An appeals court in Maryland on Tuesday reinstated the conviction and life sentence of Adnan Syed in the 1999 murder of Hai Min Lee because her family wasn’t given ample notice to attend the hearing overturning the case.

Syed, 41, served 23 years in prison for the slaying of his former girlfriend and high school classmate Lee, 18. Hit podcast “Serial” did a deep dive into Syed’s case and raised questions about whether he was the true killer — eventually leading to the conviction getting tossed in September.

But Lee’s brother, Young Lee, appealed the decision and demanded the conviction be reinstated, calling for a new hearing in Syed’s case on the grounds that the family’s rights were violated when the state failed to give them proper notice of the hearing last fall.

[This case has been “Serial”-ly mishandled for years, pun intended. Syed will remain free as the case comes back to court yet again, and likely would only end up with time served if the conviction remains in place, thanks to the politics surrounding it. However, the victim’s family is right to demand that the state follow its own law — and explain who killed Hai Min Lee. They deserve justice as well. — Ed]