Press Releases
Marilyn J. Mosby, State's Attorney
"While the actions of this juvenile are wholly unacceptable and inexcusable, we stand firm in our ultimate recommendation to the judge that this case be held in the juvenile court system.
Juvenile court exists for a reason, and our decision is based on all the facts and circumstances pertaining to the actions of a 14-year old minor. Much of the factors that we considered in arriving at our recommendation cannot be discussed publicly due to the fact that the case is open and the defendant is a juvenile.
Cases involving minors will always be challenging, and the highly publicized nature of this incident makes this case even more difficult.
We made this recommendation to the court consistent with our office's track record in dealing with similar cases, such as last week's Inner Harbor juvenile shooting case, where the court ultimately decided to try the defendant in the adult system despite our recommendation. That same process will occur in this case and ultimately the judge will make the decision on where it will be adjudicated.
There are no winners in this tragic incident and I am disheartened by the pain and anguish it has caused in our community. My thoughts and prayers are with Timothy Reynold’s family as they continue to deal with this unfathomable loss. My office has been in communication with this grief stricken family from day one and we will continue to support them through this difficult time."
It is rather unfortunate that prior prosecutors who have severely mishandled this case continue to try to save face, further traumatizing the victim’s family and Mr. Syed due to their misdeeds. Once again, our office stands by our year-long investigation and our ultimate finding that there is no credible evidence that Mr. Syed was involved in the death of Ms. Lee.
It makes absolutely no sense to believe that Kevin Urick, who has now re-created an alleged transcript of an exculpatory call, is now attributing the threats to Adnan Syed. Urick is the same prosecutor that engaged in prior Brady violations and questionable behavior in this case, which included withholding exculpatory hair evidence; attempting to prevent inconsistent statements of a witness from being disclosed to the defense; and attempting to hide from defense a very favorable plea deal given to the primary witness. Clearly, Urick has serious credibility issues.
We are well aware of the person and the circumstances surrounding the call that was made identifying an alternative suspect in this case, in which additional documentation about the suspect was also provided. Urick’s revisionist history is not only convenient but self-serving, which is why this alleged statement, which should have also been turned over to defense as a ‘statement of the defendant,’ was never used at any of Mr. Syed’s previous trials.
To be clear, while we do not believe Urick’s recent self-serving attribution to Mr. Syed, this ‘leaked’ document has only been in the possession of the SAO and the Attorney General’s Office and is not the only document relied upon by the court to find a Brady violation – identifying the same suspect – none of which was disclosed to defense throughout the past 23 years. - Baltimore City State's Attorney's Office
"Attorney General Brian Frosh and his office mishandled and sat on exculpatory evidence for years and his recent attempts to save face are a complete disservice to the family of Hae Min Lee and to Adnan Syed who was wrongfully incarcerated for 23 years. We stand by our investigation and our ultimate finding that there is no credible evidence that Mr. Syed was involved in the death of Ms. Lee. Our investigation is extensive, and only a portion of our findings were outlined in the motion in order to present enough compelling evidence for the court to consider our request, without compromising the rest of this open and pending investigation.
It is extremely troubling that the Attorney General, who is clearly biased and is in self-preservation mode to protect himself as well as the original prosecutor and post-conviction attorney in the case, is legally asserting that prosecutors don’t have to disclose to the defense an alternative suspect that threatens to kill the victim because the person reporting the threat was not sure if the threat was serious or not. The problem is that the Attorney General’s argument is completely contrary to the law and is the reason why a Judge rightfully concluded that it was a Brady violation.
Our office has always and will continue to treat the family of Hae Min Lee with respect. We not only notified the family prior to filing the motion, we provided them a copy of the motion, explained the reasons for the decision, offered counseling, provided personal cell phone numbers with multiple invitations to call or text at any time, and when the court set the matter in for a hearing, we secured a means for any member of the family to observe the hearing virtually. In our pursuit of justice for their loved one, my office stands ready to talk to the family at any time."
Marilyn J. Mosby, State's Attorney