Adnan Syed, whose case received worldwide attention through the hit podcast “Serial,” is in court on Wednesday for a hearing Wednesday to reduce his sentence for murder.
Circuit Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer is presiding over the case. She took the bench not long after 9:30 a.m. It’s unclear whether she will rule immediately on the request.
If Schiffer grants the motion and reduces his sentence to time served and probation, Syed would not have to return to prison.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates supports Syed’s request.
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But Bates is no longer pursuing a motion to throw out Syed’s conviction, which was filed under the previous administration.
The hearing marks the latest development in the legal saga, which received a renewed spotlight in 2014 after “Serial” listeners downloaded the series millions of times.
Bates is personally handling the hearing with Deputy State’s Attorney Tom Donnelly and Chief Operating Officer Catherine Flynn.
Syed’s attorneys plan to call six character witnesses along with one expert witness.
In her opening statement, Assistant Public Defender Erica Suter, one of Syed’s attorneys, noted the “unusual posture” of the case.
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Syed, she said, has been free since 2022. He’s different than other people seeking relief under the law, Suter said.
“He has spent the past two years continuing to demonstrate he is not a danger to society, and he is deserving of a sentence reduction,” Suter said.
Suter is also director of the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore School of Law.
A jury in Baltimore Circuit Court found Syed, now 43, guilty in 2000 of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment in the killing of Hae Min Lee, his ex-girlfriend and classmate at Woodlawn High School in Gwynn Oak. He was sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years.
Lee’s body was found Feb. 9, 1999, in Leakin Park in Baltimore. She was 18.
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At the time of the killing, Syed was 17. He has always maintained his innocence.
Following a series of twists and turns, the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office in 2022 filed a motion to throw out Syed’s conviction, citing the results of an almost one-year investigation that revealed prosecutors did not turn over exculpatory evidence and uncovered information about two possible alternative suspects.
On Friday, Sept. 16, 2022, Circuit Judge Melissa M. Phinn scheduled a hearing to consider the motion for the next business day: Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
On the afternoon of the hearing, Phinn denied a request from Steve Kelly, an attorney for Young Lee, Hae Min Lee’s brother, to delay the court proceedings for a week so he could attend in person.
Instead, Phinn allowed him to make a statement over Zoom.
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Phinn then granted the motion that day and ordered Syed to be released immediately from prison. Since then, he’s remained free.
Young Lee took steps to appeal to appeal and asked the courts to put the case on hold.
The Baltimore state’s attorney at the time, Marilyn Mosby, then dropped the charges against Syed. She pointed to the results of new DNA testing on several items that excluded Syed as a contributor.
In 2023, the Appellate Court of Maryland, the state’s mid-level appeals court, ruled 2-1 that Young Lee’s rights were violated and moved to reinstate Syed’s conviction. The Maryland Supreme Court in a 4-3 opinion in 2024 upheld that decision and ordered a new hearing before a different judge.
The state’s highest court ruled that Syed could remain free pending that new hearing.
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Syed’s attorneys then filed a motion for reduction of sentence under the Juvenile Restoration Act. The law allows people who’ve served at least 20 years in prison for crimes they committed as children to get back into court and demonstrate that they’ve changed.
David Sanford and Sharon Kim, Young Lee’s attorneys, have implored the judge to hold off on ruling on the motion for reduction of sentence.
They first wanted the state’s attorney to reveal if he intends to ask the court to throw out Syed’s conviction. Sanford and Kim also noted that the Maryland Supreme Court is considering two cases that could be critical to the analysis.
But if the judge intends to decide the merits of the motion for reduction of sentence, Sanford and Kim urged her to deny the request.
This story will be updated.
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