Killing of Hae Min Lee

Killing of Hae Min Lee
Yearbook photo of Hae Min Lee (이해민), the murder victim, from Woodlawn High School
LocationLeakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
DateJanuary 13, 1999 (disappearance)
February 9, 1999 (discovery of corpse)
Attack type
Murder by manual strangulation after kidnapping
VictimHae Min Lee, aged 18
PerpetratorUnknown
AccusedAdnan Masud Syed (February 1999)
ConvictedAdnan Masud Syed (February 2000)
VerdictGuilty on all counts
Charges
SentenceLife imprisonment plus 30 years, without the possibility of parole

Hae Min Lee (Korean: 이해민; October 15, 1980 – January or February, 1999)[1] was a Korean-American high school student who went missing on January 13, 1999, in Baltimore County, Maryland, before turning up dead on February 9, 1999, when her corpse was discovered in Leakin Park, Baltimore. Her autopsy revealed that she had been killed by way of manual strangulation.

Amidst an ongoing investigation by the Baltimore Police Department, Lee's ex-boyfriend Adnan Masud Syed (Urdu: عدنان مسعود سید; born May 21, 1981)[2][3] was arrested on February 28, 1999, and put on trial for homicide. He was found guilty on all counts for the charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, robbery, and first-degree murder; Syed was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years, without the possibility of parole.[4][5][6] In 2014, the investigative journalism podcast Serial covered the events of Lee's killing, bringing renewed attention to Syed's case.[7] In 2016, judge Martin P. Welch vacated Syed's conviction and ordered a new trial.[8] While this decision was upheld by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in 2018,[9] it was ultimately overturned by the Maryland Court of Appeals in 2019.[10]

Following an investigation by prosecutors that uncovered new evidence, a judge again vacated Syed's conviction in September 2022.[11] In October 2022, prosecutors announced that the charges against Syed had been dropped,[12] effectively exonerating him.[13][14][15] However, in March 2023, Syed's conviction was reinstated by an appellate court, although the court stayed the effective date of the decision for 60 days.[16][17] In August 2024, the Supreme Court of Maryland, in a 4–3 decision, reinstated the murder conviction against Syed and ordered a new hearing to address the merits of dismissing Syed's conviction.[18]

  1. ^ "Missing person report Baltimore County" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2015.
  2. ^ "Maryland DOC Inmate Locator". dpscs.state.md.us. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Francke was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Stack, Liam (March 29, 2018). "New Trial Upheld for Adnan Syed of 'Serial'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Prudente, Tim (March 31, 2019). "HBO finale reveals Adnan Syed had been offered a recent plea deal in murder case featured in 'Serial' podcast". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
  6. ^ Sarah Koenig (October 3, 2014). "Serial". serialpodcast.org (Podcast). This American Life. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
  7. ^ Carr, David (November 24, 2014). "'Serial,' Podcasting's First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Dwyer, Colin (March 29, 2018). "'Serial' Subject Adnan Syed Deserves A New Trial, Appeals Court Rules". NPR. Archived from the original on May 3, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  10. ^ Ellis, Ralph (March 8, 2019). "Adnan Syed, subject of 'Serial' podcast, will not get a new trial". CNN. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2019.
  11. ^ Sam Cabral; Claudia Allen (September 20, 2022). "Adnan Syed: Conviction overturned in Serial podcast murder case". BBC News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  12. ^ "Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Adnan Syed in 'Serial' Case". October 11, 2022. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  13. ^ "DNA evidence clears Adnan Syed in 'Serial' case; murder charges dropped, prosecutors say". USA Today.
  14. ^ "Adnan Syed Has Just Been Exonerated—Why the 'Serial' Subject's Murder Conviction Was Overturned". October 11, 2022.
  15. ^ "Prosecutors drop charges in 'Serial' podcast Adnan Syed case, lawyer says". Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  16. ^ Levenson, Michael; VanSickle, Abbie (March 28, 2023). "Court Reinstates Adnan Syed's Murder Conviction in 'Serial' Case and Orders New Hearing". New York Times.
  17. ^ Daniels, Omari (March 28, 2023). "Adnan Syed's conviction reinstated by Maryland appellate court panel". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference reinstatement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).