Hae Min Lee's family speaks out as judge considers Adnan Syed's prison sentence

More than 25 years ago, 18-year-old Hae Min Lee was found murdered at Baltimore's Leakin Park, which ultimately led to the arrest and conviction of her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed, whose case was highlighted in the first season of the true-crime podcast "Serial" in 2014.

On Wednesday, a judge left Lee's family waiting as she considers whether Syed's prison sentence should be reduced.

Following a hearing, attorneys said the court would release a written decision about resentencing. No specific timeline was given. 

According to The Baltimore Banner, if Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer approves of the motion to reduce the sentence, Syed will not have to return to prison. However, his convictions for first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment will remain.

Young Lee: "It's my sister who is the true victim"

Young Lee, the brother of Hae Min Lee, addressed the judge's pending decision next to his attorney David Sanford and Baltimore's top prosecutor Ivan Bates.

"Today, I want to thank the judge for putting my sister as a true victim of this heinous crime, and let people know that it's my sister who is the true victim," Young Lee said. "I hope that she will make the right decision of denying the reduction of sentence."

Syed served more than 20 years in prison following his 2000 murder conviction. Lee, who was Syed's ex-girlfriend and classmate at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, died in 1999.

Syed, now 43, was freed from prison in 2022 after Baltimore prosecutors, including former Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, identified issues with the trial evidence. Mosby then filed a motion to vacate, leading a judge to overturn his murder conviction.

 In August 2024, the Maryland Supreme Court upheld an appellate court's ruling to reinstate the conviction, citing inadequate notice given to Lee's family about the vacatur hearing.

Syed was originally sentenced to life in prison, plus 30 years, but has been free since his murder conviction was vacated.  

"Two years ago, a system broke, a system failed me. I felt betrayed," Young Lee said. "Thanks to David Sanford and his team, and Mr. Bates and his team, to correct that wrong, fix the system and give victims a a voice, give us a chance to say what we need to say."

Hae Min Lee's mother wrote in a statement that she tries to remember her daughter's voice and continues to live through the nightmares of the murder.

She recalls learning about Syed's release from prison.

"I had no will to live, and I did not even know why I had to live, having seen what happened," Lee's mother said in a statement. "I was so disappointed. I am powerless, weak, and cannot speak English well. I know only to abide by the American law. How could such awful news, like a bolt from the blue, be given to me? Is this really America? Is this not supposed to be where justice is alive and criminals are punished for their sins?"

Baltimore prosecutor apologizes to Lee's family

On Tuesday, Bates said his office was withdrawing their motion to vacate Syed's murder conviction, meaning the conviction stands regardless of whether Syed's sentence is reduced.

Bates said former City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby's decision to vacate Syed's conviction was based on "false and misleading statements that undermine the integrity of the judicial process."

On Wednesday, Bates apologized to Lee's family.

"I would like to offer Mr. Lee and his entire family an apology for how you were treated during this process," Bates said. "It's not indicative of what this office is. We recognize the hurt and the pain that your family has gone through. We do say we are sorry about that."

Sanford said transparency was denied when Mosby's team engaged in private conversations on Syed's vacated conviction in a chambers proceedings without Lee's family, a court reporter and evidence presented on the record.

"Transparency was denied when the circuit court failed to conduct an evidentiary hearing which was required to do, and failed to provide findings the facts and conclusions of law in support of overturning a unanimous jury verdict," Sanford said.

Arguing against Syed's reduced sentence

During Wednesday's hearing, David Sanford, the attorney for the Lee family, argued that 7 out of 11 factors of the Juvenile Justice Restoration Act suggest Syed should not receive a reduced sentence.

One of the factors that the court considers under restoration act is the suspect's age at the time of the crime.

According to Sanford, Syed was 17 years and seven months old at the time of the murder.

Sanford pointed to other similar cases in which a suspect was a few months away from their 18th birthday, arguing the court should consider this when deciding on resentencing.

Sanford also said the violent nature of the crime and Syed's lack of remorse should be considered.

"Based on our representations, seven of those factors are failed to be met by Mr. Syed," Sanford said. "Not only does he fail to meet seven of the 11 essential factors, he has never to this day, expressed remorse. He has never to this day, accepted responsibility for the crime he was convicted of."

Syed called six witnesses to defend his behalf -- ranging from family to friends. Sanford said none of those witnesses mentioned Syed's relationship with Lee, and the pain her death caused.

"Not one person, not one mention about a conversation they may have had with Adnan Syed where Adnan Syed expressed sadness or any remorse or any regret or any pain associated with the death and murder of a loved one, of someone he dated, someone he was allegedly physically intimate with, someone presumably he loved," Sanford said.

"Adnan's fight for justice continues"

Syed and his defense attorneys have maintained his innocence.

His attorney Erica Suter is hopeful the judge will rule to keep him out of prison over the Juvenile Justice Restoration Act  .

"Adnan's fight for justice continues, but we are relieved he remains free," Suter said. "We are hopeful that the court will see what we see -- that he is a walking demonstration of a positive and contributing member of society; that he has spent his entire incarceration and the past two years demonstrating that he is worthy of a sentence reduction. The State agrees, the original sentencing court agrees, and we are hopeful that the Court will too."

Suter added, "We look forward to the Court's decision on the Juvenile Restoration Act motion and that is our focus at this time."