Whodunit? Death at the Day-Lee Grind

Posted on September 27, 2012 in Misc, Sci Ed | 0 comments

Welcome to your first case. Can you figure out who killed this beloved member of the community?

Patrick Day, 69

Initial facts. There was a distress call at the home of Patrick Day, CEO of the Day-Lee Grind coffee empire – 1:35 pm (Sept. 25). First officers on the scene determined no immediate danger & called emergency medical personnel. Patrick Day was pronounced dead at 2:17 pm

Notes from the scene

Patrick found face-down with a letter opener in his upper back
Disturbing amount of blood around the body
Office in disarray: lamps knocked over, papers everywhere…

Evidence collected at the scene

possible For Sale ad on Patrick’s Desk

searches on Patrick’s computer

changing will (under desk)

+ recent press on the Day-Lee Grind success: Knight turns around Day

Initial witness interviews

Tyrell Knight – foster son. He is distraught and says nice things only about Pat (e.g. nicest guy ever, who would do this?)
Molly Cule – personal assistant. She mentions that Pat has been weird lately, sometimes lazy and other times, aggressive.
Lee Hoedemaker – golf buddy. He golfed with Pat that morning as usual for Tuesdays. Pat has been re-evaluating his life, partly due to tension in his family. He thinks his older children don’t need him and maybe he should concentrate on new family – ‘wants to do it right this time’.
Denise Wong – medical examiner. She initially notes petechial hemorrhages in Pat’s eyes, suggesting suffocation. However, his skin looks strange so she wants to run some tests (e.g. blue line along the gum, with bluish black edging to the teeth).

This is a great time to write down your initial ideas…

Let’s learn more about the people in Pat’s life. Note: there are two sets of ‘suspect info’ for each person.

photo from recent bbq

Barb Lee, 63, yoga instructor

Barb Lee, 63, yoga instructor

Barb is the ex-wife of the victim. She and Pat started Day-Lee Grind when they first got married in 1982. As the business grew, Barb was less interested and 5 years ago, she started training as a yogi. She kept telling the officers that you must ‘follow your bliss’. Several officers noted her peaceful demeanour and have started to think about changing their careers. But Barb hasn’t completely forgotten the coffee shop business; she still likes to go to the flagship store every weekday to say hi to the regulars – and she is the only one who can make Pat’s coffee perfectly.

Barb #2

Content goes hereBarb is the ex-wife of the victim. She and Pat started Day-Lee Grind when they first got married in 1982. About 5 years ago, Barb started training as a yogi. She kept telling the officers that you must ‘follow your bliss’ but she seems to be selling that too hard (convincing herself?). Barb’s yoga studio is in trouble so she opens the flagship store every weekday to help pay some bills. Barb is very adamant that she is the only one who can make Pat’s coffee the way he likes it, especially compared to Pat’s new young wife.

Rain Eric Day, 35, Chief Financial Officer of Day-Lee Grind

Rain Eric Day, 35, Chief Financial Officer of Day-Lee Grind

Rain is Pat and Barb’s first child. He started at the company immediately finishing his MBA and boasts that the company is all he has in his life. ‘I spend so much time working that I don’t need a wife or hobbies’. He was in Seattle talking to Starbucks executives but flew home as soon as possible upon hearing about the tragedy. His goal is to bring coffee to the chronically under-caffeinated and is looking at setting up a charitable foundation so celebrities can help. He says that he will refuse to sell the company at any price.

Rain #2

Rain is Pat and Barb’s first child. He started at the company immediately finishing his MBA and he works a lot. He was a fan of Pilates but stopped going after losing his Pilates girlfriend, Kimberlee, to his father. Rain is often describes as gentle but has an explosive temper. He claims to have been in Seattle talking to competitors Starbucks at the time of his father’s death.

Tom Horton, 57, baked goods supplier

Tom Horton, 57, baked good supplier

Tom’s company supplies Day-Lee Grind. He started his business a year after Pat and the addition of his baked goods helped bring in customers to the Day-Lee Grind. Tom credits Pat for his early success and says that without him, he’d still be baking at home, jealous of his famous hockey cousin.

Tom #2

Tom’s company supplies Day-Lee Grind. He started his business a year after Tom and the addition of his baked goods helped bring in customers to the Day-Lee Grind. Tom says that he deserves a cut of the Day-Lee Grind profits, not the current lack of payment. He was at his lawyer’s office to start legal proceedings against Pat for non-payment. ‘Pat stopped liking me and bad-mouthed my baked goods – that is why his customers weren’t ordering cupcakes, not because the quality has gone down.’

Molly Cule, 45, personal assistant to Pat Day

Molly Cule, 45, personal assistant to Pat Day

Molly has been a loyal personal assistant to Pat for 20 years, starting when the business exploded. She is a vital part of the company and has helped with marketing, product development, and client services. Molly has dedicated her life to the company and was essential during Pat and Barb’s break up.

