Adnan Syed’s homicide conviction on maintain for now, as Maryland Supreme Court docket considers enchantment

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Adnan Syed is not going to return to jail and his homicide conviction is on maintain, for now, as Maryland’s Supreme Court docket decides whether or not to listen to his enchantment.

The state’s highest court docket issued an order on Thursday that stops the reinstatement of Syed’s homicide conviction by a decrease court docket.

Syed’s authorized case started greater than twenty years in the past, and gained worldwide consideration from the hit podcast “Serial.” He regained his freedom in September from a decide after Baltimore prosecutors moved to vacate his conviction, saying they reviewed the case and located various suspects in addition to unreliable proof used at trial.

However the sufferer’s household stated they acquired inadequate discover to attend the September listening to earlier than the decide in individual, which violated their proper to be “handled with dignity and respect,” and the state’s intermediate appellate court docket agreed. In a 2-1 choice in March that was stayed for 60 days, the judges reinstated Syed’s conviction and ordered a redo of the listening to in query.

With the 60 days nearing an finish, Syed’s lawyer, Erica Suter, requested the Supreme Court docket of Maryland on Wednesday to situation a keep within the case to forestall her shopper from probably being incarcerated whereas the court docket considers whether or not to listen to an enchantment.

Justice Shirley Watts famous in her order, which was authorized with a majority of the court docket’s seven justices, that the sufferer’s household and the workplace of the state’s legal professional normal have consented to the keep of the decrease court docket’s mandate whereas the Supreme Court docket considers whether or not to listen to the enchantment and through the pendency of an enchantment.

Suter is asking the court docket to assessment a number of authorized points, together with whether or not former Baltimore State’s Lawyer Marilyn Mosby’s choice to dismiss the fees in opposition to Syed final yr made the household’s court docket problem moot.

Syed, who has all the time maintained his innocence, was 17 when his highschool ex-girlfriend and classmate, Hae Min Lee, was discovered strangled to demise and buried in a makeshift grave in 1999. He was arrested weeks later and in the end convicted of homicide in 2000.

In Wednesday’s court docket submitting, Syed’s counsel famous he has been employed since December, working as a Program Affiliate at Georgetown College’s Prisons and Justice Initiative.

The submitting additionally famous that Syed has been caring for his aged dad and mom. His father suffers from dementia and his mom has been identified with leukemia.

“Mr. Syed’s return has meant a greater high quality of life for his family members as he is ready to help with the day-to-day administration of his dad and mom’ well being, transport them to physician’s appointments, and customarily be of service to them,” the court docket submitting stated.