5 ms·

Police Use Fitbit Data to Charge 90-Year-Old Man in Stepdaughter’s Killing

108 points by danso 8y ago

th0ma5 8y ago
Good. If the alleged killer is convicted then hopefully this evidence was a part of what led to justice.
dlivingston 8y ago
Really interesting. I'm curious as to how they knew precisely the timeframe Aeillo was with his stepdaughter. "...it recorded her heart rate slowing rapidly, and stopping at 3:28 p.m., about five minutes before Mr. Aiello left the house, the report said."
- thoughtpalette 8y ago
  Seems like some camera footage corroborated the fitbit data. "the police said their investigation used a combination of video surveillance and data from Ms. Navarra’s Fitbit, an Alta HR device"
- om42 8y ago
  They had access to security cameras on the property, that's when they realized Aeillo's car was still there at the time of his stepdaughter's death. So guessing they saw the car leave on the camera.
ikfmpwdsoz 8y ago
I was expecting something much more sinister (that this man had a Fitbit and they used it to track his location). This is a much more positive use of the technology, but as a layman, my first concern is that this data can be easily forged.
- Chilinot 8y ago
  While I can certainly see its benefits in cases like this. It also worries me that falsely accusing someone of murder becomes ever so easier when courts start to trust these devices more and more in the future. For example, a murdurer wanting to stick the charges on some other person could steal that persons devices (phone, fitbit, etc). Wear them while commiting the murder. Then return them, without notice if done at night or something. The other person would then have a very hard time proving that he/she did not in fact commit to the murder, simply because courts have started to rely on these devices too much.
  - newsbinator 8y ago
    If the courts rely on these devices, then these devices will log users. So if a second person puts on your device, and their physical numbers (heartrate, gait, perspiration, etc) differ from yours, you can get a notification, just like when you log into your email from an unknown location.
    - 14 8y ago
      I immediately thought about something like a jailbreak for the device where an attacker could attach a computer, run an exploit, and upload whatever data he predetermined. After the code was run it would leave no trace behind and hard to prove otherwise for the owner.
      - akuji1993 8y ago
        You might also be able to just alter the requests the fitbit sends to the servers to save the data from the device to show what you want (heart rate stopping at another time, differing heart rates, living for two more hours giving you time for an alibi).
  - saagarjha 8y ago
    > For example, a murdurer wanting to stick the charges on some other person could steal that persons devices (phone, fitbit, etc). Wear them while commiting the murder. Then return them, without notice if done at night or something. A good theft-prevention measure, such as locking the device whenever it’s taken off, should prevent such a scenario.
    - wastedhours 8y ago
      People still use "password" as their password, and IoT devices are still left open to botnets. As silly as it might be with these security lapses, we can't have a legal structure that defaultly assumes a device's data is reliable for more than opening a line of questioning.
  - aarong11 8y ago
danso 8y ago
It’s worth noting that there may have been enough traditional evidence (bloody clothes found at the suspect’s residence) to charge and convict, and the suspect was alresdy known to be in contact with the victim. But the story’s recounting of the events seems to insinuate that the Fitbit data made it much easier to focus on the suspect. I mention this because the Fitbit angle sounds like the kind of detail that might get slightly oversold because it makes law enforcement look especially clever (and it’s obviously media catnip). As these wearables become more reliable — e.g. a report of a sudden stopped heartbeat is unlikely to be a hardware failure — I wonder if society will expect companies to be more proactive in contacting the user and emergency authorities. I mean, more than what the new Apple Watch offers as (I assume) opt-in, like how credit card companies call you quickly after suspicious activity.
- stickfigure 8y ago
  We can call it... DocWagon.
  - _Codemonkeyism 8y ago
    Still miss Shadowrun.
  - baud147258 8y ago
    Would they send an extraction team to get you out of trouble, too?
    - madeuptempacct 8y ago
      I really think that's going to be a thing in the future. We can make it a thing now if anyone wants to fund me =) Straight to cryogenic storage from there.
- mirimir 8y ago
  It was surveillance video that primarily implicated him, by showing his car. And then the Fitbit data showed that she had died while the car was still there. Without the surveillance video, the Fitbit data would arguably have been useless.
BodywearCam 8y ago
Cool, now sentence him to death for using Fitbit. Ah yeah and the murder as well.
goldenkey 8y ago
As morbid as it might sound, I am curious what the heart rate wavefunction looks like for a murder victim. The investigators must have had some pause while seeing the plot of someones final struggle visualized as a function of 1 variable.. How does someone who is 90 have the tenacity to kill someone? Really mortifying case... On a different note, a new product stands to be created based on this kind of morbid data + ML. We should have an open database of cardiac events and all wear devices that immediately send for help via E911/Location when an event with a morbidity p-value > C is detected. Seems like a no brainer if we care about protecting everyone optimally. Does anyone know if a database of cardiac events exists from which to train a NN?
- newnewpdro 8y ago
  > How does someone who is 90 have the tenacity to kill someone? Really mortifying case... Coming from an old-school Italian family, reading this article felt like it could just as well have been about one of my parents or cousins. They hold familial grudges forever, serve revenge ice cold, and murder is not particularly off-limits - especially when you're already nearly dead of old age yourself.
  - mirimir 8y ago
    I was thinking that myself. Many might think about ice-cold revenge, but most forget about it after a few decades. Fortunately.
- bowmessage 8y ago
  cue cops busting down the door while you're having sex or working out
- mirimir 8y ago
  > How does someone who is 90 have the tenacity to kill someone? I think that you mean agility and strength, no? So this was a 90-year-old man vs a 67-year-old woman. From his photo, he's in pretty decent shape. She was wearing a Fitbit, but maybe that indicates that she was infirm, and not fit. I'm guessing that he mainly caught her by surprise.
YouCantBanMe 8y ago
Well deserved for using Fitbit.
JohnyDeppp 8y ago
If you use Fitbit then you deserve everything bad that happens to you.
gammateam 8y ago
> After they finished their questions, detectives left Mr. Aiello alone in the interview room. He began talking to himself, the report said, saying repeatedly, “I’m done.” annnnnnnnd I'm never speaking to police again
- Apocryphon 8y ago
  Or HBO. Sounds like Robert Durst all over again.
- Tuna-Fish 8y ago
  For a better reason, watch this great presentation on the subject, by an experienced defense lawyer and a police officer who had a lot of experience on interrogations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE That really should be required viewing in every civics class.
  - ransom1538 8y ago
    Second. To this video. Further. Immediately declare you want to see an attorney. Nothing else ever. When you are placed into a room by the police: 0) You are video recorded. Hide your face. If possible sit under the camera. (They usually mount it on the ceiling). 1) A trick: Letting your friends/family visit you. Always refuse. 2) Giving you many servings of soft drinks and water without bathroom breaks. Refuse liquids. 3) A trick: Telling you they have more evidence than they do. "Your friend said you did this...", "We have you on film..." "Your wife said..." "It will be easier if you just..."
    - dmichulke 8y ago
      Do you have more information as to why? 0. They know you're in there, don't they? 1. OK, so don't talk to family in that room, right? 2. Seriously? Why is that? Couldn't you just pee below the camera (if they repeatedly refuse to let you go, and you previously announce it, ...)? 3. OK, that's common sense to me.
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

