On June 15, 2010, Michael Toll called 9-1-1 and reported he had been shot on a street corner in Philadelphia. A police officer responded and found Toll in his vehicle. He was still conscious, and like something out of an Agatha Christie novel, Toll told the officer that “Jeff” had reached through his window and shot him. He died two days later.

Toll’s dying declaration set in motion an investigation that even the clever Christie would never have contemplated. The investigation led to a suspect, the search of a cellphone and intriguing things like “fruit of the poisonous tree,” “purged taint,” and the exclusionary rule. This case was a murder mystery wrapped in a law school exam.