Adnan Syed case back in court Wednesday for Juvenile Restoration Act hearing

On Wednesday morning, a judge heard arguments both for and against Adnan Syed's sentence being reduced.

It included passionate character testimony on Syed's behalf and heartbreaking victim impact statements from both Hae Min Lee's brother and mother.

RELATED:Adnan Syed files for relief under the Juvenile Restoration Act

Syed's conviction in the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee currently stands, on a technicality.

Wednesday's hearing won't deal with the technicality but could give Syed his freedom.

Syed was convicted in 2000 of the murder of his ex-girlfriend, though has maintained his innocence.

Following several attempts to appeal, his conviction was vacated in 2022.

However, Hae Min Lee's brother, Young Lee appealed the vacatur hearing, arguing he hadn't been given enough notice to attend the hearing in person, violating his rights as a victim representative.

The state's Appellate Court and then Supreme Court agreed with Lee, ordering a new vacatur hearing be scheduled, but adding that Syed didn't need to return to prison in the meantime.

On Tuesday night, the State's Attorney withdrew his motion to vacate, ending the vacatur procedure.

Before that happened, Syed applied for sentence reduction under the Juvenile Restoration Act.

The law allows for incarcerated individuals who were convicted of crimes committed when they were under 18, to apply for sentence reduction after having served 20 years in prison.

Syed's brother, two friends from prison, and his boss all spoke about what a genuinely great guy and productive member of society he is.

"If there's anything good you see in me as a human being, it's because of his influence," Yusuf Syed, Adnan's younger brother said.

"Being in prison, one of the best attributes a person can have is being sincere," Willie Hamilton, who was incarcerated with Syed for 15 years said to the judge, adding that Syed was always giving advice from a place of sincerity.

"He's one of the most important people to me, he's like a brother to me. Syed, in a place that is referred to as the belly of the beast, Syed showed me you don't have to act like an animal even though you're incarcerated," said another friend, Eric Simmons, who was also incarcerated with Syed.

His boss at the Prison and Justice Institute at George Washington University said his only concern was that Syed would leave him for another employer.

A forensic psychologist, who performed a risk assessment also testified that Adnan Syed was at low risk for offending.

David Sanford, lawyer for Young Lee, argued that because Syed hadn't taken responsibility for the crime or shown remorse that he hasn't be rehabilitated.

"Hae Min Lee's family has suffered and continues to suffer given the global attention," he says.

Young Lee spoke through tears, giving his victim impact statement, both remembering his sister and describing the pain of the continued proceedings.

"I felt really betrayed, I thought you were on my side," he said of the state's attorney agreeing to the vacatur motion in 2022.

His mother's recorded video statement was played in court, and then translated for the record.

"When I shopped at the market, and I saw someone who looked like my daughter from behind, I would immediately start to cry and collapse," she said, according to the translation. "The only thing I had was the last thing she said to me, 'I love you, Mom.'"

RELATED: State's Attorney Bates in favor of no more jail time for Adnan Syed

Following the break, both Suter and Bates went through why they felt the JRA application should be accepted.

Bates added that he spoke with the original judge in Syed's trial, who agrees with giving Syed a sentence reduction, under the current laws.

Before saying she had to issue a written ruling, the judge strongly stated a reminder that Hae Min Lee, not Adnan Syed, was the victim and that her family has suffered greatly.