporters that the podcast had "reopened wounds few can imagine", according to the Baltimore Sun. They also said they believed people had been misinformed by the podcast and regretted that "so few [were] willing to speak up for Hae".
Before the judge ruled on Monday, Young Lee, the victim's brother, made an emotional plea before the court on behalf of the family. Ms Lee's brother, Young Lee, told the September 2022 hearing: "This is not a podcast for me. This is real life - a never-ending nightmare for 20-plus years."
"This is not a podcast for me. This is real life - a never-ending nightmare for 20-plus years."
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