Maryland Supreme Court upholds Adnan Syed's murder conviction, rejects bid to vacate sentence

In a ruling on Friday, August 30, Maryland's Supreme Court upheld a lower court's reinstatement of Adnan Syed's murder conviction in connection with the 1999 death of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. The 4-3 ruling by the higher court upheld an earlier appeals court decision that said the rights of the victim's family were violated because they weren't given proper notice of a 2022 hearing to toss out Syed's conviction.

The ruling does not force Syed, who was released from prison in 2022 after his 2000 conviction, to go back to prison while the case proceeds. Instead, the case will return to the circuit court for Baltimore City.

Syed was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Lee, his 18-year-old Woodlawn High School classmate and ex-girlfriend, whose body was found buried in a park four weeks after she was reportedly kidnapped. Syed's case was featured in the first season of NPR's true-crime podcast, Serial, which triggered widespread scrutiny of his arrest and prosecution.

The Baltimore State's Attorney's Office said the Supreme Court's decision is currently under review by their office and they have no further comment at this time. David Sanford, the attorney who represents the family of Lee, said in a statement that the ruling reaffirms crime victims' rights to be treated with dignity, respect, and sensitivity.