The family of Hae Min Lee, the murdered teen at the center of Adnan Syed’s vacated murder conviction, is appealing the Maryland judge’s decision to let Syed walk free.
Syed, who served more than 20 years behind bars and was the subject of the highly popular Serial podcast, was convicted in February 2000 of first-degree murder related to the murder, robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment of Hae Min, his ex-girlfriend.
He had been serving out a life sentence when a judge claimed some materials related to the case had not been turned over to defense attorneys. The judge also argued two suspects may have been improperly cleared as part of the investigation and in turn vacated Syed’s conviction.
“The motion filed today supports a new trial for Syed based on a nearly year-long investigation that revealed undisclosed and newly-developed information regarding two alternative suspects, as well as unreliable cell phone tower data,” State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby’s office said at the time.
Per CNN, Hae Min’s family filed their one-paragraph notice via their attorney Steven Kelly on behalf her brother Young Lee.
“Young Lee filed the attached notice of appeal based on violations of his family’s right to meaningfully participate in the September 19, 2022 hearing on the motion to vacate Adnan Syed’s conviction,” Kelly told CNN in an emailed statement. “The notice of appeal is the first step in seeking the Maryland Court of Special Appeals’ review of the potential violations of Maryland’s victim’s rights statutes in connection with the hearing.”
Syed, who is 41 now, must wear an ankle monitor at all times as prosecutors await DNA analysis to help them weigh whether to pursue a new trial or dismiss the case entirely.
“We’re not yet declaring Adnan Syed is innocent,” Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby said after the judge’s ruling. “But we are declaring that in the interest of fairness and justice he is entitled to a new trial.”
“This isn’t a podcast for me, it’s real life,” Young Lee said during the hearing last week. He later filed an impact statement that deemed he felt “betrayed” by the state.
“I always thought the state was on my side,” Lee said. “Whenever I think it’s over, it’s ended, it always comes back.”
