Maryland AG Anthony Brown says he is about 'victims' rights' regarding appeal of Adnan Syed hearing
BALTIMORE -- New Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown is clarifying reports that he's throwing his support behind the family of Hae Min Lee in their appeal for a redo of the hearing in which Adnan Syed's murder conviction was overturned.
Brown told WJZ on Tuesday that he's not in support of one party over the other—he's about defending victims' rights.
The appeal of Young Lee, the brother of Hae Min Lee, centers around the short notice for the September hearing he received from Baltimore prosecutors, which he says denied him his rights as the representative of a crime victim.
"Under Maryland law, there is opportunities for victims to appear before judges at certain critical points in the criminal justice process," Brown told WJZ reporter Ava-joye Burnett. "So that's what we're defending, the victim's rights."
Earlier this week Brown's office filed a report regarding the brother of Hae Min Lee's appeal motion, citing issues raised during the hearing that led to vacating Syed's conviction.
Lee's attorney said the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office gave Lee less than one business day's notice for the hearing, and that he was denied the right to fully participate in the proceeding because he wasn't provided with adequate notice, facts, or evidence.
Lee argues he should be allowed to make the case that Mosby's office violated the Maryland Declaration of Rights "mandate to treat victims with 'dignity, respect, and sensitivity.'"
Baltimore prosecutors dropped Syed's charges on Oct. 12 after new DNA testing results excluded him from evidence in the murder of his ex-girlfriend.
The prosecutors argued that an investigation conducted by prosecutors and Syed's defense revealed previously undisclosed evidence pointing to two other suspects.
Syed's attorneys also argued they did not receive evidence at the time of the trial, a possible violation of the Brady rule requiring prosecutors to turn over all exculpatory evidence.
A hearing on the Lee family's appeal is scheduled for February.
