Hae Min Leewas 18 years old when she was murdered in 1999. For more than two decades, Lee’s family has believed that her killer was behind bars after then-17-year-oldAdnan Syedwas arrested and found guilty of murdering her in a 2000 trial. Now, the courts are saying the conviction was a mistake.
Syed’s murder case gained nationwide attention after being featured on the popular true-crime podcast “Serial” in 2014.
Shortly after yesterday’s hearing, Syed, now 41, walked out of the courtroom a free man.
The attorney for the Lee family requested that Syed’s hearing be postponed until the family could participate, but the judge ruled against that motion.
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“This is not a podcast for me. It’s real life that will never end — it’s been 20-plus years. It’s a nightmare … This is killing us,” he said.
Hae Min Lee.
Steve Kelly, a lawyer for the Lee family, spoke outside of the courthouse, saying that he and the Lee family are “disappointed” that the hearing happened so quickly with no notice to the family, the outlet reports.
Kelly told PEOPLE he’s not sure if there will be justice for Lee moving forward.
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Kelly also released a statement from the family:
“For more than 20 years, no one has wanted to know the truth about who killed Hae Min Lee more than her family.
“The Lee family is deeply disappointed that today’s hearing happened so quickly and that they were denied the reasonable notice that would have permitted them to have a meaningful voice in the proceedings.”
Adnan Syed.JIM LO SCALZO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Prosecutors said they will continue their investigation and “bring a suspect or suspects to justice.” Prosecutors did not definitively say they believe Syed is innocent.
Prosecutors now have 30 days to decide whether or not they will pursue a new trial for Syed.
–With additional reporting from Elaine Aradillas.
source: people.com
