Adnan Syed’s murder conviction on hold for now, Maryland Supreme Court considering appeal

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Adnan Syed will not be returning to prison and his murder conviction is pending, at this time, as the Maryland Supreme Court decides whether to hear his appeal.

The state’s highest court on Thursday issued an order blocking the reinstatement of Syed’s murder conviction by a lower court.

Syed’s court case began more than two decades ago and garnered international attention through the hit “Serial” podcast. He regained his freedom in September with a judge after Baltimore prosecutors decided to overturn his conviction, saying they had reviewed the case and found other suspects as well as unreliable evidence used during the trial.

But the victim’s family said they were given insufficient notice to attend the September hearing before the judge in person, which violated their right to be ‘treated with dignity and respect’, and the intermediate appeals court of the state accepted. In a 2-1 ruling in March that was suspended for 60 days, judges restored Syed’s conviction and ordered a resumption of the hearing in question.

As the 60 days draw to a close, Syed’s attorney, Erica Suter, on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court of Maryland to stay the case to prevent her client from potentially being incarcerated while the court considers a hearing. a call.

Judge Shirley Watts noted in her order, which was approved by a majority of the court’s seven justices, that the victim’s family and the state attorney general’s office consented to the stay of the lower court’s warrant. while the Supreme Court is considering whether to hear the appeal and for the duration of an appeal.

Suter is asking the court to consider several legal issues, including whether former Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby’s decision to dismiss charges against Syed last year made the legal challenge of family pointless.

Syed, who has always maintained his innocence, was 17 when his ex-girlfriend and high school classmate Hae Min Lee was found strangled to death and buried in a makeshift grave in 1999. He was arrested weeks later and finally convicted of murder in 2000.