Adnan Syed Asks For Reduced Sentence While Awaiting New Hearing In 'Serial' Case

BALTIMORE, MD — Adnan Syed, whose case was documented on the hit podcast "Serial," has requested a judge reduce his sentence so he can remain free while awaiting a new trial in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee, according to a report.

The request was made through Maryland’s Juvenile Restoration Act, which allows people convicted of crimes committed as minors to seek new sentences, The Washington Post reported.

“This filing is a small step toward ensuring that Adnan’s custody status is stabilized and his freedom is safeguarded,” said Assistant Public Defender Erica J. Suter, Director of the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore Law School and counsel for Syed.

The move comes two months after the Maryland Supreme Court upheld a lower court's decision to reinstate Syed's 24-year-old murder conviction in the slaying of Lee, who died by strangulation on Jan. 13, 1999. Her body was found in Leakin Park in Baltimore after she was reported missing.

The Appellate Court of Maryland reinstated Syed's conviction in March 2023, six months after a Baltimore Circuit Court judge vacated it and later dropped all charges against him.

The appellate court also ordered a redo of the hearing, stating the victim’s brother, Young Lee, did not receive proper notice to attend an earlier hearing before the court overturned Syed's conviction.

In May 2023, Syed's attorneys petitioned the Maryland Supreme Court to review the lower court's ruling to reinstate his murder conviction. In the petition, his attorneys sought an evaluation of several factors in the case, including

Shortly after, Lee's family also petitioned the court to hear an appeal of the case. In the filing, the family's lawyer asked the state's highest court to take up the appeal to ensure victims are given a "meaningful voice."

In a June 2023 decision, the state Supreme Court agreed to hear both appeals. The court heard arguments in October 2023.

The Maryland Supreme Court's 4-3 ruling came in August, about 11 months after it heard arguments in a case.

Syed’s case was chronicled in the “Serial” podcast, which debuted in 2014 and drew millions of listeners who became armchair detectives. The show, hosted by veteran radio producer Sarah Koenig, transformed the true-crime genre as it shattered podcast-streaming and downloading records, revealing little-known evidence and raising new questions about the case.

Syed was released from prison in 2022 after serving 20 years and has remained free ever since, though the court case is ongoing.

Syed has maintained his innocence in Lee's death. Speaking to reporters last year, Syed personally appealed to Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown to investigate possible prosecutorial misconduct in his case; however, Brown quickly denied Syed's request.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.