Lee's ex-boyfriend, Adnan Masud Syed (born May 21, 1981), was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years. In 2014, the podcast Serial covered the killing, which brought renewed attention to the case. In 2016, Judge Martin P. Welch vacated Syed's conviction and ordered a new trial. That decision was upheld by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals in 2018, but overturned by the Maryland Court of Appeals in 2019. Following an investigation by prosecutors that uncovered new evidence, a judge again vacated Syed's conviction in September 2022. On October 11, 2022, prosecutors announced that the charges against Syed had been dropped, effectively exonerating him. However, on March 28, 2023, Syed's conviction was reinstated by an appellate court; the court stayed the effective date of the decision for 60 days.
