The Maryland Supreme Court upheld an appellate court’s decision to reinstate the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, a blow to the “Serial” podcast subject but one that probably does not conclude his legal fight, reported the Washington Post.
In a lengthy majority opinion,
the Supreme Court ruled that prosecutors and a lower court judge had “worked an
injustice” in a key hearing in the case by not giving proper notice to the
victim’s brother as prosecutors moved to vacate Syed’s conviction in 2022.
The brother, who lives in California, was informed of the hearing three days
before it occurred and spoke by Zoom after a circuit court judge rejected his
request to postpone it until he could fly to Baltimore.
The majority ruling said Syed’s convictions should be
reinstated and the case sent back to the circuit court for a new hearing. It
marks the latest twist in a long and closely watched legal drama that has
surrounded Syed since his murder conviction in 2000 over the death of his
ex-girlfriend, 18-year-old Hae Min Lee, in Baltimore. Syed’s story captivated
millions worldwide after he was featured in “Serial,” which reexamined his case
and suggested Syed was wrongly convicted.
The 4-3 ruling was written by Justice Jonathan Biran, focused
on whether Young Lee’s rights as a crime victim had been violated. Although
Maryland law does not explicitly grant victims a chance to speak in these
motion hearings, the Supreme Court concluded that crime victims or their
representatives do have a right to be heard. The court cited a more general victim’s rights statute, which provides a right for victims
to be heard where the “alteration of a sentence” is considered, as well as
Maryland’s Declaration of Rights in the state constitution, which
mandates a victim’s right to be heard at a criminal justice proceeding.
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