Don't use Google to research your crimes...

[BTM]

Well, this is interesting...

Not sure what to think of all the legal ramifications of this, but I have to admit, searching for techniques to kill someone on an open search engine seems high in the "not so bright an idea" department.


Google Searches Used To Convict Hit-And-Run Driver
from the google-searches-in-a-court-of-law dept

In the past, we've noted various lawsuits where Google searches done by the accused were used against them in a court of law. There was the guy who searched on "neck snap break," days before his wife was murdered, and then there was the woman who searched on "how to commit murder" and other rather damning phrases like "instant poison" and "undetectable poisons," before her husband was murdered.

In yet another such case, an investment banker has been convicted of a hit-and-run that killed a woman, after his Google searches soon after the accident turned up the phrase "hit and run." The guy had claimed that he believed he hit a deer, but his Google searches suggested he knew it was a person. Beyond just searching for the phrase hit and run, he also did searches on: "auto glass reporting requirements to law enforcement," "auto glass, Las Vegas," auto parts, auto theft, and the Moraga Police Department.

Since the incident was in California, the thinking was he was looking to get the damage to his car repaired out of state to avoid any suspicion from the auto repair place. While the guy appealed the ruling saying that even with those searches he didn't have any actual knowledge he had hit a person, the appeals court didn't find that to be very convincing.

http://techdirt.com/articles/20090115/0559143421.shtml

[CheezeFlixz]

Guess they never heard of a Internet Cafe or the library.

[meQal]

What is odd is this is the second time this week I have read or heard of police using a person's search history as part of their investigation. I heard that they were using Casey Anthony's searches in their investigation into the charges against her for murding her daughter. Apparently she had researched on Google how to commit murder and cover it up.

[CheezeFlixz]

If you are going to commit a crime and you use your computer to research it then you're a moron. And if by chance you think there is something on your drive ... well before the cops are on to you replace your drive and then visit lots of church sites etc. Pop the old drive in the microwave for a while and then take a hammer to it and drop off the nearest bridge.
It kills me to read about how stupid some criminal are ... jeez with all the cop shows, crime shows and forensic shows on TV if a person wanted to be a criminal and comment a crime you could get training just watching those shows to see what the look for and the first damn thing they always go for is every computer, PDA, cellphone etc in the house.

[ghouck]

You should hear some of the excuses and stories I hear from Inmates.

"I shouldn't be in for murder, I should be in for manslaughter, , , the gun accidentally went off when I was beating my wife with it".

One guy was in a van that a cab service used to pick up all the drunks on some holliday. One guy spend the whole night riding around in them. Finally, the driver looks back and he's screwing some chick thatwas completely passed out. The guy says he was drunk and passed and apparently fell over top of her when the van made a turn. He wasn't drunk (they tested him), and he didn't know how her pants got taken off of her, , or his, , or how his pecker ended up inside her, he just kinda fell over. .

I know of at least one incident of a person killing someone and in all actuallity getting away with it, only to bring attention to themself by asking the police a bunch of questions about the crime, to a point of revealing details that had not been released to the public. Not smart.

[BTM]

You should hear some of the excuses and stories I hear from Inmates.

Say, what do you do in the prison again?  Thinking it had something to do with furniture, but I'm not sure.  Is it a minimum, maximum security, or what?

BTW, just out of nutty curiosity, what advice would you give to someone who's going to prison for the first time?  Should they look around and beat up someone who's not hanging with anyone on the first day?

Just curious.