Needham, and was sentenced to death in May 1979. Following the death sentence, Lee was transferred to San Quentin State Penitentiary. On appeal, the habeas grant was upheld by the Court of Appeals for the Third District in March 1980 and the conviction for the first trial was set aside. The prosecution then moved to retry the murder of Tak. On 21 July 1980, Leonard Weinglass was confirmed as Chol Soo Lee's court-appointed defense attorney. In February 1982, Lead defense attorney Leonard Weinglass withdraws, and Tony Serra and Stuart Hanlon join the defense team. On August 11, 1982, the retrial of the first case began, and on September 3, 1982, the San Francisco County Superior Court jury acquitted Lee of the murder of Yip Yee Tak, and its foreman joined the Chol Soo Lee Defense Committee. On January 14, 1983, California's 3rd District Court of Appeal nullified Chol Soo Lee's death sentence for the Needham stabbing, citing the Stockton trial judge's incorrect jury instructions, and for allowing hearsay testimony in the death penalty phase of the trial. San Joaquin County Superior Court Judge Peter Saiers ordered Chol Soo Lee to be released on March 28, 1983, after Lee's supporters pledged property worth twice the amount of the $250,000 bail. However, the prosecution moved to retry Lee on the prison killing charge. Lee's co-counsels were able to plea bargain on the Needham case. Lee, who had served nearly ten years in prison, was given credit for time served and freed from prison. Later life Lee never received an apology or compensation from the state. He lived the rest of his life in San Francisco. Lee and a friend were hired to burn down a house belonging to Peter Chong in 1991; the arson went awry, leaving Lee with third-degree burns over 90% of his body. Lee subsequently testified against Chong after those who had hired him for the arson failed to pay. He was later arrested for the arson and sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty. In the midst of numerous speaking engagements, Lee shared his story with Bay Area youth, stressing the importance of engaging with the Asian American community. He also drafted an autobiography entitled Freedom without Justice, which was completed after his death by University of California at Davis professor Richard S. Kim. Chol Soo Lee died on December 3, 2014 in San Francisco from complications