Adnan Syed formally re-sentenced after judge rules no more prison time for 1999 murder
Adnan Syed was formally re-sentenced on Friday, March 14, just over a week after a judge ruled he should not serve any more prison time for the murder conviction of Hae Min Lee, his high school girlfriend who was found dead in Baltimore's Leakin Park in 1999.
Syed, whose murder case was highlighted in the first season of the true-crime podcast "Serial," was re-sentenced to the 20-plus years he has already served for his 2000 conviction, plus five years of probation.
On Friday Syed's lawyers requested he be reconsidered for unsupervised probation instead of supervised probation because he is employed and taking classes at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Syed also has family commitments in Virginia.
The judge authorized Adnan to travel to D.C. and Virginia without having to ask for permission.
Syed remains convicted of first-degree murder and other offenses.
Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer determined on March 6 that Syed "is not a danger to the public" and that the "interests of justice will be better served by a reduced sentence."
The judge's ruling was made under the Juvenile Restoration Act, a Maryland law that permits individuals who have served at least 20 years in prison for crimes committed as minors to seek a modified sentence.
In the hearing, the judge told Syed, "...I trust this will be the last time we see each other."
Adnan Syed's murder conviction
Syed was 17 at the time of Lee's 1999 murder. He served 23 years in prison before his conviction was vacated in 2022.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 but has been out of prison since 2022 when Baltimore prosecutors moved to vacate his conviction over unreliable evidence.
His murder conviction was reinstated in March 2023, after the Maryland Appellate Court found the circuit court violated the rights of Young Lee, Hae Min Lee's brother. The justices said that insufficient notice was given to Lee's family about the vacatur hearing.
Just before the re-sentencing hearing, Bates said his office was withdrawing their motion to vacate Syed's murder conviction, meaning the conviction stands regardless of whether Syed's sentence was reduced.
Bates said former City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's decision to vacate Syed's conviction was based on "false and misleading statements that undermine the integrity of the judicial process."
Bates then apologized to Lee's family.
"I would like to offer Mr. Lee and his entire family an apology for how you were treated during this process," Bates said. "It's not indicative of what this office is. We recognize the hurt and the pain that your family has gone through. We do say we are sorry about that."
