• About   |
  • Submit Guest Post |
  • Contact Us   |
Thursday, June 1, 2023
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
The Second Angle
Advertise
  • Infotainment
    • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
      • Home & Decoration
  • People
    • Inspiring
  • Education
  • Travel
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Technology
  • World
The Second Angle
  • Infotainment
  • Entertainment
  • People
  • Education
  • Travel
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Technology
  • World
Advertisement
ADVERTISEMENT
Home World News

Court rules in favour of victim’s family in ‘Serial’ case

TSA Desk by TSA Desk
March 29, 2023
in World News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
A A
Share on FacebookShare on WhatsApp
Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement
ADVERTISEMENT

RelatedPosts

Mike Pence to launch campaign for President in Iowa June 7

Russia claims destroyed Ukraine’s ‘last warship’


March 29, 2023 04:00 am | Updated 04:14 am IST – ANNAPOLIS, Md.

A Maryland appellate court on March 28 reinstated Adnan Syed’s murder conviction and ordered a new hearing in the case, marking the latest development in the protracted legal odyssey chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial”.

Though Syed’s conviction has been reinstated, he will not immediately be taken back into custody.

Also read: ‘Serial’ case: Adnan Syed released, conviction tossed

In a 2-1 decision released on March 28, the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled a lower court failed to give sufficient notice to the victim’s family when it scheduled the September hearing that vacated Syed’s conviction and allowed him to regain his freedom after more than two decades behind bars.

The intermediate court’s order does not go into effect for 60 days, which delays any immediate consequences and allows the parties time to decide whether to appeal and schedule upcoming proceedings accordingly.

Syed’s attorney Erica Suter said they will ask the state supreme court to review the case.

Maryland law provides victims with the right to prior notice of conviction vacatur hearings, and that right was violated in the case of Hae Min Lee’s brother, the appellate court ruled. Syed was convicted in 2000 of killing Lee, his high school ex-girlfriend whose body was found in a makeshift grave after her disappearance in 1999.

Baltimore prosecutors moved to vacate Syed’s conviction in September after they reviewed the case and found alternative suspects and unreliable evidence used at trial. The lower court then quickly scheduled a hearing on the state’s motion to vacate.

Opinion | The case for serial listening

Lee’s brother, Young Lee, was notified on a Friday afternoon that the hearing would take place the following Monday. Giving him only one business day before the hearing was “insufficient time to reasonably allow Mr. Lee, who lived in California, to attend the hearing in person,” instead requiring him to attend remotely, the appellate court ruled.

Mr. Young Lee attended the hearing via Zoom after the judge denied his request to postpone the proceedings one week to allow his in-person attendance.

The Lee family spent decades believing justice had been served, only to be treated as an afterthought when prosecutors decided their case was actually flawed from the beginning, their attorneys have argued. The appellate court largely agreed.

“Allowing a victim entitled to attend a court proceeding to attend in person, when the victim makes that request and all other persons involved in the hearing appear in person, is consistent with the constitutional requirement that victims be treated with dignity and respect,” the court ruled.

The court also said the new hearing should be more transparent, requiring that “evidence supporting the motion to vacate is presented, and the court states its reasons in support of its decision.”

David Sanford, an attorney representing Young Lee, said that piece of the ruling in particular has serious implications because it means there will be “evidence for the world to see and examine.”

“We are delighted that the court agrees with Mr. Lee,” he said. “Decisions made by courts should not be based on secret evidence.”

But Ms. Suter said “there is no basis for re-traumatizing Adnan by returning him to the status of a convicted felon.”

“For the time being, Adnan remains a free man,” Ms. Suter said.

After Syed’s conviction was vacated, Baltimore prosecutors had 30 days to decide whether to retry him. They announced their decision to drop the charges eight days before the deadline was up — while an appeal from the Lee family was pending.

The appellate judges interrogated that timeline and concluded the state acted “with the purpose … of preventing Mr. Lee from obtaining a ruling on the appeal,” which Syed’s attorneys later argued was moot because there were no underlying charges.

During oral arguments last month, the three-judge panel focused much of their questioning on whether the appeal should be considered moot.

The judges also considered whether crime victims or their representatives have a “right to be heard” at conviction vacatur hearings, as the Lee family asserted in their appeal. The judges said they were not persuaded by that argument, ruling victims have no right to substantive participation in such hearings, which could include presenting evidence. They said a ruling to the contrary would “result in a huge shift in practice.”

What happens next remains somewhat unclear.

The Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office is reviewing the ruling.

Their position is further complicated by a recent change in leadership. The current state’s attorney, Ivan Bates, took office in December — not long after his predecessor, Marilyn Mosby, decided to drop the charges against Syed, saying additional DNA testing had excluded him as a suspect. That was after her office conducted a yearlong review of the case and found prior prosecutors made significant missteps. Prosecutors knew about two alternative suspects but failed to disclose that information to the defence, Ms. Mosby’s office wrote.

Her decision to re-examine the case came after Syed’s appeals were repeatedly denied. Even after the “Serial” podcast raised numerous questions about the evidence that resulted in Syed’s conviction and garnered a massive following of supporters, Syed remained behind bars for several more years. In social media posts Tuesday, many of his supporters asked whether the appellate court decision would ultimately return Syed to prison.

Ms. Mosby declined to comment on the appellate court decision on March 28.


ShareSendTweet
TSA Desk

TSA Desk

Related Posts

World News

Mike Pence to launch campaign for President in Iowa June 7

Former Vice President Mike Pence will officially launch his widely expected campaign for the Republican nomination for President in Iowa...

Read more
World News

Russia claims destroyed Ukraine’s ‘last warship’

Russia on Wednesday claimed it had destroyed the last major warship of the Ukrainian naval forces, which it said was...

Read more
World News

Nepal PM Prachanda arrives in India on four-day visit

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda being welcomed by Union Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakashi Lekhi...

Read more
World News

Israeli strike on eastern Lebanon kills 5 Palestinian fighters, wounds 10

Palestinian militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) take part in a military exercise in the...

Read more
World News

Explained | Abaucin, the potential new antibiotic found with machine-learning

Researchers have used machine-learning to identify a potential new antibiotic against a challenging species of disease-causing bacteria, they reported in...

Read more
World News

Russian lawmakers introduce draft bill to ban gender-affirming surgery

Russian lawmakers introduced a draft bill that would impose a ban on gender-affirming surgery | Representational image. | Photo Credit:...

Read more
Load More
Next Post

What we know about the Covenant school shooting in Nashville

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook Twitter Instagram Telegram

About

The Second Angle

A platform providing diverse views on various issues, providing an in-depth understanding of important developments happening around us. It offers you true journalism amidst the cacophony. Discover the latest news, opinions, analysis and a lot more here.

Important Links

  • About
  • Career
  • Guest Post
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • हिंदी

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

© 2017-23. The Second Angle. All Rights Reserved. Developed and Maintenance by SquareBase.io

No Result
View All Result
  • Infotainment
    • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • Lifestyle
      • Home & Decoration
  • People
    • Inspiring
  • Education
  • Travel
  • Finance
  • Healthcare
  • Technology
  • World
  • Login

© 2017-23. The Second Angle. All Rights Reserved. Developed and Maintenance by SquareBase.io

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
Go to mobile version