Molly #2

Molly has been a loyal personal assistant to Pat for 20 years, starting when the business exploded. She is a vital part of the company and has helped with marketing, product development, and client services. Lately, Molly has been disagreeable and her coworker suggests that Molly is jealous of the attention given to Tyrell. Molly has been looking for a new job where she can be a shining star again.

Kimberlee Day (nee Burke), 32, PhD student in chemical engineering

Kimberlee Day (nee Burke), 32, PhD student in chemical engineering

Kimberlee is Pat’s second wife. She met him at a family barbeque after a Pilates class with Rain. They had a whirlwind romance and married 4 months after meeting in 2010. Kimberlee says, ‘before Pat came into my life, I missed him so bad’. She has approximately two years left in her PhD program but notes that she should be finishing this year. Being a wife has taken away some of her focus. Now Kimberlee has just found out that she is pregnant – although she used birth control pills, recent antibiotic use decreased their effectiveness. She does want to continue Pat’s family but she is worried that being a single mother will be too much work and she’ll never get her degree.

Kimberlee #2

family barbeque after a Pilates class with Rain. They had a whirlwind romance and married 4 months after meeting in 2010. Kimberlee says, ‘before Pat came into my life, I missed him so bad’. She has approximately two years left in her PhD program but is wondering if she wants to finish. Kimberlee just found out that she is pregnant and is happy that part of Pat will continue in their child.

Sun Eustace Bub (nee Day), 29, owner of Kicks for Chicks

Sun Eustace Bub (nee Day), 29, owner of Kix for Chix

Sun is the second child of Pat and Barb. She has a lot of energy and runs 3 successful franchises of a kickboxing club for women. Sun also works with several children’s charities – at least until her family starts. She is desperate to have a baby and has spent a lot of money on fertility treatments. She is furious that Pat and Barb have kept a secret from her related to her pregnancy troubles.

Sun #2

Sun is the second child of Pat and Barb. She has a lot of energy and runs 3 successful franchises of a kickboxing club for women. She also works with several children’s charities – literacy, sports, medical. dental, and food – to help all children in her community have a good start in life. Sun is ready to have a baby but it hasn’t happened yet.

Bill Zachary Bub, 43, pediatric oncologist

Bill Zachary Bub, 43, pediatric oncologist

Bill has been happily married to Sun for 7 years. They first met when she started volunteering in the pediatric cancer clinic. Pat had tried to prevent their marriage but they dated for several years to show their commitment. Bill has just returned from rehab yesterday; he was being treated for dependence on alcohol and prescription drugs. His clinic hours have been reduced until he earns the trust of the administration that he won’t steal from the hospital again.

Click here to learn more

Bill has been happily married to Sun for 7 years. They first met when she started volunteering in the pediatric cancer clinic. Pat had tried to prevent their marriage but they dated for several years to show their commitment. Bill continues to dote on Sun despite absences demanded by his work. He is planning to slow down his practice to focus on family.

Tyrell Knight, 23, professional cyclist

Tyrell Knight, 23, professional cyclist

Tyrell is the foster son of Pat and Barb, joining their family when he was 12. He is training to be a professional cyclist but while waiting for sports sponsorship offers, he has been helping with the Day-Lee Grind. Tyrell had a rough start with difficult parents but credits Pat and Barb with helping him find his passions and talents in life. Tyrell has helped the Day-Lee Grind tremendously but he fears getting stuck doing the same boring job for the rest of his life. He confesses a hope that the Day-Lee Grind is sold because he can use that money for his training.

Tyrell #2

Tyrell is the foster son of Pat and Barb, joining their family when he was 12. He is training to be a professional cyclist but while waiting for sports sponsorship offers, he has been helping with the Day-Lee Grind. Tyrell had a rough start with difficult parents but credits Pat and Barb with helping him find his passions and talents in life. Tyrell has boundless energy and brings enthusiasm to everything he does, including the recent work at the Day-Lee Grind.

Have your ideas changed?

New evidence! You need to help interpret things.

Medical examiner is starting to think that Pat is poisoned. POISON TESTS

Officers looked for things at the flagship Day-Lee Grind that could have been used as poisons and any fingerprints. FINGERPRINT DATA

There were smudged and partial fingerprints on the letter opener = not informative for fingerprint analysis. However, there were enough cells to get some DNA results. All suspects provided a DNA sample without requiring a warrant. DNA EVIDENCE

Note that some samples are degraded.
The first marker (AMEL) is used for sexing. There is a size difference between the genes on the X and Y chromosomes = top band is 106 bp (X chromosome) and bottom is 112 (Y chromosome).

You now have all the evidence… who did it and how can you convince a jury?