Adnan Syed, in high school

Adnan Syed, in high school. (Via Chicago Public Radio)

A Baltimore City circuit court has denied bail to Adnan Syed, who rose to prominence after the podcast Serial detailed the murder case that sent him to prison.

Syed was convicted of killing his high school girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in 1999 when he was 17 years old. His conviction was vacated last June after an investigatory spinoff podcast uncovered new evidence that Syed’s attorney provided ineffective counsel.

This October, lawyers at Brown & Nieto and Hogan Lovells filed a motion to release Syed from prison while he waited for his new trial to begin. They argued Syed, now in his mid-thirties, could wait in prison for years for the government to present its “weak” case.

Today, Judge Martin Welch denied that motion. While the opinion says that the court does not believe Syed is a danger to the community or any individuals, he may be a flight risk and the case against him remains strong.

“The circuit court finds that the nature and circumstances of the offenses are the most serious in nature and there still is compelling evidence,” the opinion reads. Welch also notes that the state, which is prosecuting the case against Syed, opposes his release.

Welch said it was better to “proceed with caution” when granting bail.

Rabia Chaudry, a longtime friend of Syed who hosts the Undisclosed podcast, said on Twitter that the news “is not a surprise.”

Welch Bail Denial28122016 by Rachel Kurzius on Scribd

Filed Under: adnan syed, meanwhile in maryland, serial,