Apple Health App Data Helps Send a Man to Prison for His Wife's Death

[TeamMojo]

They say there's 100 ways to screw up every crime and if you can think of 50 of them you are a genius.

 

[wolfshades]

18 Steps to Murder

The screenplay sort of writes itself doesn’t it?

 

[ericwn]

Oh wow! That's amazing! Justice is served by an Apple Watch.

Yup another demonstration of advanced reading skills.

 

[notabadname]

I know. This story just makes me very uneasy. What if someone in my house is murdered at 11pm, and I happen to be using the bathroom at the same time as the murder? Then police can say “you took 16 steps at 11pm” or whatever. With all this data, I feel like more mistakes could be made.

What if someone thought you were a murderer though, because you were in the house. And then a lack of steps at 11 pm proved your innocence. It is far more likely that the truth, what ever it may be, will be revealed my multiple bits of circumstantial evidence, than a falsehood.

 

[ericwn]

While I’m glad they figured this case out, assuming it’s correct, I’m worried that this type of data will be used to make incorrect conclusions in the future

Luckily they also had a mieser weapon with fingerprints.

I wonder if he couldn’t sleep the rest of the night... because he still had 9,982 steps to go.
Side note- I tend to toss around a lot in my sleep, does that count towards steps? It might!

Maybe you’re sleepwalking!

Ok, so I should leave my watch at home next time

And the phone. As mentioned in the article.

18 steps? That doesn't sound like evidence to me. If I'm in bed asleep, and get up to pee, it takes me 26 steps to the toilet and back. I'm pretty sure it would take me a tonne more steps to stage a scene. I sure hope he did it and that an innocent person isn't in jail. Either way, may Kat West RIP.

His fingerprints on the murder weapon surely didn’t help.

 

[bennyf]

Lol just as I thought we have a thread full of armchair lawyers second-guessing a 3-year trial based on a 20 second article. Adorable as always

Lol just as I thought we have a thread full of meta armchair lawyers second-guessing a 4-page discussion based on a 20 millisecond review. Adorable as always

 

[ericwn]

Exactly. Sounds more like the wife was drunk (as previously stated), went in to get sleeping husband's iPhone for some alcohol-fueled snooping (steps registered) and then fell. Like the husband originally claimed.

18 steps to commit a murder, fix up a crime scene, and go back to bed? Literally impossible.

Yup she likely faked his fingerprints on that bottle and beat herself to death. Glad MR forum members have it figured.

 

[EchoplexSE]

So he picked up his iPhone, took 18 steps and hit his wife in the head with a bottle that was in his house (probably had his fingerprints on it anyways) and he’s guilty? Surely there’s got to be more convicting evidence than that please

 

[ericwn]

So take off your watch before killing anyone. Got it

Got it from where? Certainly not from the article.

 

[ericwn]

Ha the one thing Siri knows with absolute certainty is this guy’s fate.

“Here’s what I found on the internet for has the guy killed his wife...”

 

[CJ Dorschel]

Ah, yes. Reminds me when a 20 year old used the "Hey Siri, I need to hide a body" Easter egg joke to... hide a body. Siri's Dead Body Joke Is Evidence in a Murder Trial

 

[Trevorrowe]

But the real question is did he wash his hands for 29 seconds afterwards

 

[macintoshmac]

Oops. Not a healthy outcome for this user.

Goes on to show just how deeply seemingly innocent tech can be used for and against us.

 

[kstotlani]

I wonder if he couldn’t sleep the rest of the night... because he still had 9,982 steps to go.
Side note- I tend to toss around a lot in my sleep, does that count towards steps? <looks at history> It might!

I always get a few steps logged by Apple Watch when I am asleep. E.g. last night I am shown asleep from 12:45 to 7:00 but I have 16 steps from 2-3 am and 17 steps from 3-4 am. How can Apple Watch like devices be trusted for such things. Is this a headline making news whereas there is some other evidence that incriminates the guy. I am not a lawyer but it would be easy to toss this theory because of several examples of miscounting by Apple Watch. I think sometimes I have noticed steps when I am not even wearing the watch.

 

[cbr1976]

“West's fingerprints were also found at the bottom of the bottle that was used to hit his wife in the head”
“Jeff, a trained crime scene investigator”
A not very well trained one I must say....

Would be interesting to see his BPM...

His pulse never got above 85...

 

[johnnyrb]

When I read this I immediately thought of the morons who took their mobile phones with them to the Capitol. They took pictures and videos and shared them.

Honestly, if you are going to commit a crime, do not take your electronic devices with you. Idiots.

 

[BGPL]

I know. This story just makes me very uneasy. What if someone in my house is murdered at 11pm, and I happen to be using the bathroom at the same time as the murder? Then police can say “you took 16 steps at 11pm” or whatever. With all this data, I feel like more mistakes could be made.

This was used in concert with a number of other facts and circumstances to develop a preponderance of evidence. This is nothing to lose sleep over.

 

[bradhs]

Sounds more like he went to go for a pee. Heart rate did not increase much, he'd have to have taken way more steps than that.

 

[happosai]

^^ Next Apple Watch feature....

 

[Alan Wynn]

And I bet the Apple Watch didn't count it as a standing hour either.

You have to set a car on fire and break into a building to be guaranteed to get the minute.

 

[Millah]

I know. This story just makes me very uneasy. What if someone in my house is murdered at 11pm, and I happen to be using the bathroom at the same time as the murder? Then police can say “you took 16 steps at 11pm” or whatever. With all this data, I feel like more mistakes could be made.

I get your point, but you have to remember that especially in a murder trial ALL of the evidence is used to make the prosecution’s case. The Health data in isolation does not prove guilt. It just seems that the Health data provided law enforcement with additional evidence that directly contradicts his stated alibi. It’s just another piece of evidence that hopefully brings the full picture into focus.

 

[Claricoats]

I’ve logged 20 steps between waking up and reading this article and I’ve not even got out of bed.

 

[james_b]

Can someone tell me please how did they access the health data? They broke in his iPhone or through iCloud? Apple gave investigators permission to do that?

 

[Unami]

Wait...wouldn't his watch have to be on the charger during the night, because of crappy battery life?

there’s no mention of an apple watch in the article. also, it‘s my battery is usually good for 2 days.

Can arm swings count as steps, even if you don’t actually take steps? Was he right or left handed? Assuming the watch is on the left wrist, and he just swung his right arm, would this register as a step?

sure, I always swing my arms to get to my stand goal. maybe he did something else with his hand, when he was in bed .

joke aside, it‘s probably steps counted from an iphone and not a watch. I just checked, and sure enough, there are instances of me being in bed (with the iphone either in hand or lying next to me), when it still counted steps. Hopefully they got more evidence.

 

[Unami]

The iPhone, on the other hand, is much more accurate for counting steps.

in his case it probably was an iphone, because there‘s no mention of a watch in the article. still, i (rarely) get falsely counted steps on my phone, when I‘m in bed.