Adnan Syed spent more than two decades in jail while fighting charges killing his former high school girlfriend, and he will remain free after a judge in Baltimore on Thursday reduced his sentence to the time of delivery.
The ruling effectively brought an end to a sensing case that received widespread attention starting in 2014, when the first season of the hit podcast “Serial” raised questions about Mr. Syed's conviction in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee, 18. The podcast was downloaded more than 100 million times in its first year and jump-started Mr. Syed's fight for his freedom, which ping-ponged through the court system for more than a decade.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Schiffer's prosecutor in Baltimore withdraws a motion last week to evacuate his murder. Mr Said was released in 2022 after another judge dropped his conviction and later that year the charges against him were dropped. But his conviction was later restored, with Maryland's Supreme Court ordering a redo of hearings to initially release him last year.
Judge Schiffer, who presided over the hearing on February 26, said in her ruling on Thursday that Mr Said, 43, was “not a dangerous danger to the public” and that “judicial interests will be better served by reduced judgments.” According to her ruling, Mr Said will enter a five-year “supervised probation” period.
Ms. Lee's brother and mother urged the court to uphold Mr. Sayed's life sentence. Family lawyer David Sanford criticized the ruling Thursday.
“There is absolutely nothing to change the fact that Mr. Said was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder for overwhelming direct and indirect evidence,” he said in a statement. “We hope that one day Mr. Said can call on the courage to take responsibility for his crimes and express sincere remorse.”
Mr. Said's lawyer Erica J.
“He is a model candidate for reducing sentences,” she said in a statement. “Adnan is committed to continuing to be a productive member of his community and living a life centered around his family.”
The ruling was testified at an emotional hearing last week by a relative of Mr. Sayed and Ms. Lee.
“Your honor, I humbly ask you to continue to keep me with my family and friends, just like I have done in the past two and a half years,” said Sed. “I humbly ask for freedom so that I can continue to contribute to society and build a meaningful life outside of incarceration.”
Ms. Sut argued that Mr Said posed no danger to the public. He has been married for five years and promoted to his job by utilizing an educational program in prison, she said. She also asked the judge to consider Mr Said's age (17 years old) when committing the crime, as well as the judge's statement, first sentenced him to call for a reduction in punishment.
“He is a walking demonstration for a recovered person,” Ms. Sut said. “He doesn't have a three-year parking ticket. I wish I could say the same.”
Sanford, the lawyer for Ms. Lee’s family, argued that Mr. Sed’s verdict should not be reduced, partly because he was convicted in 2000 and because the release of his “momentum” was generated by media reports.
In 2014, “Serial” raised doubts about some parts of the case, including the credibility of the cell phone tower records used in the investigation. It also raised questions about the existence of alibi witnesses who were not asked to testify.
The podcast developed global interest in the case and won the Peabody Award. (In 2020, The New York Times purchased a series of works behind the podcast.)
The Court of Appeal evacuated Mr. Sed's conviction in 2018 and said a new trial should be obtained, but he remained in jail, and the decision was revoked in 2019.
Ms. Lee’s brother, young Lee, said at a February 26 hearing that he felt like he was “living over and over” due to his decades of media interest in the murder.
Mr Said was very excited when admitting the pain suffered by Ms Lee's family.
“When I got home, there was a huge media spotlight,” he said, referring to his release from prison in 2022. “I remember the young sayings – when they released me – how painful it was. I said to myself, “I will keep my head down and focus on my work.” “I never did any interviews because it would cause them pain.”
Before the February 26 hearing, Baltimore City and State Attorney Ivan Bates' office said it would abandon efforts to cancel Mr. Said's conviction. He said the motion for conviction filed by Mr. Bates’s predecessor Marilyn Mosby contained “false and misleading statements.”
It was a surprising move, as Mr. Bates was sworn in as a state attorney in January 2023, and he promised to abandon Mr. Said’s indictment in 2018 during an unsuccessful campaign for the office.
Mr. Bates said at a February 26 hearing that Mr. Said should not return to prison.
“While I cannot morally make a motion to evacuate, I can stand up and say I support Mr. Said in his judgment that he accepted the amendment.”
Mr Bates said in a statement Thursday that the ruling to reduce Mr Said's verdict was a “fair outcome”.
“I hope the Lee family can find peace and recovery after this challenging experience,” he said.
Michael Levinson Contribution report.
