Murder of Hae Min Lee

Hae Min Lee
Born 1980
South Korea
Disappeared 13 January 1999
Died Baltimore, Maryland
Cause of death
 Manual strangulation
Body discovered
 9 February 1999
in Leakin Park
Occupation High school student
Employer LensCrafters
(part-time employee)
Known for Murder victim
Subject of Serial (podcast)

Hae Min Lee (Hangul: 이해민; 1980–1999) 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. Her death eventually led to the first degree murder conviction of Adnan Masud Syed, her ex-boyfriend, who is currently serving a life sentence.[1] While her murder initially generated only local interest, it was the subject of the highly acclaimed 2014 podcast Serial which brought international attention to Syed's trial.[2]

Biography

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.[3] Lee attended the magnet program at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore, Maryland.[4]

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".[5] Her lacrosse coach characterized her as a leader and a dedicated athlete.[5] She was also responsible, picking up her cousin from kindergarten after school each day, and she had an after-school job at LensCrafters.[3]

Lee dated Adnan Syed for approximately seven months according to her diary, from April through November 1998, but at the homecoming dance in November, Syed's parents showed up to take him home. She broke it off with Syed and had begun seeing Don, a new boyfriend, in December.[4] She disappeared after school on 13 January 1999, and her corpse was found on 9 February 1999.[4] She had been strangled and left in Leakin Park in Baltimore. On 25 February 2000, after a six-week trial, Adnan Syed was convicted of her murder.[6]

Murder trial as subject of first season of Serial podcast

From October 3−December 18, 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.[7]

Recent developments

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.[8] On 13 January 2015, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals issued a media advisory describing a 14 January 2015 deadline by which the State of Maryland had to respond to Adnan Syed's application for leave to appeal.[9] On 14 January 2015, Maryland district attorneys filed a response asking the court to deny Syed's appeal on the grounds of ineffective counsel.[10][11]

On 6 February 2015, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals approved Syed's application for leave to appeal, which claimed his attorney at the time of his first trial, Cristina Gutierrez, was ineffective. The rare ruling gives Syed an opportunity to appeal his murder conviction.[12] The Court of Special Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments in June 2015.

References

  1. ↑ Francke, Caitlin (7 July 2000). "19-year-old gets life sentence for killing former girlfriend". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  2. ↑ Carr, David (24 November 2014). "‘Serial,’ Podcasting’s First Breakout Hit, Sets Stage for More". New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Oakes, Amy (March 1, 1999). "Ex-boyfriend is charged in teen's killing". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Episode 2: The Breakup Transcript". October 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Apperson, Jay (March 12, 1999). "Slain teen remembered as joyful, `full of love'". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  6. ↑ Francke, Caitlin (26 February 2000). "Jury finds teen guilty of killing ex-girlfriend". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "New hope for inmate from Serial podcast". CBS News. February 9, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  8. ↑ Dockterman, Eliana. "The Innocence Project Tells Serial Fans What Might Happen Next". Time. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2015.
  9. ↑ "Media Advisory:Maryland Court of Special Appeals Considers Adnan Syed v. State Appeal". Maryland Courts. 13 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-01-14. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  10. ↑ Linderman, Juliet (14 January 2015). "State: Court Should Deny Appeal of Man at Center of 'Serial'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  11. ↑ Frosh, Bryan (14 January 2015). "Response in Opposition to Application for Leave to Appeal" (PDF). Maryland Courts. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  12. ↑ George, Justin (7 February 2015). "Court reopens appeal of Adnan Syed, subject of "Serial" podcast". Retrieved 15 February 2015.