Summarize this content to 100 words: Prosecutors in Baltimore will withdraw a motion to vacate the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, whose case has been ping-ponging in the court system since being chronicled in the hit podcast “Serial,” the Baltimore City state’s attorney said on Tuesday.Mr. Syed spent decades in prison fighting a conviction for the death of his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. The podcast, released in 2014, presented new evidence and led to a swell of interest in the case.In 2022, Mr. Syed was released from prison when a Baltimore City Circuit Court judge vacated the conviction. The charges against Mr. Syed were dropped later that year, but his conviction was later reinstated, and Maryland’s highest court ordered a redo of the hearing that freed him.An attorney representing Mr. Syed criticized the motion and said Mr. Syed had not committed the crimes he had been convicted of. The decision “ignores the injustices on which this conviction was founded,” Erica J. Suter, the attorney, said in a statement.The Baltimore City state’s attorney, Ivan J. Bates, said that his office had determined that the motion to vacate the conviction by his predecessor, Marilyn Mosby, contained “falsehoods and misleading statements.”“I did not make this decision lightly, but it is necessary to preserve the credibility of our office and maintain public trust in the justice system,” Mr. Bates said in a statement.In the past, Mr. Bates has made statements sympathetic to Mr. Syed. In 2018, while Mr. Bates was running to be the State’s Attorney, he told Rolling Stone that if he was elected, he would drop the case against Syed. In his concession speech after losing the Democratic primary in 2018, he called on prosecutors to “stop the prosecution of Adnan Syed now.”Mr. Syed was found guilty of murder, robbery, kidnapping and false imprisonment, and was sentenced to life in prison in 2000. He was 17 at the time of Ms. Lee’s death.A hearing will be held on Wednesday on a motion to reduce Mr. Syed’s sentence that his lawyers filed in December under the Juvenile Restoration Act. The law allows defendants convicted as minors to request a reduced sentence after serving 20 years in prison.A decade ago, the release of “Serial” raised doubts about the facts around the case. The podcast was downloaded more than 100 million times in its first year and brought national public attention to Mr. Syed’s case. (In 2020, The New York Times Company bought Serial Productions, the company behind the podcast.)“Mr. Syed remains a convicted murderer,” David Sanford, a lawyer for Ms. Lee’s family, said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that nothing, including the media attention surrounding the case, would change that.Over the past decade, the case has gone back and forth in Maryland courts.In February 2015, a Maryland court agreed to hear an appeal from Mr. Syed, and he was granted a new hearing in November of that year, allowing new evidence to be introduced. He was granted a new trial in 2016.The Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld the decision to grant him a new trial and vacated his conviction in 2018. In 2019, the Court of Appeals, reversed that decision, denying him a new trial and reinstating his conviction. The U.S. Supreme Court later declined to hear his case.In 2022, prosecutors agreed to new DNA testing. They later asked a judge to overturn Mr. Syed’s conviction. A judge vacated his conviction again days later, and the charges were dropped in October of that year.Months later, in 2023, the special appeals court, which by then had been renamed the Appellate Court of Maryland, reinstated Mr. Syed’s murder conviction. It ruled that the lower court had violated the rights of Ms. Lee’s brother, Young Lee, to be notified of the right to attend a hearing.In 2024, the Maryland Supreme Court ordered the trial court to redo the hearing that had freed Mr. Syed.
Baltimore prosecutors are set to withdraw their request to overturn the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, a situation that has been tumultuous in the legal system since being highlighted in the popular podcast “Serial,” according to a statement from the Baltimore City state’s attorney on Tuesday.
Adnan Syed spent many years behind bars contesting a conviction linked to the death of Hae Min Lee, his high school girlfriend. The podcast, which debuted in 2014, introduced new evidence and ignited significant public interest in his case.
In 2022, he was freed from prison after a judge from the Baltimore City Circuit Court vacated his conviction. Later that year, charges against him were dismissed, but his conviction was ultimately reinstated, prompting Maryland’s highest court to mandate a rehearing that had led to his release.
An attorney for Mr. Syed condemned the motion, asserting that he was innocent of the crimes for which he was convicted. Erica J. Suter, his lawyer, stated, “The decision ignores the injustices upon which this conviction was built.”
Ivan J. Bates, the Baltimore City state’s attorney, remarked that his office found the previous motion to vacate the conviction submitted by his predecessor, Marilyn Mosby, to be filled with “falsehoods and misleading statements.”
“This decision was not made lightly, but it’s essential to uphold the integrity of our office and maintain public confidence in the justice system,” Mr. Bates stated.
Previously, Mr. Bates has expressed support for Mr. Syed. In 2018, during his campaign for State’s Attorney, he informed Rolling Stone that he would drop the charges against Syed if he won. Following his defeat in the Democratic primary the same year, he urged prosecutors to “cease the prosecution of Adnan Syed immediately.”
Mr. Syed was convicted of murder, robbery, kidnapping, and false imprisonment, resulting in a life sentence in 2000, when he was just 17 years old at the time of Ms. Lee’s death.
A hearing regarding a motion to lessen Mr. Syed’s sentence, filed by his attorneys in December under the Juvenile Restoration Act, is set for Wednesday. This legislation allows defendants convicted as minors to seek a sentence reduction after serving a minimum of 20 years.
Ten years ago, the launch of “Serial” cast doubt on the details of the case. The podcast achieved over 100 million downloads in its first year, drawing nationwide attention to Mr. Syed’s situation. (In 2020, The New York Times Company acquired Serial Productions, creators of the podcast.)
“Mr. Syed still holds the status of a convicted murderer,” stated David Sanford, an attorney for Ms. Lee’s family, in a statement Tuesday, emphasizing that nothing, including the media spotlight, can alter that fact.
Over the last decade, the case has experienced several ups and downs in Maryland courts.
In February 2015, a Maryland court consented to hear Mr. Syed’s appeal, granting him a new hearing in November of the same year, which allowed the introduction of new evidence. He was granted a new trial in 2016.
In 2018, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals upheld the ruling for a new trial and vacated his conviction. However, the Court of Appeals reversed that ruling in 2019, denying him a new trial and reinstating his conviction. Subsequently, the U.S. Supreme Court chose not to review his case.
In 2022, prosecutors consented to new DNA testing and later petitioned a judge to annul Mr. Syed’s conviction. A judge vacated the conviction shortly thereafter, leading to dropped charges in October of that year.
In 2023, a few months later, the special appeals court, now known as the Appellate Court of Maryland, reinstated Mr. Syed’s murder conviction. The court ruled that the lower court had infringed on the rights of Ms. Lee’s brother, Young Lee, by failing to notify him of his right to attend the hearing.
In 2024, the Maryland Supreme Court mandated that the trial court redo the hearing that had initially led to Mr. Syed’s release.