Adnan Syed to stay free after judge decides on time served for his
murder sentence in 'Serial' case
[March 07, 2025]
By LEA SKENE and BRIAN WITTE
BALTIMORE (AP) — 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.
Judge Jennifer Schiffer agreed to reduce Syed’s sentence to time served
under a relatively new state law that provides a pathway to release for
people convicted of crimes committed when they were minors. The judge
ruled that he will be on supervised probation for five years.
“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 decision.
The judge’s ruling followed a hearing last week that included emotional
testimony from Syed and relatives of the victim, Hae Min Lee, who was
strangled and buried in a shallow grave in a Baltimore park in 1999.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys told Schiffer that Syed, now 43,
doesn’t pose a risk to public safety. Lee’s brother and mother urged the
judge to uphold his life sentence.
Syed, who has maintained his innocence, was released from prison in 2022
after Baltimore prosecutors said they had uncovered problems with the
case and moved to vacate his conviction, which was later reinstated on
appeal. Since his release, he’s been working at Georgetown University’s
Prisons and Justice Initiative and caring for aging family members.
The judge noted in her ruling that Syed's behavior after his release
gave her confidence he has achieved “the maturity and fitness required
for a crime-free life outside of prison,” Schiffer wrote.
Erica Suter, an attorney who represented Syed, said his legal counsel
was “focused on the joy and relief of this decision," adding that Syed
was grateful the judge reduced his sentence.
“Given his accomplishments in prison and his work in the community since
release, he was a model candidate for a sentence reduction,” Suter said.
“Adnan is committed to continuing to be a productive member of his
community and living a life centered around his family.”
David Sanford, an attorney for Lee's family, said in a statement after
the ruling that the state last week acknowledged it had previously
presented false and misleading information during former Baltimore
State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's tenure to the court in support of
releasing Syed.
“We now know there was never any new information that called into
question Adnan Syed’s guilty verdict," Sanford said. "Absolutely nothing
changes the fact that Mr. Syed remains convicted of first-degree
premeditated murder due to overwhelming direct and circumstantial
evidence. We hope that one day Mr. Syed can summon the courage to take
responsibility for his crime and express sincere remorse.”
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Adnan Syed gets emotional as he speaks to reporters outside the
Robert C. Murphy Courts of Appeal building after a hearing, Feb. 2,
2023, in Annapolis, Md. (Barbara Haddock Taylor/The Baltimore Sun
via AP, File)
At Syed's trial, prosecutors painted him as Lee’s jealous
ex-boyfriend and built their case around a key witness whose
credibility has been heavily questioned. But all these years later,
arguments about whether to reduce Syed’s sentence notably
sidestepped the issue of guilt or innocence.
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.
Recent court testimony reviewed the lasting impacts of Lee’s
gruesome death and Syed’s 23-year incarceration.
Lee’s family and their attorney said old wounds were ripped open
when Syed’s conviction was vacated. The family later succeeded in
getting the conviction reinstated after challenging the ruling on
procedural grounds, arguing they didn’t receive proper notice to
attend the hearing that freed Syed from prison, where they
participated only through a video connection.
Hours before the hearing, Bates withdrew Mosby’s earlier motion to
vacate the conviction even as he supported a reduced sentence.
On Thursday, Bates said his office’s decision to withdraw the effort
to vacate the sentence and the judge’s decision marked “a just
outcome for a tragedy that took the life of a young woman whose
family is forever altered.”
“I hope the Lee family can find peace and healing in the aftermath
of this challenging experience,” Bates said in a statement. “My
office is here to support them whenever they may need it.”
While the judge 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,” she said. “Their suffering
cannot be overstated.”
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