According to Lee family attorney David Sanford, the family is “delighted” with the court’s decision

“We are equally pleased that the Appellate Court has directed the lower court to conduct a transparent hearing in which the evidence will be presented in open court and the court’s decision will be based on evidence for all to see,” Sanford said in a statement to CNN.

Syed was accused of murdering Hae Min Lee and spent more than 20 years in prison before his conviction was overturned in a September hearing, resulting in his release.

Syed’s lawyer says he will remain a “free man.”
Deputy Public Defender Syed’s attorney and director of the Innocence Project Clinic, Erica Suter, stated that the conviction was reinstated “not because the Motion to Vacate was erroneous, but because Ms. Lee’s brother did not appear in person at the vacatur hearing.”

“We agree with the dissenting judge that the appeal is moot and that Mr. Lee’s attendance via Zoom was sufficient,” Suter said in a statement provided to CNN by the Maryland Public Defender’s Office.

“There is no reason to re-traumatize Adnan by restoring his status as a convicted felon.” “Adnan is still free for the time being,” the attorney said.

“We remain hopeful that justice will be served,” Suter added. “We intend to seek review in Maryland’s highest court, the Maryland Supreme Court, and will fight until Adnan’s convictions are completely vacated.”

Syed’s conviction was overturned nearly eight years after the podcast investigated the case and raised concerns about the conviction and Syed’s legal representation.

Baltimore City Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn explained her decision to vacate by citing material in the state investigation that was not properly turned over to defense attorneys, as well as the existence of two suspects who may have been improperly cleared as part of the investigation.

Why did the victim’s brother want a re-do of a key hearing?
Lee’s brother had asked for a re-hearing, claiming he didn’t have enough notice to attend in person. Attorneys for Lee, who was able to watch the proceedings in September through Zoom, previously claimed in court documents that prosecutors and the circuit court that overturned Syed’s conviction violated the brother’s rights.

They claim that this occurred as a result of failing to provide him with adequate notice, withholding evidence from the family, and failing to provide the brother with a proper opportunity to be heard at the proceedings.

Sanford, the family’s attorney, told Maryland’s appellate court last month that the circuit court and prosecutors “failed repeatedly” before Syed’s conviction was overturned in September.

“The victim, or the victim’s representative,” the attorney said, “has a right to be heard.”