Adnan Syed Remains Free: Judge Credits Time Served

BALTIMORE — Adnan Syed, whose story captured the global attention of “Serial” podcast listeners, will continue to live outside prison despite his murder conviction remaining in place, as a Baltimore judge ruled on Thursday.

Judge Jennifer Schiffer granted Syed a sentence reduction to time served under a newer Maryland statute that allows for the release of individuals found guilty of crimes committed as minors. The revised ruling also includes a five-year period of supervised probation for Syed.
“The court concludes that the Defendant is not a public danger and that justice is better served with a reduced sentence,” Judge Schiffer remarked in her decision.
The ruling followed a recent hearing consisting of poignant statements from both Syed and the family of the victim, Hae Min Lee, who was strangled and buried in a Baltimore park in 1999. Both Syed’s defense team and prosecutors stated that at 43, Syed poses no threat to public safety, though Lee’s family urged the maintenance of his life sentence.
Syed, who claims his innocence, had been released from incarceration in 2022 after Baltimore prosecutors revealed flaws in his case, prompting a temporary overturn of his conviction, which was later reinstated. Following his release, he has been employed by Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative and has taken care of elderly relatives.
Judge Schiffer highlighted Syed’s post-release conduct as evidence of his “maturity and readiness” for life beyond prison.
Attorney Erica Suter, representing Syed, expressed joy and relief over the ruling, mentioning Syed’s gratitude for the sentence reduction. “He epitomizes a model candidate for sentence reduction,” Suter stated. “Adnan remains dedicated to his community and family life.”
David Sanford, the lawyer for Lee’s family, commented post-ruling that the state last week acknowledged having previously presented misleading information during Marilyn Mosby’s tenure.
Sanford stated, “We now recognize there was never new information questioning Adnan Syed’s guilt, and nothing alters the fact that he remains convicted of first-degree premeditated murder with overwhelming evidence.” He urged that Syed might one day accept accountability and express genuine remorse.
During Syed’s trial, the prosecution depicted him as Lee’s envious ex, building their argument on a key witness whose reliability has been questioned. Recent discussions on reducing Syed’s sentence largely excluded his guilt or innocence.
Current Baltimore state’s attorney, Ivan Bates, who had previously doubted the conviction’s integrity, acknowledged the verdict and indicated no plans for further investigation.
The recent court session revisited the brutal impacts of Lee’s death and Syed’s incarceration spanning 23 years.
Lee’s relatives and their counsel spoke of reopened emotional wounds when Syed’s conviction was nullified. They later succeeded in reinstating the conviction after disputing the process, asserting inadequate notice to participate.
Just before the hearing, Bates retracted an earlier motion from Mosby to vacate the conviction while endorsing a sentence reduction.
Post-hearing, Bates articulated that the verdict conveyed “a just outcome for the tragic loss of a young woman and her deeply affected family.” He expressed hope for the Lee family’s peace and healing, offering ongoing support.
While applauding Syed’s achievements in her court remarks last week, Judge Schiffer emphasized Lee’s family’s enduring hardship, compounded by Syed’s public profile surge following “Serial” and a subsequent documentary.
She concluded, “I hope everyone recognizes Hae Min Lee and her family as the true victims in this case. Their suffering is immense.”