Key takeaways:
- The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled that the family of Hae Min Lee was not given enough time to attend a court hearing in person that led to Adnan Syed’s release.
- The court noted that it had the power and obligation to remedy the violations, as long as it did not violate Mr. Syed’s right to be free from double jeopardy.
- The appellate court’s ruling means that a new, legally compliant, and transparent hearing on the motion to vacate must be held.
A Maryland appellate court has ruled that the family of Hae Min Lee, the victim in the case chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial,” was not given enough time to attend a court hearing in person that led to Adnan Syed’s release. The court ordered a new hearing to be held in order to comply with the state’s law.
In a 2-1 decision, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled that the state’s law provides victims with the right to prior notice of the hearing on a motion to vacate convictions, and that right was violated in the case of the family of Hae Min Lee. The court’s opinion stated that “the circuit court violated Mr. Lee’s right to notice of, and his right to attend, the hearing on the State’s motion to vacate.”
The appellate court said the lower court had violated the rights of the victim’s brother, Young Lee, to attend a key hearing. The court noted that it had the power and obligation to remedy the violations, as long as it did not violate Mr. Syed’s right to be free from double jeopardy.
The case of Adnan Syed has been the subject of much public interest since the release of the podcast “Serial” in 2014. Syed was convicted of murdering his ex-girlfriend and high school classmate Hae Min Lee in 1999. He was granted a new trial in 2016, but the Maryland Court of Special Appeals overturned the ruling in March 2019.
The appellate court’s ruling on Tuesday means that a new, legally compliant, and transparent hearing on the motion to vacate must be held. It is unclear when the new hearing will take place.
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