FitBit Provides Key Evidence To Convict Man of Killing His Wife
In perhaps one of the first cases of it's kind, a FitBit exercise-movement monitor's data has been used to help convict a man of fatally shooting his wife in Connecticut in 2015.
According to the Hartford Courant Newspaper, Richard Dabate had told police an intruder was responsible for the December 23, 2015 shooting of his wife Connie. But ultimately movement data from her FitBit exercise monitor unraveled his claim.
Dabate, who was reportedly having an affair with a woman and got her pregnant, had told police an intruder with a "Vin Diesel-like" voice has broken in, subdued him, chased his wife to the basement and shot her.
But using the FitBit data, as well as other digital evidence it led to, police found Dabate's wife had still been alive an hour after police were told she was killed. The Bit data showed she had taken over 1,200 steps inside the home, and her movements completely unraveled his carefully fabricated tale.
According to police detectives, increasing numbers of police units are relying on such data in criminal cases. They say it's almost as good a GPS in tracking people's movements and activity, and can help pinpoint when someone actually was hurt, or murdered. When the movement stops, it helps set a timeline.