Adnan Syed to stay free after judge decides on time served for murder sentence in ‘Serial’ case

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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.

Baltimore City Circuit Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer granted Syed’s request to reduce his sentence to time served under the Juvenile Restoration Act, which prohibits courts from sentencing individuals to life in prison without the possibility of parole for crimes committed when they were minors. Syed, who was 17 when his high school ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee was killed, will have a period of five years of supervised probation.

“After considering the entire record, the court concludes that the Defendant is not a danger to the public and that the interests of justice will be better served by a reduced sentence,” Schiffer wrote in the ruling.

Schiffer cited Syed’s “outstanding institutional record” during his 23-year incarceration, noting Syed took advantage of available programs and has maintained stable employment at Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative since his release from prison in 2022.

“The facts here give the Court confidence in the Defendant’s maturity and fitness to re-enter society,” Schiffer wrote. “His success in the two and a half years since his release demonstrates the maturity and fitness required for a crime-free life outside of prison.”

Schiffer also noted the “anguish and heartbreak the Lee family has suffered,” writing the family “suffered Hae’s murder not only in Court, but in the court of public opinion.”

David Sanford, counsel for the family of Hae Min Lee, said in a emailed statement that “there was never any new information that called into question Adnan Syed‘s guilty verdict.”

“Absolutely nothing changes the fact that Mr. Syed remains convicted of first-degree premeditated murder due to overwhelming direct and circumstantial evidence,” Sanford said Thursday. “We hope that one day Mr. Syed can summon the courage to take responsibility for his crime and express sincere remorse.”

Counsel for Syed did not immediately return The Daily Record’s request for comment.

A Baltimore City Circuit Court jury convicted Syed in 2000 in the 1999 killing of his high school ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, who was found strangled to death and buried in a shallow grave in Baltimore’s Leakin Park one month after she went missing.

In 2021, Baltimore prosecutors reinvestigated the case at the urging of Syed’s lawyer and ultimately concluded that the evidence did not support Syed’s guilt.

In September 2022, the Baltimore State Attorney’s Office, at the time led by Marilyn Mosby, agreed to vacate Syed’s murder conviction after saying it found flaws in the original trial evidence and two handwritten notes said to reveal an alternative suspect who had reportedly said he would kill Hae Min. Prosecutors said the documents were never turned over to the defense, raising questions about the legitimacy of Syed’s conviction.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office, then being led by Brian Frosh, raised questions about the note and said in legal filings that its meaning was open to interpretation.

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. Hours before last week’s hearing, Bates withdrew Mosby’s earlier motion to vacate the conviction even as he supported a reduced sentence.

That move represented a change of heart for Bates, who in 2018, while an unsuccessful candidate for the state’s attorney’s post, said he would drop the case against Syed.

Lee’s family and their attorney said old wounds were ripped open when Syed’s conviction was vacated. Last year, in a 4-3 ruling, the Maryland Supreme Court reinstated Syed’s murder conviction and ordered a new vacatur hearing to allow the Lee family’s rights to be observed.

While Schiffer 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,” Schiffer said. “Their suffering cannot be overstated.”

During last week’s hearing, Syed spoke in court, expressing gratitude to the court while acknowledging Lee’s family.

“I never want to cause any pain,” Syed said, adding he will continue to live life in honor of his family.

Lea Skene and Brian Witte for The Associated Press contributed to this report.