Police Think Alexa May Have Witnessed a Double Murder — Now They Want Amazon to Turn Her Over
A judge in New Hampshire thinks Amazon’s Alexa may be the key to cracking a murder case.
On January 27, 2017, Christine Sullivan and her friend Jenna Pellegrini were brutally stabbed to death in the kitchen of Sullivan’s home in Farmington where she lived with her boyfriend, CBS Boston reported at the time.
Shortly after, Timothy Verill was arrested by Massachusetts State Police and charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Verill plead not guilty to both counts. It is believed the women were murdered over suspicions that they were going to report an alleged drug operation.
In court on Friday, state prosecutors alleged that Alexa, the virtual assistant developed by Amazon, was on the kitchen counter at the time of the murder and may have recorded the entire thing — including the removal of the bodies, which were found underneath the front porch, the Associated Press reported.
RELATED: Amazon’s Alexa Reportedly Recorded a Family’s Private Conversation — and Sent it to a Friend
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Following Verill’s hearing, a judge ordered Amazon to turn over any recordings Alexa may have made from the day Sullivan and Pellegrini were killed up until police discovered their bodies.
“The court finds there is probable cause to believe the server(s) and/or records maintained for or by Amazon.com contain recordings made by Echo smart speaker from the period of Jan. 27 to Jan. 29, 2017… and that such information contains evidence of crimes committed against Ms. Sullivan, including the attack and possible remove of the body from the kitchen,” the judge’s order, which was obtained byThe Washington Post, states.
Amazon did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment, but told The Post that they would not be turning over the recordings easily.
“Amazon will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us,” an Amazon spokesman said. “Amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course.”
