New development in the Hae Min Lee case: Adnan Syed's sentence is vacated

On September 19, 2022, 41-year-old Adnan Syed, the man convicted in the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, had his sentence overturned after developments in the case indicated that he may have been innocent. While prosecutors claim they have two alternate suspects, neither has been named.

The body of Hae Min Lee was discovered partially-buried in Leakin Park, Baltimore, on February 9, 1999. In 2000, prosecutors accused Adnan Syed, the victim's former boyfriend, of murdering Lee. Using mobile records, authorities determined that Syed may have been in the same area as Lee when she was killed.

The BBC has since reported that this has been deemed unreliable evidence.

As per USA Today, Adnan Syed was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Hae Min Lee when he was 19 years old. He made multiple appeals, claiming his innocence, but they remained fruitless until this year.

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Adnan Syed will undergo a retrial in the Hae Min Lee case

In an official press release, Marilyn Mosby, the lead prosecutor of the case, said that new evidence has emerged, indicating that authorities have discovered other suspects who are more likely to have been involved in the murder of Hae Min Lee.

Mosby said that the prosecution team is ensuring that Adnan Syed will get justice if he is indeed innocent.

She said:

"Our prosecutors have been sworn to not only aggressively advocate on behalf of victims of crime but when the evidence exists to exonerate those that have been falsely accused and convicted."

In an official statement, Syed's defense team also talked about possible new evidence.

Their spokesperson wrote:

"(There is new evidence) concerning the possible involvement of two alternative suspects. (Legal parties) have identified significant reliability issues regarding the most critical pieces of evidence at trial.”

Judge Melissa Phinn clarified that, while Syed's sentence has been vacated, he has not been deemed innocent yet. Instead, there will be a retrial based on evidence that was not previously considered.

Judge Phinn's motion read:

“To be clear, the State is not asserting at this time that Defendant is innocent. (The prosecution) no longer has confidence in the integrity of the conviction.”

According to BBC, authorities stated that the other two suspects have a history of abuse against women. Both suspects allegedly had charges of violence leveled at them before and after the murder of Hae Min Lee.