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Unwise — Search History of Murder Methods

nonprofiteer writes "Mark Jensen's home computer revealed Internet searches for botulism, poisoning, pipe bombs and mercury fulminate. A website was visited that explained how to reverse the polarity of a swimming pool — the Jensens had a pool — by switching the wires around, likening the result to the 4th of July. The State pointed out the absence of Internet searches on topics like separation, divorce, child custody or marital property. Julie Jensen died as a result of ethylene glycol in her system, an ingredient found in antifreeze. On the morning of her death, someone attempted to 'double-delete' (apparently unsuccessfully) the computer's browsing history, which included a search for 'ethylene glycol poisoning.'" What if searches for devious, undetectable methods of murder were in everyone's history?

19 of 532 comments (clear)

  1. timothy... by angus77 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    timothy, you're an asshole.

    1. Re:timothy... by a_nonamiss · · Score: 5, Funny

      Now, I can kill someone using a devious, undetectable way. When they find my search history, my defense will be that I clicked on an unmarked slashdot link.

      --
      -Arthur
      Cave ne ante ullas catapultas ambules
    2. Re:timothy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Your idea of using solar powered chickens as a fuel for spaceships intrigues me and I wish to subscribe to your magazine.

    3. Re:timothy... by icebike · · Score: 5, Insightful

      May not matter if you click it or not, depending on how much pre-fetching your browser does.

      --
      Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
    4. Re:timothy... by dgatwood · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You know, I'd hate to think what the police would think if they dug into my browsing history. As somebody who is currently writing a trilogy of sci-fi novels that involve the military (the Earth military), in the past couple of months, I've searched for:

      • Information about famous plane crashes
      • Various law enforcement techniques
      • Thermal imaging cameras
      • Cyanide gas diffusion rates (to find out how much gas someone would have to use to kill someone in a small room)
      • How to use detcord to blow a door off its hinges (to found out how one would do this when breaching a building)
      • The advantages and disadvantages of various types of automatic and semiautomatic firearms
      • Firefighter operations mode on an elevator (to take absolute control of one)
      • Nuclear fusion and theoretical yield (propulsion)
      • Physiological effects of a vacuum on the human body
      • VoIP adapters and remote phone line access

      In short, my searches would make me look like the sort of person who you'd expect to find holed up in a compound in flyover country, which is downright hilarious since I've never even owned a gun.

      The point is that the evidence described in this story, although it sounds bad, is circumstantial, and could possibly occur innocently. More imprtantly, the Slashdot summary doesn't tell the whole story. There was other evidence in addition to this. Although the browser history might have contributed to a conviction, it was not the sole reason for the conviction.

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    5. Re:timothy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      I think you left out a step or two...

      1) Setup a second home WiFi router (that has no internet connection). Turn logging on, and leave it "open"
      2) Harvest MAC addresses of your neighbors as they try to connect
      3) Use the public hotspot with a Live CD like you said, but set your MAC address to one harvested from your neighbor.
      4) If your neighbor gets arrested, it serves him right for trying to mooch off of your internet connection.

    6. Re:timothy... by hairyfeet · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Which is why I think URL shortening should be banned. I mean what if some troll decides a rick roll or Goatse isn't nasty enough, and decides to trollbomb with CP instead? Nowadays your browser cache and history can and will be used against you in a court of law, which I'm sure gives many trolls a pitter patter of glee in their twisted little hearts.

      So as long as we have shortening of URLs and allow the cops to use browser cache as "evidence" then trolls are gonna be a hell of a lot worse threat than ever before. I mean how many average folks can even tell you how to delete much less secure delete, the browser cache and search history? Hell I'm constantly trying out new browsers and don't have a clue on how to do a secure delete on Chromium based like Dragon or the more funky rare browsers like Kmeleon CCF Me, do you?

      --
      ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
    7. Re:timothy... by The+Mighty+Buzzard · · Score: 5, Funny

      As a radical gun toting redneck in a flyover state, I am offended by your assertion that I am a minority.

      --
      Violence is like duct tape. If it doesn't solve the problem, you didn't use enough.
    8. Re:timothy... by w0mprat · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Similar problem, I write Slashdot comments and this results in many searches to sound like I know what I am talking about.

