Adnan Syed, whose case amassed a worldwide following of “Serial” podcast listeners, will remain free even though his murder conviction still stands, a Baltimore judge ruled on Thursday.
The judge agreed to reduce Syed’s sentence to time served under a relatively new state law that provides a pathway to release for people convicted of crimes committed when they were minors.
“This sentence will be followed by a period of five years of supervised probation,” Judge Jennifer Schiffer wrote in her decision, adding 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 followed a hearing last week that included emotional testimony from Syed and relatives of the victim, Hae Min Lee, who was strangled and buried in a shallow grave in 1999.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys told Schiffer that Syed, now 43, doesn’t pose a risk to public safety. Lee’s brother and mother urged the judge to uphold his life sentence.
Syed, who has maintained his innocence, was released from prison in 2022 after Baltimore prosecutors uncovered problems with the case and moved to vacate his conviction, which was later reinstated on appeal. Since his release, he’s been working at Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative and caring for aging family members.
Schiffer’s decision to allow Syed’s continued freedom marks a somewhat anticlimactic milestone for the case, which has received extensive media coverage and multiple court challenges over the years.
At trial, prosecutors painted Syed as Lee’s jealous ex-boyfriend and built their case around a key witness whose credibility has been heavily questioned. But all these years later, arguments about whether to reduce Syed’s sentence notably sidestepped the issue of guilt or innocence.
The current Baltimore State’s Attorney, Ivan Bates, who publicly raised doubts about the integrity of the conviction before becoming the city’s top prosecutor, said last week that his office believes in the jury’s verdict and has no plans to continue investigating the case. His predecessor Marilyn Mosby tried to get the conviction thrown out in 2022.
“It is now upon the defense, if they have new information, to bring it to us,” Bates said at a news conference following the hearing.
Those questions aside, recent court testimony reviewed the lasting impacts of Lee’s gruesome death and Syed’s 23-year incarceration.
Lee’s family and their attorney said old wounds were ripped open when Syed’s conviction was vacated. The family later succeeded in getting the conviction reinstated after challenging the ruling on procedural grounds, arguing they didn’t receive proper notice to attend the hearing that freed Syed from prison, where they participated only through a video connection.
Hours before the hearing, Bates withdrew Mosby’s earlier motion to vacate the conviction even as he supported a reduced sentence.
And while the judge acknowledged Syed’s accomplishments in her remarks to the court last week, she focused on what the Lee family has endured, including witnessing Syed’s “rise to celebrity” following the release of “Serial” in 2014 and a television documentary about the case.
"I hope that everyone understands that Hae Min Lee and her family are the true victims in this case,” she said. “Their suffering cannot be overstated.”
Lee’s brother, Young Lee, told the court that losing her destroyed his family. Instead of growing up with an older sister to guide him through adolescence, Young Lee said he would sometimes have imaginary conversations with her. “When this thing is finally over,” he said through tears, he plans to visit the spot where her ashes were laid and talk to her about how “her short life impacted people and how famous she became.”
Other testimony came from character witnesses who described Syed as having an even temper, strong communication skills, loving relationships and an impressive ability to remain hopeful during his long prison term.
“If there’s anything good you see in me as a human being, it’s because of his influence,” said his younger brother Yusuf Syed, who recently completed medical school and applied for a residency.
Syed took classes in prison through a Georgetown University program and was hired by the school after his release. Marc Howard, director of its Prisons and Justice Initiative, said he’s become “an invaluable member of our team.”
Syed, for his part, choked up while addressing the pain that his defense and the media attention have caused Lee’s family. He told the judge he’s trying to keep his head down and contribute positively to society.
“I can promise to you and everyone in here, including Hae’s family, that I will continue to live the life that I’ve been trying to live,” he said.
