Fitbit data helps police in murder investigation
Information taken from Connie Dabate's wearable fitness tracker said to contradict husband's version of events
A man has been charged with murdering his wife after police used the information on a Fitbit fitness tracker to piece together her final moments, the BBC reports.
Officials in Connecticut say the information from Connie Dabate's wearable contradicts the version of events given by her husband Richard.
Dabate claims his wife was shot dead by a masked intruder at their home in Ellington, Connecticut, in December 2015.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
However, says The Guardian, her Fitbit told "a different story".
Using the information collected on how many steps she had taken, police say Connie Dabate had been "moving around for more than an hour after her husband said the murder took place", the newspaper adds.
It also suggests she "had traveled more than 1,200ft after arriving home", although her husband claims "she was killed as she arrived".
Dabate, who the BBC reports was expecting a baby with another woman at the time of his wife's death, has now been charged with her murder, says the Hartford Courant.
Local district attorney Craig Stedman told the Courant the Fitbit was "a great tool for investigators" as it could get information "much faster than some other types of evidence, such as DNA tests".
It's not the first time smart technology has been used by police in their investigations. Amazon recently contested a police warrant to hand over information stored by one its Echo wireless speakers found at a murder scene.
The tech giant said data stored by the speaker could not be narrowed down to a single event and that the warrant could lead to the violation of private data.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
'A speaker courageous enough to stand up to the extremists in his own party'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?
Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 18, 2024
Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - impeachment Peanuts, record-breaking temperatures, and more
By The Week US Published
-
How technology helps and harms endangered languages
Under the radar Languages are disappearing at fastest rate in history, accelerated by digital dominance of English
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Amazon ending 'Just Walk Out' grocery checkout
Speed Read In its place, the company will let customers scan while they shop with Amazon Dash Cart
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The pros and cons of drone delivery
Pros and cons It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a ... drone?
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Spain spends €258m on trains too big for tunnels
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Animal shelter will name cat litter tray after your ex
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
‘Unsettling’ bid to bring dodo back to life
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
Your LinkedIn contact could be a deepfake
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published
-
AI beats humans at bridge
feature And other stories from the stranger side of life
By The Week Staff Published