The Fitbit data catches husband lying about murder

May 18, 2017, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

I have written a few articles now on the use of technology in fighting fraud in insurance claims, and also in establishing fact in insurance claims. Tribunals, courts and police use evidence gathered from social media platforms regularly, and now the use of data collected from wearable devices like Fitbits is now being used to establish facts.

A recent case in England makes a good illustration of how the data is being used.

Mr. Dabate claimed to have gone home around 9 in the morning after dropping his kids at school when he was attacked by a home intruder. He had an elaborate description of the masked man, who supposedly took Mr. Debate’s recently purchased .357 magnum and shot his wife, Mrs. Dabate, in the head killing her. He claimed the intruder then tied him up after a struggle. When police got to the home they found Mr. Dabate with one arm and leg bound to a chair with zip ties. There was no evidence of any struggle, nor did police dogs get a scent of any other person at the apartment.

When the police examined Mrs. Dabate’s Fitbit they found her last movements were at 10:05, or nearly an hour after her husband claimed she died. Further police investigation found that Mr. Dabate was having an affair, and his mistress was pregnant. Police also found texts from a year before demanding a divorce from his wife.

He stands charged of murder.

As technology creeps further into our lives it is becoming easier to establish facts in cases. This can benefit victims by proving, for example, how active they were, what they did for work, where they were when injured, etc. The data can also easily pinpoint fraud. I advise my clients to always be truthful. The facts of a case are out there and will be found when the police, or other investigators, begin looking for them.

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

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