Amazon Echo could solve some murders

Today's news will no doubt surprise you, but it is completely true: an Amazon Echo could solve some of the murders.

An Amazon Echo used to assist in criminal cases, information comes from the police in Bentonville, Arkansas. The latter has sent a requisition to Amazon for the company to hand over data from an Echo device to help prosecute a suspect.

James Andrew Bates, the suspect in the case, was charged with first degree murder in November 2015 after authorities found the victim Victor Collins strangled and drowned in James Andrew Bates' bathtub.

James Andrew Bates told the plolice that he invited Victor Collins and two other friends, Owen McDonald and Sean Henry, to watch a football game. At one o'clock in the morning the host would have gone to bed; let Victor Collins and Owen McDonald go out for a drink. He then reportedly stated that he found the victim several hours later when he woke up. However, Owen McDonald said he left the two men around 12:30 am; information confirmed by his wife.

According to telephone records, James Andrew Bates also texted a woman throughout the evening, called her father, friends and the Flying Fish restaurant.

This is where the case gets interesting. Indeed, James Andrew Bates has several devices smart health connected to his health home; including a Nest Thermostat, Honeywell Alarm System and Amazon Echo; the key witness to this case. The police became interested in the music streamed throughout the night. But why ?

In fact, Alexa can listen to us constantly thanks to its seven built-in microphones but waits for the "sleep word" to execute commands like giving the weather or playing music for example. Then the device sends the audio track to the cloud. However, this audio track also includes the recording of what you said a fraction of a second before the pronunciation of the standby word.

Amazon has so far refused to provide information to the authorities. In this case, the receipt of a valid and binding legal request from the court was enough to make her change her mind.

Police also seized James Andrew Bates' Amazon Echo as physical evidence. The device could help gain a better understanding of what happened on the night of the murder because it also controlled the smart water system in the house. The police were therefore able to demonstrate that 18.7 liters of water had been used between 1 and 3 am.

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