Adnan Syed Should Not Serve More Prison Time, Baltimore Top Prosecutor Argues

BALTIMORE, MD — Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates is supporting a request by Adnan Syed to reduce his sentence in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee, a case that drew national attention when it was featured on the hit podcast "Serial."

In a circuit court filing Sunday, Bates argued that Syed's life sentence should be reduced to time served, according to a Baltimore Sun report. If approved by a judge, Syed will not return to prison even if Bates decides not to move forward on a motion to throw out Syed’s conviction.

In an interview with the Sun, Bates said it was clear that Syed paid his debt to society and should remain free.

“Whether it’s Mr. Syed or whether it’s a 16-year-old or 17-year-old [whose] case never reaches the paper, I think it’s important to recognize that individuals who made mistakes still have the opportunity to have hope,” Bates said.

The move comes five months after the Maryland Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision to reinstate Syed's 24-year-old murder conviction in the slaying of Lee, who died by strangulation on Jan. 13, 1999. Her body was found in Leakin Park in Baltimore after she was reported missing.

The Appellate Court of Maryland reinstated Syed's conviction in March 2023, six months after a Baltimore Circuit Court judge vacated it and later dropped all charges against him.

The appellate court also ordered a redo of the hearing, stating the victim’s brother, Young Lee, did not receive proper notice to attend an earlier hearing before the court overturned Syed's conviction.

In May 2023, Syed's attorneys petitioned the Maryland Supreme Court to review the lower court's ruling to reinstate his conviction. In the petition, his attorneys sought an evaluation of several factors in the case, including Young Lee's claim that he did not receive proper notice before the court overturned Syed's conviction.

Shortly after, Lee's family also petitioned the court to hear an appeal of the case. In the filing, the family's lawyer asked the state's highest court to take up the appeal to ensure victims are given a "meaningful voice."

In a June 2023 decision, the state Supreme Court agreed to hear both appeals. The court heard arguments in October 2023.

The Maryland Supreme Court's 4-3 ruling came in August, about 11 months after it heard arguments in a case.

Last month, Syed's attorneys requested a judge reduce his sentence so he can remain free while awaiting a new trial. The request was made through Maryland’s Juvenile Restoration Act, which allows people convicted of crimes committed as minors to seek new sentences.

“This filing is a small step toward ensuring that Adnan’s custody status is stabilized and his freedom is safeguarded,” said Assistant Public Defender Erica J. Suter, Director of the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore Law School and counsel for Syed.

Syed’s case was chronicled in the “Serial” podcast, which debuted in 2014 and drew millions of listeners who became armchair detectives. The show, hosted by veteran radio producer Sarah Koenig, transformed the true-crime genre as it shattered podcast-streaming and downloading records, revealing little-known evidence and raising new questions about the case.