Judge Denies Adnan Syed's Request To Overturn Murder Conviction Ruling

BALTIMORE, MD — A Maryland appellate court this week denied Adnan Syed's request to reconsider its decision to reinstate his murder conviction in the 1999 death of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, according to a court order.

The one-page order obtained by CNN denied Syed's request "based on an argument not previously raised." Syed's lawyer, Erica Suter, told CNN they plan to appeal the decision.

Syed, who was found guilty in a 2000 trial of killing his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, gained national attention after the case was chronicled in the hit podcast "Serial."

In September 2022, Baltimore Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated Syed's first-degree murder conviction in Hae Min Lee's death after former Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby and Syed's lawyer filed motions questioning the integrity of the trial and evidence that sent Syed to prison.

Prosecutors dropped all charges against Syed in October.

The court reinstated Syed's conviction in March and ordered a redo of the hearing at which Syed's conviction was vacated. The panel ruled that a circuit court judge violated the rights of Hae Min Lee's brother, Young Lee, who claimed he did not receive proper notice and was denied the right to be heard at the hearing.

Young Lee's lawyer asked the court to reverse its decision to vacate charges against Syed in December.

In the brief, Young Lee's lawyer asked the panel of judges for a new hearing that would allow him to present evidence and call witnesses challenging what the state presented during Syed's original hearing.

When filing the motion for reconsideration last week, Syed's lawyers argued that in its decision, the court failed to require Young Lee to show how the hearing's outcome would have been different if he attended in person.

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