Alexa, "testimony" in court of murder: accelerating the use of audio recorded in smart speakers

Police rushed to Silvia Garva's home in July 2019.Her friend, who was at her 32 -year -old Garva's house, reported that she had heard a fierce argument with Garva and her husband's 43 -year -old Adam Crespo.Garva and Crespo lived in Haran Dale Beach, 20 miles (about 32 km) from Miami.

At the time the police arrived, Garva was dead and was pierced by a 12 -inch (about 30.5cm) blade attached to the tip of the bed's pillar.Police believe Crespo is trying to drag Garva out of the bed.Garva held the pillar of the bed and resisted, but apparently he was killed by the broken tip of the pillar.

Police arrested Crespo on charges of the second grade murder.Crespo claims to be innocent and has been released with $ 65,000 (about 6.85 million yen) bail and waiting for a trial.A few months after his arrest, Cresspo's lawyer submitted amazing evidence to defend Cresspo.It was a voice recorded on two "Amazon Echo".

"I received a lot of interviews and asked," Do you know that Alexa recording may be the first case where Alexa recording is found in a murder case? "Crespo's lawyer Christopher Otur says."However, I thought it could be the first case where Amazon's Alexa recording was used to clear someone's charges and show that it was innocent."

When police or prosecutors collect data on smart home equipment and smart speakers, the data is usually used as a disadvantageous evidence of the suspect.The Haran Dale Beach Police claimed a warrant to submit a Crespo's smart speaker to the court because he could hear the quarrel that Garva's friend had heard.

The number of police seeking "Alexa data" rapidly increases

The incident indicates the role of smart home equipment and wearable equipment in police investigations.

In 2016, the police in Bentonville, Arkansas, demanded data on Amazon Echo in connection with the death of a man.This kind of request is considered to be the first example.

Initially, Amazon tried to refuse the request, but later submitted data.Despite the suspect arrested for murder, data on smart speakers, smart home equipment, and wearable equipment has been affecting various incidents.

According to Amazon's announcement this August, there were more than 3,000 police requests from the first half of this year, of which 2,000.These demands increased by 72 % compared to the same time in 2016, when Amazon disclosed for the first time, and increased by 24 % compared to the past year.

Amazon does not provide detailed data on the evidence that the police are searching.According to Douglas Oa, Department of Criminal College of Literature, North Georgia University, police are searching for smartphone devices on a daily basis, like smartphone data.Police often investigate data from devices other than smartphones when continuing to investigate, as the need for investigations of other devices often occurs from smartphone data.