Murdered Woman’s Fitbit Led Police To Her Killer

Like it or not, our wearables contain a lot of information about ourselves and our activities that you might not be aware of. Sure, it might be a bit creepy, but in this particular instance, police actually managed to use the data on a murdered woman’s Fitbit to lead them to her possible killer: her husband.

Back in 2015, Richard Dabate told police that a masked intruder broke into their home where he was alone. He then told police he heard his wife come home and told her to run, and after a brief struggle the intruder allegedly shot and killed his wife. However his story did not hold up as investigators did not find signs of forced entry and noted that nothing in the house was taken.

They then obtained a warrant for the wife’s Fitbit, both their cellphones, computers, and house alarm logs. After comparing and syncing the data, they found that the timeline that Dabate provided did not match up with that of his wife’s Fitbit. Computer logs also showed that his wife was active on Facebook posting videos to her page via an IP address that was traced back to their home.

Ultimately Dabate admitted to having an extramarital affair where he impregnated the woman he was with. He was also discovered trying to make a claim for his wife’s life insurance policy which was worth $475,000. The police have since charged Richard Dabate with murder, tampering with evidence, and providing a false statement.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Gadgets
Tags: fitbit, Legal, Wearable Tech