In early 2016, we were given a shot at cracking open the case of the decade: Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg hired our investigative firm, QRI, to reexamine the conviction of Adnan Syed, who had been sentenced to life in prison for strangling his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee, in January 1999—the subject of the first season of the podcast Serial. Although Syed’s conviction had twice been vacated, on Friday the Maryland Court of Appeals overturned that decision, effectively reinstating his guilty status.

However, from listening...