Jania Ashlynn
The murder conviction of Adnan Syed — the subject of the hit true-crime podcast Serial — has been reinstated, according to multiple reports.
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Until Proven Guilty
Adnan Syed, the subject of the popular true-crime podcast Serial, has had his murder conviction reinstated. This decision was made by the Appellate Court of Maryland, who ruled that the lower court had violated the rights of Young Lee, the brother of Syed’s murdered ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee.
The court decided that the rights of Lee’s family had been broken because they did not receive proper notice of a hearing in October to overturn Syed’s conviction.
The court’s opinion read, “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.”
Recurring Convictions
David Lee, an attorney for the Lee family, released a statement to PEOPLE, “We are delighted that the Appellate Court of Maryland agrees with Mr. Lee that his right to have reasonable notice of the Syed vacatur hearing and his right to be physically present at that hearing were violated by the trial court. 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 and the court’s decision will be based on evidence for the world to see.”
The prosecutors stated that they will be continuing their investigation and bring a suspect or suspects to justice, but they are not declaring that Syed is innocent at this time.
