March 14 (UPI) -- Adnan Syed on Friday was formally resentenced to five years probation one week after the judge ruled he shouldn't return to prison for a life sentence for the murder of his high school girlfriend found dead in Baltimore in 1999.
The podcast series Serial profiled the case in 2014. He served nearly 23 years in prison until September 2022, when his conviction was vacated but reinstated a year later.
The ruling by Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer was made based on the Juvenile Restoration Act, a Maryland law that permits a modified sentence for individuals who have served at least 20 years in prison for crimes committed as minors.
The resentencing was in accordance with Schiffer's written decision.
Related
- Maryland Supreme Court reinstates Adnan Syed murder conviction
- Murder charges against 'Serial' podcast subject Adnan Syed dropped
- Victim's family plans to appeal vacated conviction of Adnan Syed
- Prosecutors request new DNA testing in Adnan Syed murder case
- Police: DNA links Maryland man to 24-year-old murder case
- 'Serial' podcast to receive TV adaptation
"I hope, Mr. Syed, and I trust, that this will be the last time we see each other," the judge told Syed, who is now 43. "Otherwise, I don't have to tell you the amount of time that's hanging over your head. Good luck to everyone."
Syed was 17 at the time of Hae Min Lee's murder. She was found strangled to death and buried in a shallow grave in Baltimore's Leakin Park on Feb. 9, 1999, one month after she went missing.
Syed's first trial ended in a mistrial.
Then on Feb. 25, 2000, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to life in prison. His conviction was vacated in 2022 because prosecutors said the conviction was based on unreliable evidence.
His murder conviction was reinstated in March 2023 after the Maryland Appellate Court found the circuit court violated the rights of Young Lee, Hae Min Lee's brother.
Insufficient notice was given to Lee's family about the vacatur hearing, the justices ruled.
Maryland Supreme Court's 4-3 ruling in August 2024 affirmed the lower court's decision, and ordered a new hearing to allow the Lee family's rights to be observed.
The night before a hearing last month to reduce Syed's sentence, Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates said his office was withdrawing their motion to vacate Syed's murder conviction, meaning the conviction stands regardless of whether Syed's sentence was reduced.
Bates defeated City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby in July 2022.
Bates said Mosby's decision to vacate Syed's conviction was based on "false and misleading statements that undermine the integrity of the judicial process."
"I would like to offer Mr. Lee and his entire family an apology for how you were treated during this process," Bates said. "It's not indicative of what this office is. We recognize the hurt and the pain that your family has gone through. We do say we are sorry about that."
David Sanford, counsel for Lee's family, said the decision "brings to a close the long saga of Adnan Syed."
"The family of Hae Min Lee is grateful to the Court for giving the victim's family due respect throughout these proceedings, allowing us to fully argue to the Court the victim's position," Sanford said in an emailed statement to The Daily Record in Maryland. "The family is also thankful to the Maryland Supreme Court for its historic decision in this case, which grants victims particular rights previously enshrined generally in the Maryland State Constitution. As a result, victims now have the right to be heard, the right to be present, and the right to meaningfully participate in criminal justice proceedings."
During Friday's sentencing hearing, Erica Suter, who represents Syed, asked Schiffer to grant him unsupervised probation.
Also, Suter requested the court waive supervision fees and court costs given Syed's additional expenses due to his change in living conditions.
Schiffer denied Syed's requests.
"I am mindful that Mr. Syed requested unsupervised probation, but given the relief that this court has already granted on these extraordinarily serious and tragic charges, I believe I've shown more consideration than anyone could have expected," Schiffer said.
He is permitted to travel between Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia for his work at Georgetown University's Prisons and Justice Initiative and for family obligations.
Syed has 30 days to appeal her ruling and 90 days to ask the court to reduce or modify his sentence.
