The family of Hae Min Lee – the teenager whose 1999 killing was the subject of the hit 2014 podcast Serial – have asked an appeal court to reinstate a murder conviction against the man who was blamed for her death.
Adnan Syed, now 41, was 17 when he was sentenced to life in prison in 2000 for the murder of Ms Lee, his former girlfriend and high school classmate who was strangled and buried in a Baltimore park in 1999.
He looked visibly emotional as he described how the case had impacted his family outside the appeal court in Maryland on Thursday, saying: “It’s really hard for us.
“We definitely understand that Hae’s family has suffered so much and they continue to suffer. It’s just that we suffer too.”
He was released from prison in September last year when a Baltimore court overturned his murder conviction after it emerged two other possible suspects had not been disclosed to the defence at trial.
After being freed, Mr Syed, who has always maintained his innocence, was placed in house detention with GPS monitoring.
Prosecutors were given 30 days to retry him. The charges against him were dropped three weeks later.
Yesterday, the Appellate Court of Maryland was told arguments from both sides of the case.
Lawyers representing Ms Lee’s family argued the September hearing was rushed and that they were not given enough notice about the October court proceedings that won Mr Syed his freedom.
“What would be the remedy that you would ask upon us if we were to agree with you?” Judge Stuart Berger asked the Lee family’s legal team. “What would happen to Mr Syed in your scenario?”
“The case would have to be reinstated,” replied lawyer Steve Kelly.
“So you’re asking us to reinstate the conviction?” the judge asked.
“Yes, your honour, which I believe you have the right to do,” Mr Kelly responded.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Read more on Sky News:
Nicola Bulley’s partner says it is as though ‘she vanished into thin air’
Chinese spy balloon flying over US airspace, says Pentagon
Harry and Meghan spotted at Ellen DeGeneres’s surprise wedding vow renewal
However, Mr Syed’s lawyer, Erica Suter, said this would result in the re-imprisonment of her client “for a crime he did not commit”, and “wreak havoc on our criminal justice system”.
Mr Syed was present for Thursday’s proceedings, along with his parents and younger brother.
