Meet the lesser-known family of Hae Min Lee, a high school student from Baltimore, Maryland, who was murdered in 1999. This article is about her family members based on what we could discover about them in 2022.
Keep scrolling down to learn more about them.
Who Are Hae Min Lee Family Members?
Hae Min Lee was an 18-year-old high schooler who was murdered in 1999. Her boyfriend Adnan Syed, the prime suspect in this case was found guilty then and was charged with first-degree murder after being found guilty in the 2000 trial. However, the courts are now saying that Adnan’s nearly 23 years of conviction was a mistake.
According to PEOPLE, Baltimore Circuit Judge Melissa Phinn vacated Syed’s first-degree murder conviction, saying prosecutors failed to turn over evidence to his lawyers that could have helped prove his innocence. The murder case gained notoriety after being featured on the popular true-crime podcast “Serial” in 2014.
Hae’s family members have responded to Serial as well as Adnan’s recent release. According to WBAL-TV, Hae’s brother Young Lee made a statement to the court via Zoom, asking the judge to postpone the hearing. Young said, “This is not a podcast for me. It’s real life that will never end — it’s been 20-plus years. It’s a nightmare … This is killing us.”
Their family’s lawyer Steve Kelly relayed the message that they were “disappointed” that the hearing happened so quickly with no notice to the family, the outlet reports.
Hae Min Lee was born in South Korea in 1980 and emigrated with her mother Youn Kim and her brother Young Lee to the United States in 1992 to live with her grandparents. Lee attended the magnet program at Woodlawn High School near Baltimore, Maryland. She was an athlete who played lacrosse and field hockey. Lee disappeared on January 13, 1999. Her family reported her missing after she failed to pick up her younger cousin from daycare at about 3:15 p.m.
Hae had attended Woodlawn HighSchool that day and had been seen by several people leaving the campus at the end of the school day. On February 9, Hae’s partially buried body was discovered by a passerby in Leakin Park in Baltimore. On February 12, the Baltimore City Police Homicide Division received an anonymous phone call suggesting that Lee’s ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, was responsible for her murder. Investigators learned that Lee and Syed had dated for much of the previous year but had recently broken up.
Hae Min Lee Brother
Hae Min Lee’s brother Young Lee was 16 years old when Hae was tragically murdered and half-buried. At the time of Hae’s murder, Young was attending Millford Mill Academy. The family also included their grandparents and two cousins.
In his testimony during the second trial, he shared that Young got an unusual call from his cousin’s school asking him to pick her cousin up from the school. Young said it was her sister’s duty to do that every day at 3:15.
Because Hae’s family was worried about her well-being, Young called his sister’s workplace at LensCrafters in Owings Mill. Then he called Hae’s friends one of whom was Adnan, her sister’s boyfriend whom he met first time at his mom’s store for the first time. In court, Young said that he had read his sister’s diary before the incident and she wasn’t very happy with him.
In 2022, Young is currently 40 years old 2022. Not much is known about his job and his current whereabouts.
Who Are Hae Min Lee Parents?
Nothing is known about Hae Min Lee’s father.
Her mother Youn Wha Kim, according to her brother Young, worked in a store. Young spoke Korean with her kids and Hae and Young were the only two speaking English. During Hae’s trial, Youn Wha Kim, took the stand at Syed’s sentencing and told the court through an interpreter that she had moved to the United States so that her children could have a “decent education and a decent future,” according to The Baltimore Sun.
“I would like to forgive Adnan Syed, but as of now, I just don’t know how I could,” Kim told those in the courtroom in 2000. “When I die, my daughter will die with me. As long as I live, my daughter is buried in my heart.”
Kim nearly collapsed as she stepped off the witness stand and was escorted outside by family members. Her sobs could be heard inside the courtroom.
Whereas, during her son Young’s testimony, Young shared that besides Baltimore, Maryland, the family had also lived in California. There was him, Hae, Youn, and Youn’s fiance. It was in 1997. They reportedly returned back because his mom’s relationship with her fiance changed in a matter of few months.
He also discussed his sister’s other boyfriends, Hae’s close relationship with her mother’s ex-fiance, Hae’s school performance, and the struggle between Hae and her mom.
Related FAQs
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Where Does Hae Min Lee Family Reside Today?
Hae Min Lee’s family likely still resides in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Has Hae Min Lee Family Released A Statement After Adnan Syed’s Murder Conviction Is Vacated?
Yes, Hae’s family released a statement that was announced by their lawyer.
The family also released a statement that Steve Kelly shared, “For more than 20 years, the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office has told the family of Hae Min Lee that their beloved daughter and sister was murdered by Adnan Syed. One week ago, for the first time, the family was informed that, through a year-long investigation that is apparently still ongoing, the state had uncovered new facts and would be filing a motion to vacate Mr. Syed’s conviction.”
“For more than 20 years, no one has wanted to know the truth about who killed Hae Min Lee more than her family, ” the statement read further. “The Lee family is deeply disappointed that today’s hearing happened so quickly and that they were denied the reasonable notice that would have permitted them to have a meaningful voice in the proceedings.”
