The family of Adnan Syed, the convicted murderer whose case became the subject of the blockbuster "Serial" podcast, are urging supporters to write to Gov. Larry Hogan and demand he receive medical care in prison.
Yusuf Syed posted on Facebook on Monday that his brother's health has been "severely deteriorating" over the past five months, with him experiencing difficulty getting out of bed and paralysis in his left arm.
"The people at the correctional facility just give him tylenol they won't [l]et him see a doctor," he wrote. "My mother has been crying herself to sleep wondering when she will get the phone call from the prison that my brother is dead."
A spokesman for the state prison system said they were unable to comment on specifics of Syed's medical care, but said officials were "aware of his medical needs and are monitoring his case closely to ensure he gets the proper medical attention."
Adnan Syed is due in Baltimore Circuit Court on Feb. 5 for a post-conviction hearing, where his lawyer will present an alibi witness and raise questions about other evidence that led to his 2000 conviction in the death of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, a Woodlawn High School classmate.
Syed was sentenced to life in prison. The "Serial" podcast explored his case in depth and cast scrutiny on the trial and evidence.
Retired Judge Martin Welch said the hearing would "be in the interests of justice."
Yusuf Syed said his brother had avoided family visits in recent months because he did not want relatives to be concerned. They visited him yesterday at the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, Md., and "you could see it on his face."
"No one's doing anything, and I've had enough," Yusuf Syed said in a phone interview of his call for supporters to write to the governor.
Syed's attorney, C. Justin Brown, declined to comment Monday.