Murder of Hae Min Lee

Hae Min Lee was a Woodlawn High School senior in Baltimore, Maryland, who disappeared on 13 January 1999. Her body was found 9 February 1999 in Leakin Park, the victim of murder by manual strangulation. Adnan Masud Syed, her ex-boyfriend, was convicted of first degree murder and is currently serving a life sentence for her murder. In February 2015, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals approved Syed's application for leave to appeal. While her murder initially generated only local interest, it was the subject of the podcast Serial, which brought international attention to Syed's trial. Background: Hae Min Lee was born in South Korea in 1980 and immigrated with her mother Youn Kim and her brother Young Lee to the United States in 1992 to live with her grandparents. Lee attended the magnet program at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland. She was an athlete who played lacrosse and field hockey, and was remembered by her French teacher as "one of those rare people you meet in life who is always happy, always joyful and full of love". Her lacrosse coach characterized her as a leader and a dedicated athlete. She was also responsible for picking up her cousin from kindergarten after school each day, and she had an after-school job at LensCrafters. Investigation: Lee disappeared on 13 January 1999, her family reported her missing that day. Baltimore County Police opened a missings persons case for Lee. During the missings persons case Baltimore County Police spoke with a number of Lee's friends, including Syed. On 9 February 1999, Lee's body was found by a civilian in Leakin Park. On 12 February 1999, the Baltimore County Police allegedly received an anonymous phone call suggesting that Lee's ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud Syed, was responsible for her murder, and that Syed had threatened to kill Lee. The murder investigation of Lee was conducted by Batimore City Police. On 17 February 1999, telecommunications company AT&T provided Baltimore City Police with Syed's cell phone records (without cell tower information). On 18 February 1999, DEA supeonas subscriber information relevant to Syed's phone for the day of 13 January 1999. On 18 February 1999, AT&T provided Syed's cell phone records (including cell tower information). It has been reported that officers noticed a number of calls on the day of Lee's disappearance to a number that was allegedly linked to a woman named Jen Pusateri. When questioned, Pusateri allegedly told police that a friend of hers, Jay Wilds, who had known Syed from high school, told her that Syed had killed Lee. The police allegedly questioned Wilds, who allegedly told them that he had helped Syed bury Lee's body and dispose of her car. Syed was arrested on 28 February 1999 and charged with first degree murder. Trials and appeals: Syed's first trial ended in a mistrial, but after a six-week second trial, Syed was found guilty of first degree murder, kidnapping, false imprisonment, and robbery on 25 February 2000. Syed was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years. On 6 February 2015, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals approved Syed's application for leave to appeal. On 19 May 2015, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals remanded the case to Superior Court for potential hearing on the admissibility of alibi testimony of Asia McClain. On 9 November 2015, the Superior Court decided it will hear the case. According to the investigation by Serial, McClain's account of her encounter with Syed on the day of the disappearance would have been helpful at trial, although dismissing the state's timeline also has the effect of making this alibi less exculpatory. Justin Brown, Syed's current appeal lawyer, has also claimed that new evidence about the reliability of incoming call data from AT&T is suspect and should be reviewed by an appeals court, stating that "the cell tower evidence was misleading and should have never been admitted at trial." On 6 November 2015, ″Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Martin Welch ordered that Syed's post-conviction proceedings would be re-opened ′in the interests of justice for all parties.′″ Aftermath- Serial and Undisclosed podcasts: From 3 October to 18 December 2014, the murder trial of Adnan Syed was the subject of the first season of the podcast Serial, hosted by Sarah Koenig. The podcast episodes generated international interest in the trial, and had been downloaded more than 68 million times by mid-February 2015. In 2015, lawyer Rabia Chaudry (an advocate for Syed who had introduced the case to Koenig) and others began producing a podcast called Undisclosed: The State vs. Adnan Syed. The Innocence Project DNA testing: The Innocence Project Clinic at the University of Virginia Law School has identified another potential suspect and will be requesting new DNA tests be taken. Deirdre Enright of the Innocence Project said that they are waiting to hear back from Maryland whether they can file for DNA testing while the appeal motion is pending. Other persons involved: -Jay Wilds – key witness at Syed's trial -Rabia Chaudry – friend of Syed's family and an attorney