Home US News Maryland Adnan Syed’s legal team aims to lessen his incarceration period.

Adnan Syed’s legal team aims to lessen his incarceration period.

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ANAPOLIS, Md. — Legal representatives for Adnan Syed, well-known from the acclaimed podcast “Serial,” are currently pursuing a reduction of his prison sentence while awaiting further judicial actions. Released from incarceration in 2022, Syed has remained free, although his legal journey is far from over. His attorneys are invoking a Maryland statute that enables individuals who were incarcerated for over 20 years for crimes committed during their youth to request a modification of their sentence.

Syed was freed after a Baltimore judge overturned his conviction in response to a motion from prosecutors who identified significant errors in the evidence presented at trial. However, in August, the Maryland Supreme Court reinstated Syed’s conviction but allowed him to remain at liberty as the court prepares to hold another hearing regarding his potential release. The court’s ruling was grounded in concerns that the victim’s family had not been given sufficient notice to attend the initial hearing in person.

In a recent filing, Syed’s defense attorneys aim to ensure his continued freedom until the upcoming hearing. Erica Suter, one of Syed’s attorneys and the director of the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore Law School, stated, “This filing is a small step toward ensuring that Adnan’s custody status is stabilized and his freedom is safeguarded.” Furthermore, Suter emphasized Syed’s maintained innocence and the ongoing commitment to proving it.

Syed’s good conduct during both his imprisonment and following his release is being emphasized as justification for a sentence reduction. Since being released, he has taken a role at Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative. His legal team, including Brian Zavin, the chief attorney for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender’s Appellate Division, highlighted in the recent filing that Syed has also been caring for his elderly parents, including after the recent passing of his father, as well as for his spouse’s aging parents.

The Maryland Supreme Court’s narrow 4-3 decision in August occurred approximately 11 months after the justices listened to arguments concerning a case filled with legal complexities and divided outcomes since Syed was sentenced in 2000 for the murder of his high school ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. Lee was discovered strangled and interred in an unmarked grave in 1999, while Syed, then 17 years old, received a life sentence along with an additional 30 years.

David Sanford, representing Lee’s family, has expressed that if new and compelling evidence emerges warranting the vacating of Syed’s conviction, they would advocate for his liberation. Nevertheless, he criticized the state, asserting that it has not introduced any impactful new evidence that justifies overturning a murder conviction that has endured multiple appeals over more than two decades. Sanford remarked that the actions taken by the state in 2022 misleadingly portrayed Syed as likely innocent using old evidence, and he added that further discussions with Lee’s family would be necessary to determine their subsequent moves in court.

Now 43 years old, Syed continues to assert his innocence. Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates is currently contemplating the best approach moving forward in light of the Maryland Supreme Court’s ruling. The case became particularly prominent through the “Serial” podcast, which aired in 2014 and captivated millions of listeners, who delved deeply into the details of the case. Hosted by seasoned radio producer Sarah Koenig, the podcast revolutionized the true-crime genre, breaking new ground in streaming and download numbers while uncovering lesser-known facts and raising new inquiries about the events surrounding the trial.

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