Posted on 03/06/25
| News Source: NBC News
Baltimore, MD - March 6, 2025 - A Baltimore judge ruled Thursday that Adnan Syed, who was featured in the "Serial" podcast more than a decade ago, does not have to return to prison and will remain on five years of supervised release under Maryland's Juvenile Restoration Act.
“After considering the entire record, the court concludes that the Defendant is not a danger to the public and that the interests of justice will be better served by a reduced sentence,” Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer wrote.
The judge's decision comes after years of court rulings and appeals that included one prosecutor supporting overturning Syed’s murder conviction and their predecessor withdrawing that motion.
He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years after being convicted of murder in the killing of his former high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 1999. His case was made famous by the hit podcast “Serial” in 2014, which raised questions about his conviction.
The current Baltimore State’s Attorney, Ivan J. Bates, in February withdrew the motion to vacate Syed’s conviction but has supported a reduction in his sentence based on rehabilitation.
“Vacating a conviction says that he is not the individual that committed this crime,” Bates said last month.