While not necessarily impartialK your smartphone is one hell of an observer.
An Alabama man found that out the hard way this week when he was sentenced on Monday to 16 years in prison for killing his wife. While there were numerous factors leading to Jeff West's conviction in November on charges of reckless manslaughter, AL.com, an Alabama news site, reports that data from his smartphone's health app played a role.
West reportedly told law enforcement that he had gone to sleep around 10:30 p.m. the night of his wife's death in 2018. However, according to data from his phone's health app, he took 18 steps between 11:03 p.m. and 11:10 p.m.
His deceased wife, Kat West, was 42 year old.
This is not the first time that data from a health tracker has been cited in a murder case. In the case of a 2016 death, police relied on the victim's Apple Watch data to disprove the claims of her accused killer. In 2017, Fitbit data contradicted a man's story about the death of his wife. Apple heath-app data was also used as evidence following a 2016 murder in Germany.
Notably, it was not just Jeff West's phone data that appeared to contradict his claims. AL.com reports that Dr. Stephen Boudreau, an Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences pathologist who testified at the trial, found that the blow to Kat West's head was likely not caused by a fall. Instead, he noted that whatever delivered the blow "had an edge, but it wasn't sharp."
An absinthe bottle was found near Kat West's body.
The tragic killing of Kat West, and the subsequent conviction of Jeff West, serves as a reminder that our technology is constantly running in the background — a fact that police are not soon to forget.
While this might have brought justice in the case of Kat West, it is easy to envision similar data being used in an altogether different manner. A Gainesville, Florida man, Zachary McCoy, was investigated for burglary simply because his phone location data put him near the scene of a crime. (He was on an innocent bike ride.)
SEE ALSO: Activists demand Google open up about user data shared with police
“I didn't realize that by having location services on that Google was also keeping a log of where I was going," McCoy told NBC News. "I'm sure it's in their terms of service but I never read through those walls of text, and I don't think most people do either."
Law enforcement, however, is undoubtedly familiar with those terms of service — something to remember the next time you head to a peaceful protest.
Topics iPhone
Even Trump's Earth Day message was anti
Business as Usual by Sadie Stein
Poets Without Clothes, and Other News by Sadie Stein
We saw the future in 2020 and the future sucks
SpaceX will try to achieve 2 impressive feats on Monday
On the Anniversary of Lord Byron’s Death by Clare Fentress
How 'Bonus Jonas' Frankie Jonas became an unlikely TikTok star
Pilots might've captured the LA jetpack person on video
New 'browser syncjacking' cyberattack lets hackers take over your computer via Chrome
StandBy on iOS 17: What it is and how to use it.
Assassin's Creed Origins: How Heavy is It on Your CPU?
Lawyers fined $5K for using ChatGPT to file lawsuit filled with fake cases
Close Reading, and Other News by Sadie Stein
COVID: 5 critical things disease experts got right about the pandemic
AC Milan vs. Feyenoord 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for free
Notes from a Bookshop: April, or Spring Fever by Kelly McMasters
Help Wanted by Sadie Stein
Lello Bookstore, Porto, Portugal by Sadie Stein
Ms. Frizzle spotted at Science Marches across the globe
Lello Bookstore, Porto, Portugal by Sadie Stein
What We’re Loving: Twain, Gilbert, Visconti by The Paris ReviewFor Seamus by Belinda McKeonSmut by Sadie SteinDoc Hammer on 'Venture Bros.' finale's missing Sirena sceneListen to Garrison Keillor, Iris Murdoch, and William Styron! by Sadie Stein30 NBA Twitter accounts you should followHarry Potter Looks Different, and Other News by Sadie Stein30 NBA Twitter accounts you should followAmazing Headline Alert by Sadie SteinTragic, Indeed by Sadie SteinWordle today: Here's the answer and hints for July 23Twitter scraps press email's autoReview: 'The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart'Lil Nas X, still Very Online, stays unbothered by conservative outrageThe Carolers by Titi NguyenWhat's new to streaming and theaters this week: Barbenheimer to 'They Cloned Tyrone'Slip of the Tongue by Sadie SteinMysterious Skin: The Realia of William Gaddis by Matthew EricksonWordle today: Here's the answer and hints for July 21Perseid meteor shower 2023: How to see them Samsung Galaxy S11 to have a 108 Hubble offers the most perfect view of a gorgeous spiral galaxy Verizon and T Uber drivers experienced sexual assault almost as often as riders, Uber's safety study shows Some 'Beauty and the Beast' fans think the Beast is actually the hot one Caroll Spinney, beloved 'Sesame Street' puppeteer, is dead at 85 J.K. Rowling reminds us all of Donald Trump's remarks about women This simple observation about Baby Yoda's first word is going gloriously viral Terrifying videos capture the moment New Zealand's Whakaari volcano erupted Why 2019 was the year of Dark Mode 'Watchmen' Episode 8: Doctor Manhattan, revealed to us at last What men say about women in secret is why we can't have gender equality Hawaiian island gets a huge renewable energy boost thanks to Tesla Elon Musk wins in 'pedo guy' trial This sheep with its head stuck in a straw bale is our spirit animal How the horror Google Maps brings 'Incognito' privacy mode to the iPhone A 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' scene will debut in 'Fortnite' Now anyone can order a Lyft for someone else without a Lyft account These are 2019's most bizarre concept cars