Facebook status update provides alibi

[DearAbby]

New York (CNN) -- For 19-year-old Rodney Bradford, a simple Facebook status update turned into much more: a rock-solid alibi after he was accused of a crime.

Confirmation of the time stamp on the update and the location from which it was entered showed he could not have been at the scene of a robbery in another part of New York City. After he had spent almost two weeks in jail, the case against him was dismissed.

The story began at 11:49 a.m. on Saturday, October 17, when Bradford was updating his Facebook status at his father's home in Harlem. A minute later, 12 miles away in Brooklyn, two men were mugged at gunpoint.

The next day, Bradford, who is facing a separate 2008 robbery indictment, found out police were looking for him in connection with the Brooklyn robbery.

Bradford turned himself in, confident he would be cleared. But after one of the victims picked him out of a lineup, he was charged with robbery in the first degree and sent to Rikers Island, home of the New York City jail.

It wasn't until Rodney Bradford Sr. discovered his son's Facebook update that the young man's defense attorney realized he had an unbeatable alibi.

More
http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/12/facebook.alibi/index.html

[Ian David]

1. Unless, of course, you have a friend update your facebook status to establish an alibi.

Or own a program that does it automatically on a timer.

[KathieG]

2. I know, right? But according to the article it's a "rock-solid" alibi.

[LisaL]

6. How is it "rock-solid?" Something was posted to his account-

if somebody knew his user name and password, that somebody could have posted on his account, I presume.
I guess police think it's good enough, but I fail to see how it is "rock-solid."

[DearAbby]

3. Can you do that?....nt

[LoveMyCali]

4. or update

from your phone.

[Greyskye]

5. Those are marked as 'mobile updates'

Automatically.

[ThomCat]

7. Then it would have shown that it was updated from your phone

instead of from the IP address at your home. Then they would have needed to check cell records to see where his cell phone was when it was updated.

:shrug:

[Ian David]

11. Then it would be from your phone's IP address. n/t

[zbdent]

8. little-known FB app ... the "teleport" ...

still a few bugs in it, though ...

I tried to teleport to the Cleveland library ... and ended up in Boise ...

and Kansas City ...

and Charleston WV ...

and part man, part fly in Fresno ...

[Kitty Herder]

9. If someone else knew his password, the alibi isn't that rock solid. nt

[thucythucy]

10. So if it hadn't been

for this Facebook update, this guy would presumably be looking at possible jail time (aside from the two weeks he already had to serve) for a crime it appears he didn't commit?

That's a pretty sobering thought.

[Ian David]

12. Self-delete. n/t