BALTIMORE — With the Appellate Court of Maryland set to hear oral arguments Thursday morning in Adnan Syed’s ever-continuing legal journey, observers warn the court’s impending ruling could permanently change how criminal cases move through the court.
A three-judge panel will hear arguments at 9 a.m. in Annapolis as to whether the brother of Hae Min Lee, a Woodlawn High School student found murdered in Leakin Park in 1999, received adequate notice about the Sept. 19 hearing to overturn Syed’s decades-old murder conviction in Lee’s death, and if the brother was afforded the opportunity to meaningfully participate in the proceedings.
Maryland law requires that prosecutors give reasonable notice about those types of hearings, and that the victim be afforded the opportunity to speak if they want. Lee’s brother, Young Lee, who lives on the West Coast, was able to address the court via video conference after Baltimore Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn denied his lawyer’s request to have the hearing postponed a week so Young Lee could attend in person. Prosecutors told Young Lee about the Monday hearing after a scheduling conference the Friday before — less than one full business day.
