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By
Laura Flores
, Sage Cho , Tomas Coles - March 6, 2025
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Victims
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An official from Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jennifer B. Schiffer‘s courtroom told Baltimore Witness that Adnan Syed will “be out on probation with plenty of conditions.”
The March 6 decision appears to end a complex case which played out nationally on the Serial podcast but ultimately stopped short of total exoneration for an individual who, by all accounts, has been a model prisoner for decades.
“Today, we are focused on the joy and relief of this decision. Adnan is grateful that the judge agreed with his motion to reduce his sentence under the Juvenile Restoration Act,” said his attorney, Erica Suter in a statement to Baltimore Witness. Suter is a public defender who heads the Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Baltimore Law School.
At issue for Judge Schiffer was whether to end Syed’s life sentence to time served. He was convicted for the 1999 strangulation murder of Hae Min Lee, and today’s ruling set Syed, now 43, free as long as he abides by the conditions of his parole.
At a Feb. 26 hearing the judge promised to resolve the 26-year-old case soon.
The case has followed a long and sometimes tortured path.
Hae Min Lee went missing on Jan. 13, 1999. Her corpse was later discovered partially buried in West Baltimore’s Leakin Park, and an autopsy revealed signs of manual strangulation. Syed, who was Lee’s ex-boyfriend, was convicted and found guilty on all counts of first-degree murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment and robbery.
With the help of an interpreter, Lee’s mother delivered an emotional impact statement in Korean through a pre-recorded video at the hearing.
“On Jan. 13, 1999, on a cold rainy day, my daughter did not return,” she said. “Only her body returned on Feb. 10.”
Visibly shaken, she begged the court to reconsider overturning his life sentence.
“He was old enough, he was at an age he could think,” she said. “Please judge him accordingly.”
Syed’s lawyers moved to reduce his sentence under Maryland’s Juvenile Restoration Act, which allows people who have served at least 20 years in prison for a crime committed when they were under the age of 18 to file for a lesser sentence.
In 2022, the state analyzed Lee’s skirt, pantyhose, jacket, and shoes for DNA and found that one of the items produced results that brought new light to the case. Syed’s DNA was excluded from the mix of DNA found on the item, leading the court to temporarily exonerate Syed.
While prosecutors supported Syed’s request, citing his growth in character and behavior since his sentencing at age 17, Lee’s family argued he failed to accept responsibility or demonstrate remorse. Their opposition followed the Maryland Supreme Court’s August 2024 decision to reinstate Syed’s conviction, emphasizing victims’ rights in legal proceedings.
Suter spoke repeatedly about Syed’s commitments to family, education and role model status among the incarcerated. The defense attorney also reminded the court that during his two years of freedom upon his September 2022 release, Syed displayed “incredible potential” and never even received a parking ticket.
“He’s talked the talk and walked the walk for almost 25 years,” Suter told Judge Schiffer.
Following his release from prison in September 2022, Syed has worked at the Georgetown University Prisons and Justice Initiative and completed 16 credits toward a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree. Syed hopes to attend law school in the future.
Suter emphasized that Syed received the 2005 Distinguished Gentleman’s Award while incarcerated in Jessup, Maryland. The honor is bestowed to two among 1,300 total inmates who demonstrate model behavior, self-control, and the ability to overcome adversity, she said.
The prosecution delivered a formal apology to Lee’s brother, who was present in the courtroom, expressing remorse for the state’s repeated failure to properly “take care” of them.