Adnan Syed, who is currently serving life in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee and was the protagonist of hit podcast Serialwhich aired in 2014, and his defense team are pushing for a new trial on the grounds that he was provided with ineffective counsel during his original trial, as well as the 'unreliable' cell phone records. Today Syed’s hearing for a re-trial enters the the fifth day.
Over the weekend, Hae’s family, who have not been attending the hearing, released a poignant statement which Justin Fenton, crime reporter for The Baltimore Sun, posted on Twitter.
In it, the family say how ‘the events of this past week have reopened wounds few can imagine’ and that ‘“It remains hard to see so many run to defend someone who committed a horrible crime, who destroyed our family, who refuses to accept responsibility, when so few are willing to speak up for Hae.’
They also criticised fans of Serial, saying that ‘unlike those who learn about this case on the internet, we sat and watched every day of both trials – so many witnesses, so much evidence.’
This is not the first time Hae’s family have spoken out. In November 2014, around the time the podcast first aired, her little brother took to reddit to condemn those who saw the murder of his sister as ‘another murder mystery, crime drama, another episode of CSI’.
According to The Baltimore Sun, the defense and prosecution are expected to make their final arguments today but it’s unclear when Judge Welch will make his ruling.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.