BALTIMORE — The Appellate Court of Maryland on Tuesday reinstated the convictions of Adnan Syed, finding that a Baltimore judge violated the rights of the victim’s family to attend a hearing to decide whether to throw out his conviction.
Judges on the state’s intermediate appellate court ordered a new hearing in Baltimore Circuit Court to determine whether Syed’s convictions in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee should be reversed, saying the court must give Lee’s brother, Young Lee, adequate notice and opportunity to attend.
It is not clear if the judge’s decision means Syed will have to return to prison in the interim.
Neither Syed nor Lee’s attorney could immediately be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.
The appeals court stopped short of giving Young Lee the power to present or challenge evidence at the hearing, as his attorneys requested in an appeal last fall.
The court’s decision extends Syed’s prolonged legal saga, which was made famous in the hit podcast “Serial.”
Syed can appeal Tuesday’s decision to the Maryland Supreme Court.
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