108 points by danso 8y ago

Good. If the alleged killer is convicted then hopefully this evidence was a part of what led to justice.

Really interesting. I'm curious as to how they knew precisely the timeframe Aeillo was with his stepdaughter. "...it recorded her heart rate slowing rapidly, and stopping at 3:28 p.m., about five minutes before Mr. Aiello left the house, the report said."

thoughtpalette 8y ago
Seems like some camera footage corroborated the fitbit data. "the police said their investigation used a combination of video surveillance and data from Ms. Navarra’s Fitbit, an Alta HR device"
om42 8y ago
They had access to security cameras on the property, that's when they realized Aeillo's car was still there at the time of his stepdaughter's death. So guessing they saw the car leave on the camera.

ikfmpwdsoz 8y ago

I was expecting something much more sinister (that this man had a Fitbit and they used it to track his location). This is a much more positive use of the technology, but as a layman, my first concern is that this data can be easily forged.

Chilinot 8y ago
While I can certainly see its benefits in cases like this. It also worries me that falsely accusing someone of murder becomes ever so easier when courts start to trust these devices more and more in the future. For example, a murdurer wanting to stick the charges on some other person could steal that persons devices (phone, fitbit, etc). Wear them while commiting the murder. Then return them, without notice if done at night or something. The other person would then have a very hard time proving that he/she did not in fact commit to the murder, simply because courts have started to rely on these devices too much.
- newsbinator 8y ago
  If the courts rely on these devices, then these devices will log users. So if a second person puts on your device, and their physical numbers (heartrate, gait, perspiration, etc) differ from yours, you can get a notification, just like when you log into your email from an unknown location.
  - 14 8y ago
    I immediately thought about something like a jailbreak for the device where an attacker could attach a computer, run an exploit, and upload whatever data he predetermined. After the code was run it would leave no trace behind and hard to prove otherwise for the owner.
    - akuji1993 8y ago
      You might also be able to just alter the requests the fitbit sends to the servers to save the data from the device to show what you want (heart rate stopping at another time, differing heart rates, living for two more hours giving you time for an alibi).
- saagarjha 8y ago
  > For example, a murdurer wanting to stick the charges on some other person could steal that persons devices (phone, fitbit, etc). Wear them while commiting the murder. Then return them, without notice if done at night or something. A good theft-prevention measure, such as locking the device whenever it’s taken off, should prevent such a scenario.
  - wastedhours 8y ago
    People still use "password" as their password, and IoT devices are still left open to botnets. As silly as it might be with these security lapses, we can't have a legal structure that defaultly assumes a device's data is reliable for more than opening a line of questioning.
- aarong11 8y ago

