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Murder of Hae Min Lee

SOLVED1999Leakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026

Documents violence — written to inform, not to shock.

Illustrative

Hae Min Lee, a Korean-American student at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, was reported missing on January 13, 1999, after failing to pick up her younger cousin from daycare. She had last been seen by fellow students around 2:15 p.m. that day. Her body was found partially buried in Leakin Park, Baltimore, on February 9, 1999, by Alonzo Sellers. An autopsy determined she had been killed by manual strangulation.

During the investigation, the Baltimore City Police Homicide Division received an anonymous tip on February 12, 1999, suggesting they focus on Lee's ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed. Syed's friend Jay Wilds told police that Syed had confessed to killing Lee and that Wilds had helped bury her body. Wilds later pleaded guilty to accessory to murder and received a five-year suspended sentence; his testimony was heavily relied upon in the state's case against Syed. Police obtained cellular-phone records tied to Syed on February 16, and Syed was arrested on February 28, 1999, and charged with first-degree murder.

Syed's first trial, in December 1999, ended in a mistrial. His second trial, beginning in January 2000, concluded on February 25, 2000, with a jury finding him guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and robbery. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

The case drew renewed international attention after the 2014 podcast Serial examined the investigation and trial in detail. Syed subsequently pursued post-conviction relief, arguing ineffective assistance of counsel related to an uninvestigated alibi witness, Asia McClain, and disputed cell-tower evidence. In 2016, Judge Martin Welch vacated Syed's conviction and ordered a new trial; this was upheld by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in 2018 but reversed by the Maryland Court of Appeals in a 4–3 decision in 2019. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Syed's appeal later that year.

In 2018, prosecutors conducted DNA testing on evidence, and Syed's DNA did not match samples tested. In 2022, further DNA testing was ordered on additional items. Following a reinvestigation by the Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office, prosecutors filed a motion in September 2022 alleging Brady violations, including suppression of evidence about alternate suspects. Judge Melissa Phinn vacated Syed's conviction on September 19, 2022, and he was released; charges were later formally dropped. Hae Min Lee's brother, Young Lee, appealed, arguing he had been denied adequate notice and opportunity to be heard as a victim. An appellate court reinstated Syed's conviction in March 2023, a decision upheld by the Maryland Supreme Court in August 2024, which also ordered a new hearing on the vacatur. In February 2025, the Baltimore State's Attorney withdrew the motion to vacate but supported a reduced sentence under Maryland's Juvenile Restoration Act. On March 6, 2025, Judge Jennifer Schiffer resentenced Syed to time served, leaving his conviction reinstated while he remains free.

In a 2016 statement, Lee's family said they remained convinced of Syed's guilt.

Key facts

Victims
Hae Min Lee
Date
1999
Location
Leakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1999-01-13

    Hae Min Lee is reported missing after failing to pick up her cousin from daycare; she was last seen at school around 2:15 p.m.

  2. 1999-02-09

    Lee's partially buried body is discovered in Leakin Park, Baltimore, by Alonzo Sellers.

  3. 1999-02-12

    Baltimore City Police Homicide Division receives an anonymous tip directing focus to Adnan Syed.

  4. 1999-02-16

    Police apply for cellular-phone records belonging to Syed.

  5. 1999-02-28

    Syed is arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

  6. 1999-12

    Syed's first trial begins and ends in a mistrial.

  7. 2000-02-25

    Jury finds Syed guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and robbery.

  8. 2010-05

    Syed files for post-conviction relief alleging ineffective assistance of counsel.

  9. 2014-01

    Justice Martin Welch denies Syed's post-conviction petition.

  10. 2014-10

    Podcast Serial begins covering the case, running through December 2014.

  11. 2015-11-06

    Judge Welch reopens Syed's post-conviction relief proceedings.

  12. 2016-06-30

    Welch vacates Syed's conviction and grants a new trial.

  13. 2018-03-29

    Maryland Court of Special Appeals upholds the order for a new trial.

  14. 2018

    Maryland prosecutors conduct DNA testing on evidence; Syed's DNA does not match samples tested.

  15. 2019-03-08

    Maryland Court of Appeals reverses lower courts in a 4-3 ruling, denying a new trial.

  16. 2019-11-25

    U.S. Supreme Court rejects Syed's appeal.

  17. 2022-03-10

    Baltimore City State's Attorney joins motion for new DNA testing on Lee's clothing, shoes, and rape kit.

  18. 2022-09

    Prosecutors file a motion to vacate Syed's conviction citing Brady violations and new evidence.

  19. 2022-09-19

    Judge Melissa Phinn vacates Syed's conviction; Syed is released from prison.

  20. 2022-10

    Prosecutors formally drop charges against Syed via nolle prosequi.

  21. 2023-03-28

    Appellate court reinstates Syed's conviction in a 2-1 decision, citing insufficient notice to victim Young Lee.

  22. 2024-08-30

    Maryland Supreme Court reinstates Syed's murder conviction and orders a new vacatur hearing.

  23. 2025-02-25

    Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates withdraws the motion to vacate Syed's conviction, but supports sentence reduction under the Juvenile Restoration Act.

  24. 2025-03-06

    Judge Jennifer Schiffer resentences Syed to time served; conviction remains reinstated.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Hae Min Lee

    VICTIM

    18-year-old Woodlawn High School student found strangled and buried in Leakin Park, Baltimore, in February 1999.

    citation on file

  • Adnan Syed

    CONVICTED

    Convicted in 2000 of first-degree murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and robbery in Lee's death; conviction underwent multiple vacaturs and appeals before being reinstated by the Maryland Supreme Court in 2024 and resentenced to time served in 2025.

    citation on file

  • Jay Wilds

    CONVICTED

    Pleaded guilty to accessory to murder for helping bury Lee's body; received a five-year suspended sentence.

    citation on file

Places

Leakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland

39.3120, -76.7160

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Hae Min Lee, an 18-year-old Baltimore County high school student, was strangled and found buried in Leakin Park in February 1999. Her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted of first-degree murder in 2000; the case gained international attention after the 2014 podcast Serial, and Syed's conviction underwent multiple vacaturs, appeals, and reinstatements through 2025.
Where did the murder happen?
Leakin Park, Baltimore, Maryland.
Who was convicted?
Adnan Syed (Convicted in 2000 of first-degree murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and robbery in Lee's death; conviction underwent multiple vacaturs and appeals before being reinstated by the Maryland Supreme Court in 2024 and resentenced to time served in 2025.) and Jay Wilds (Pleaded guilty to accessory to murder for helping bury Lee's body; received a five-year suspended sentence.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved. Last verified July 2026.

Sources

  1. Murder of Hae Min Leewikipedia · Wikipedia · 2026-07-05
  2. Contemporaneous coverage — The New York Timesnews · The New York Times · 2026-07-05
  3. Contemporaneous coverage — Associated Pressnews · Associated Press · 2026-07-05

Last verified JUL 2026

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