'Serial' Subject Adnan Syed Hired By Georgetown University

WASHINGTON, DC — Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was recently vacated after he served more than 20 years in prison for the 1999 death of Hae Min Lee, has been hired by Georgetown University as an associate with the school's Prisons and Justice Initiative.

Syed started the position on Dec. 12, the university said in an announcement.

Georgetown's Prisons and Justice Initiative is an organization that works to address the root causes and consequences of mass incarceration. It also offers programs and training for incarcerated people and those reintegrating into society after prison, according to the announcement.

In his role, Syed will support Georgetown’s Making an Exoneree class, in which students reinvestigate decades-old wrongful convictions, create short documentaries about the cases and work to help bring innocent people home from prison.

Syed was found guilty in a 2000 trial of killing Hae Min Lee, who died by strangulation on Jan. 13, 1999. Her body was found in Leakin Park in Baltimore after she was reported missing.

Syed's case was featured on the hit podcast "Serial" in 2014. The Serial podcast became a pop-culture sensation with its detailed examination over 12 episodes of the case against Syed, including the actions of his lawyer, who agreed to be disbarred amid complaints of wrongdoing in 2001 and died in 2004.

The podcast "Serial" brought to light unreliable cellphone data and an alibi witness never called to the stand in the trial.

In September, Baltimore Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated Syed’s first-degree murder conviction in Hae Min Lee's death after 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.

The judge ordered Syed unshackled in court and to remain on GPS monitoring pending a new trial. She also told prosecutors they had 30 days to either schedule a new trial or drop the case.

Prosecutors dropped all charges against Syed in October.

Earlier this month, Lee's brother asked the Maryland Court of Special Appeals to reverse its decision to vacate charges against Syed.

According to court documents, Young Lee claims his rights as a family member were violated when he did not receive proper notice and was denied the right to be heard at the hearing that overturned the conviction.

The court has not ruled on the case.

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