ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) 鈥 A Maryland judge formally sentenced Adnan Syed on Friday to the time he's already served in prison, appearing to finally bring to a close a long-running case with numerous legal twists and turns that received worldwide attention from the true-crime podcast 鈥淪erial.鈥
Judge Jennifer Schiffer had that Syed would remain free in a written ruling last week, even though his conviction in the murder of his ex-girlfriend in 1999 when they were in high school still stands.
Syed's sentence was modified under a relatively new state law that provides a pathway to release for people convicted of crimes committed when they were minors. The modified sentence includes five years of supervised probation.
At a brief hearing in Baltimore, Schiffer modified his probationary conditions slightly to enable him to travel to Washington, D.C., and Virginia, without seeking specific permission from a probation agent. Syed, 43, has a job at Georgetown University鈥檚 Prisons and Justice Initiative. He also has family in Virginia.
Syed's attorney, Erica Suter, requested unsupervised probation at the hearing, but the judge decided not to go that far.
鈥淚 am mindful that Mr. Syed requested unsupervised probation, but given the relief that this court has already granted on these extraordinarily serious and tragic charges, I believe I鈥檝e shown more consideration to him than anyone could have expected," Schiffer said.
The judge鈥檚 ruling followed a that included emotional testimony from Syed and relatives of the victim, Hae Min Lee, who was strangled and buried in a shallow grave in a Baltimore park.
Both prosecutors and defense attorneys told Schiffer that Syed doesn鈥檛 pose a risk to public safety. The judge reminded Syed, who watched Friday's proceedings online, that his suspended sentence still potentially looms over him. He was sentenced in 2000 to life in prison plus 30 years for first-degree murder and other charges.
鈥淚 hope Mr. Syed, and I trust, that this will be the last time we see each other," Schiffer said. "Otherwise, I don鈥檛 have to tell you the amount of time that鈥檚 hanging over your head.鈥
Syed, who was 17 when Lee was killed and has maintained his innocence, was released from prison in 2022 after Baltimore prosecutors said they had uncovered problems with the case and moved to vacate his conviction, which was later reinstated on appeal.
Lee鈥檚 family and their attorney said old wounds were ripped open when Syed鈥檚 conviction was vacated by a former state's attorney. The family later succeeded in getting the conviction reinstated after challenging the ruling on procedural grounds, arguing they didn鈥檛 receive proper notice to attend the hearing that freed Syed from prison, where they participated only through a video connection.
David Sanford, an attorney for Lee's family, said Friday's hearing 鈥渂rings to a close the long saga of Adnan Syed.鈥 He said the family was grateful to the court for giving them "due respect throughout these proceedings, allowing us to fully argue to the court the victim鈥檚 position.
鈥淭he family is also thankful to the Maryland Supreme Court for its historic decision in this case, which grants victims particular rights previously enshrined generally in the Maryland State Constitution,鈥 Sanford said. "As a result, victims now have the right to be heard, the right to be present, and the right to meaningfully participate in criminal justice proceedings.鈥
The current Baltimore state鈥檚 attorney, Ivan Bates, who publicly raised doubts about the integrity of the conviction before becoming the city鈥檚 top prosecutor, said last month that his office believes in the jury鈥檚 verdict and has no plans to continue investigating the case.
