A Maryland appeals court on Tuesday reinstated the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, the host of the “Serial” podcast, who was acquitted last year after 23 years in prison for killing his former high school girlfriend.
A Maryland appeals court ruled that the rights of Young Lee, the brother of victim Hae Min Lee, were violated. Mr. He must attend a hearing on the government’s request to quash Syed’s conviction.
Appellate Court Mr. It ordered a fresh trial on the government’s plea to quash Syed’s conviction. “To the extent it can do so without violating Mr. Syed’s right to be free from double jeopardy, it has the authority and duty to remedy those violations,” the court wrote.
“We can do so and, accordingly, we vacate the circuit court’s order vacating Mr. Syed’s convictions, which results in reinstatement of the original convictions and sentence,” the decision said. “We remand for a new, lawful and open hearing on the motion to vacate, where sufficient notice of the hearing is given to permit Mr. Lee to appear in person, the evidence supporting the motion to vacate is presented, and the court states its reasons in support of its decision.
This decision Mr. It was not immediately clear if Syed would return to prison.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa M. After Finn vacated his sentence “in the interests of justice and fairness,” Mr. Syed was released in September. He discovers new evidence that could affect the outcome of his case.
Mr. Lee was convicted of strangling his high school classmate and one-time friend, Hae Min Lee, whose body was found buried in a Baltimore park in 1999. Syed was serving a life sentence.
Ms. Lee’s family expressed concern that prosecutors did not give them adequate notice of the move to vacate the sentence. During a hearing last year, the family’s attorney, Steve Kelly, asked Judge Finn to postpone a decision on the motion.
But Judge Finn rejected the request and Mr. Young Lee joined Zoom’s investigation after Kelly recruited him.
“This is not a podcast for me,” said Mr. Lee asked to raise his voice as he addressed the court. “This is real life — a never-ending dream for 20-plus years.”