danso 8y ago

It’s worth noting that there may have been enough traditional evidence (bloody clothes found at the suspect’s residence) to charge and convict, and the suspect was alresdy known to be in contact with the victim. But the story’s recounting of the events seems to insinuate that the Fitbit data made it much easier to focus on the suspect. I mention this because the Fitbit angle sounds like the kind of detail that might get slightly oversold because it makes law enforcement look especially clever (and it’s obviously media catnip). As these wearables become more reliable — e.g. a report of a sudden stopped heartbeat is unlikely to be a hardware failure — I wonder if society will expect companies to be more proactive in contacting the user and emergency authorities. I mean, more than what the new Apple Watch offers as (I assume) opt-in, like how credit card companies call you quickly after suspicious activity.

stickfigure 8y ago
We can call it... DocWagon.
- _Codemonkeyism 8y ago
  Still miss Shadowrun.
- baud147258 8y ago
  Would they send an extraction team to get you out of trouble, too?
  - madeuptempacct 8y ago
    I really think that's going to be a thing in the future. We can make it a thing now if anyone wants to fund me =) Straight to cryogenic storage from there.
mirimir 8y ago
It was surveillance video that primarily implicated him, by showing his car. And then the Fitbit data showed that she had died while the car was still there. Without the surveillance video, the Fitbit data would arguably have been useless.

BodywearCam 8y ago

Cool, now sentence him to death for using Fitbit. Ah yeah and the murder as well.

goldenkey 8y ago

As morbid as it might sound, I am curious what the heart rate wavefunction looks like for a murder victim. The investigators must have had some pause while seeing the plot of someones final struggle visualized as a function of 1 variable.. How does someone who is 90 have the tenacity to kill someone? Really mortifying case... On a different note, a new product stands to be created based on this kind of morbid data + ML. We should have an open database of cardiac events and all wear devices that immediately send for help via E911/Location when an event with a morbidity p-value > C is detected. Seems like a no brainer if we care about protecting everyone optimally. Does anyone know if a database of cardiac events exists from which to train a NN?

newnewpdro 8y ago
> How does someone who is 90 have the tenacity to kill someone? Really mortifying case... Coming from an old-school Italian family, reading this article felt like it could just as well have been about one of my parents or cousins. They hold familial grudges forever, serve revenge ice cold, and murder is not particularly off-limits - especially when you're already nearly dead of old age yourself.
- mirimir 8y ago
  I was thinking that myself. Many might think about ice-cold revenge, but most forget about it after a few decades. Fortunately.
bowmessage 8y ago
cue cops busting down the door while you're having sex or working out
mirimir 8y ago
> How does someone who is 90 have the tenacity to kill someone? I think that you mean agility and strength, no? So this was a 90-year-old man vs a 67-year-old woman. From his photo, he's in pretty decent shape. She was wearing a Fitbit, but maybe that indicates that she was infirm, and not fit. I'm guessing that he mainly caught her by surprise.

YouCantBanMe 8y ago

Well deserved for using Fitbit.

JohnyDeppp 8y ago

If you use Fitbit then you deserve everything bad that happens to you.

gammateam 8y ago

> After they finished their questions, detectives left Mr. Aiello alone in the interview room. He began talking to himself, the report said, saying repeatedly, “I’m done.” annnnnnnnd I'm never speaking to police again

Apocryphon 8y ago
Or HBO. Sounds like Robert Durst all over again.
Tuna-Fish 8y ago
For a better reason, watch this great presentation on the subject, by an experienced defense lawyer and a police officer who had a lot of experience on interrogations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-7o9xYp7eE That really should be required viewing in every civics class.
- ransom1538 8y ago
  Second. To this video. Further. Immediately declare you want to see an attorney. Nothing else ever. When you are placed into a room by the police: 0) You are video recorded. Hide your face. If possible sit under the camera. (They usually mount it on the ceiling). 1) A trick: Letting your friends/family visit you. Always refuse. 2) Giving you many servings of soft drinks and water without bathroom breaks. Refuse liquids. 3) A trick: Telling you they have more evidence than they do. "Your friend said you did this...", "We have you on film..." "Your wife said..." "It will be easier if you just..."
  - dmichulke 8y ago
    Do you have more information as to why? 0. They know you're in there, don't they? 1. OK, so don't talk to family in that room, right? 2. Seriously? Why is that? Couldn't you just pee below the camera (if they repeatedly refuse to let you go, and you previously announce it, ...)? 3. OK, that's common sense to me.

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]