Court of Appeals rules Lee family can move forward with appeal of Adnan Syed's vacated murder conviction
BALTIMORE - The Maryland Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that Hae Min Lee family's appeal of Adnan Syed's vacated murder conviction can move forward.
The appeal centers around the short notice Lee's brother received ahead of the hearing in which Lee's ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed's murder conviction was overturned.
The appeal was filed on Sept. 28 by Attorney Steve Kelly on behalf of Lee's brother, Young Lee.
"Young Lee filed the attached notice of appeal based on violations of his family's right to meaningfully participate in the September 19, 2022 hearing on the motion to vacate Adnan Syed's conviction," Kelly told CNN in an emailed statement. "The notice of appeal is the first step in seeking the Maryland Court of Special Appeals' review of the potential violations of Maryland's victim's rights statutes in connection with the hearing."
The court of appeals says it will be scheduled for consideration in the February 20-23 session.
Lee was found murdered in 1999.
Syed spent more than 22 years in prison after he was found guilty in Lee's death.
However, Syed was released from prison in September after a judge vacated his murder conviction following an appeal. Then, last month, all of his charges were dropped.
And, 23 years later, Lee's murder remains unsolved.
Lee's family wants a hearing to learn more about the evidence that allowed the courts to set former accused killer Adnan Syed free.
In a filing Wednesday, attorneys for Lee's family asked the Court of Special Appeals to grant a hearing laying out the evidence supporting Syed's release.
"There are ways the evidence can be heard such that it's not going to compromise the investigation," Kelly said.
Kelly argues the Lee family is entitled to know why Syed was set free after 23 years.
The two were students at Woodlawn High School when Lee was murdered in 1999.
