Commonwealth v. Almonor

**36 *1187 The police quickly identified the defendant as the person suspected of murdering the victim with a sawed-off shotgun. In an attempt to pinpoint the location of the fleeing suspect, the police caused the defendant's cell phone to be "pinged." 1 They did so without a warrant. The legality of that ping in these circumstances is the central legal issue in this murder case.

The police had learned the defendant's cell phone number within approximately four hours of the shooting. After receiving this information, the police contacted the defendant's cellular service provider (service provider)…