Caption: Brother of victim in ‘Serial’ murder requests new hearing against Adnan Syed

The brother of murder victim Hae Min Lee has requested a redo of the hearing that ultimately freed ‘Serial’ podcast subject Adnan Syed after vacating his conviction.

On Friday, lawyers filed a motion for a new hearing on behalf of Hae Min Lee’s brother, Young Lee, who alleges that his rights were violated by the court.

Lee’s filing states that he ‘lacked notice and a meaningful opportunity to participate’ at the original hearing in September.

Lee says that he wasn’t given enough time to arrange to be present at the hearing. He originally filed a motion stating this on the day of Syed’s original hearing.

Judge Melissa Phinn denied the motion, but gave him a 30-minute recess so that he could leave work and view the proceedings on a Zoom call.

‘This is not a podcast for me. This is real life,’ Lee told the court in September.

He also claims he was not given time to challenge the state’s evidence or present his own.

Lee’s filing also alleges that the prosecutors and the court had already decided to vacate Syed’s conviction before the hearing began. ‘Nothing Mr. Lee might have said in opposition could have altered the result. His statement was, at best, an empty ritual.’

Erica Suter, Syed’s attorney, said she felt ‘compassion’ for Lee’s family, but insisted ‘the closure they seek is not found in incarcerating an innocent man.’

She also asserted that the Lee family was properly notified.

‘Justice for Hae Min Lee means finding the actual killer, not furthering the harm experienced by Adnan Syed and his family,’ Suter stated.

Syed was originally convicted of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee’s murder in 1999. He was found guilty and spent over 20 years in prison.

Over the years, Syed consistently maintained his innocence. His case drew new attention in 2014 when it was profiled on the first season of popular podcast ‘Serial.’

In 2020, Maryland State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby began reviewing the evidence against Syed. In the review, they discovered that prosecutors withheld evidence from the defense, including that investigators had failed to rule out two other suspects in the case.

On September 19, Judge Phinn vacated his sentence and gave prosecutors 30 days to hold a new trial. Maryland prosecutors announced they were dropping all charges against Syed on October 11.

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Lee’s filing states that he ‘lacked notice and a meaningful opportunity to participate’ at the original hearing.