MARYLAND NEWS – Maryland judge weighs freedom for Adnan Syed in “Serial” podcast murder case

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

Over a decade after Adnan Syed’s Murder case attracted national interest through the hit podcast “Serial.”  A judge in Baltimore Maryland is now considering a request to reintroduce his sentence to time served. This would allow him to remain free indefinitely even though his conviction still stands. Both prosecutors and defense attorneys told Judge Jennifer Schiffer that Syed did not pose a high risk to public safety. Judge Schiffer also heard from the family members of the victim who urged her to uphold Syed’s conviction and not release him on time served. Several hours of testimony later Schiffer indicated that her written order would address the accomplishments that Syed has made since his conviction. She also acknowledged the suffering that the victims and their families had gone through and assured people that it was, “not my intention to leave everyone waiting for too long,” she said. 

Syed is now 43 years old and was officially released from his life sentence in 2022 after various issues were uncovered with case proceedings. A judge then overturned the 1999 conviction.  Syed was originally convicted of the murder of his high school ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee. Her body was found strangled to death and then buried in a makeshift grave. After his conviction was temporarily vacated Syed began working at Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative and cared for his aging relatives. Syed’s father passed away in October. However, the challenges that Lee’s family made have led to  Syed’s conviction being reinstated by Maryland’s Supreme Court. The judge acknowledged the “lengthy and frankly tortured history of this case.” She went on to describe how Lee’s family grief has been compounded through decades of litigation and lots of media attention surrounding the case.