ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Adnan Syed spent more than two decades behind bars for the murder of Hae Min Lee and now, he’s a free man.
“Our family, we’ve suffered so much just over the past 20, 24 years and it’s really hard for us,” said Syed outside the Appellate Court of Maryland in Annapolis on Thursday.
But someone was missing from Syed’s hearing a few months ago on alleged missteps, which led to a judge vacating his conviction.
Notification of the proceeding was emailed to the victim’s brother, Young Lee, who lives in California on a Friday just three days before the Monday hearing.
“Is it your position that notice a minute before is sufficient?” Judge Kathryn Graeff asked Syed’s attorney, Erica Suter.
When Lee couldn’t travel across the country in time, his only remaining option was to view it on Zoom.
Attorneys for Lee’s brother argued that there is far more at stake here than his right to be present when Syed’s conviction was vacated.
There’s also a memo from a prosecutor from decades ago that some have construed as evidence there were other suspects the jury was never made aware of.
“It’s not a mystery. It’s not really rocket science,” said David Sanford, a Lee family attorney, “The court could hold an evidentiary hearing and entertain evidence and have witnesses, have someone cross examine witnesses at an evidentiary hearing to get at the truth.”
A truth now in question that has left two families in limbo.
“We definitely understand that Hae’s family has suffered so much and they continue to suffer,” said Syed, “It’s just we suffer too, and we just hope that the court today just takes notice of that. That we’re a family that suffers also.”
There is no timetable for the court to issue a ruling.