      --
      After logging in slashdot still does not take you back to the page you were on. It's been that way for 20 years.
  2. Re:Police Doing Actual Police Work? by niado · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How awful is it that detectives were able to discover that her husband searched for information on the exact thing that killed her shortly before her death, along with other methods of killing someone. On top of that he attempted to delete traces of it. This is an invasion of piracy.

    Normally in murder cases the significant other of the victim is the primary suspect. As such I would assume (Didn't RTFA so not sure if there is more detail) that it was pretty easy to get a warrant for his house, computer, bank statements, etc. etc.

  3. Polarity? by Brian+Feldman · · Score: 5, Funny

    How the fuck does a swimming pool have a polarity?

    --
    Brian Fundakowski Feldman
    1. Re:Polarity? by wiredlogic · · Score: 5, Informative

      The housing of a pool light is normally grounded. If it is connected to an active circuit the pool becomes a death trap if someone in the water grounds themselves through another conductor.

      --
      I am becoming gerund, destroyer of verbs.
    2. Re:Polarity? by PPH · · Score: 5, Informative

      It would take significantly more than that. You'd have to bypass the ground fault protection and then see to it that the resulting short to ground didn't actually draw enough current to trip the branch circuit breaker on overcurrent.

      Its pretty difficult to electrocute someone by messing around with the pool electrical equipment.

      Just saying.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    3. Re:Polarity? by demonlapin · · Score: 5, Informative

      You're quite lucky. The risk from mains current isn't that 120VAC at some small amperage will cook you; it's that 60Hz AC will throw your heart into ventricular fibrillation. A foot-to-foot connection poses no real risk other than pain, while a hand-to-left-foot circuit very well may kill you.

  4. Say what? by rueger · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Believe it or not, I'm not new here, but this has to be the most garbled incoherent summary in memory.

    "reverse the polarity of a swimming pool"
    "likening the result to the 4th of July"
    "someone attempted to 'double-delete' the computer's browsing history"

    I guess if I knew who the hell "Mark Jensen" was it might make more sense. Better run out and read some tabloids.

  5. Re:Rule number one for breaking any law by TheCarp · · Score: 5, Informative

    Drill press? Do you know how easy it is to encrypt a drive?

    Not that I would trust that alone but, if you do a reinstall of the OS over an encrypted drive, nobody is recovering what was there previously. Why bother with the theatrics, and expense. Not to mention, that the holes in the drives may not prove much, but they tell them you are hiding something.

    Besides, its hard to get to work in the morning without breaking ANY law. How would you even know? You could be violating the law RIGHT NOW just by reading this. In fact, you probably are in some jurisdiction. Who is to say that jurisdictions law doesn't apply to you right now? Try explaining why it doesn't apply after they have picked you up while you are there on vacation.

    Ridiculous? Absolutely, but the point is, the world is a big and complicated place full of lots of laws. Luckily, you can get away with ignoring the vast majority of them, most of the time. However, those few that they really have sticks up their ass about, like murder, honestly, its pretty wrong anyway so start with not doing it.

    Anything that is not so wrong, but, still illegal, and they still have sticks up their ass about... well... chances are you have time to plan more and encrypted drives should just make sense. I mean shit, the Ubuntu installer had it as an option, last I looked. Also, he can delete all he wants, as long as they can find the right cookies they can probably recreate much of your search history. Really just best not to rely on clearing the cache.

    -Steve

    --
    "I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
  6. Re:Huh? by demonbug · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What if searches for devious, undetectable methods of murder were in everyone's history?

    If I'm not mistaken, you're condoning the murder of his wife?

    Wow, talk about missing the point...
    How was what he said in any way condoning murder? Pointing out that there are any number of reasons someone might have rather incriminating things in their search/browser history doesn't translate to condoning murder. Nor does it suggest that it was unusual, unfair, or an invasion of privacy to look at the suspect's search history in this context. It merely points out that going the other direction - finding something "suspicious" in someone's search history does not mean they are up to no good (also shows how easy it might be to poison someone's results if you were trying to frame them).

    Really; you somehow read into his comment that he somehow condones murder? Utterly bizarre.

  7. Re:Rule number one for breaking any law by windcask · · Score: 5, Informative

    You know that hasn't become law yet, right? It passed the house, but never passed the Senate. It's been idle since last June.

    http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h780/show

  8. Re:Police Doing Actual Police Work? by Chyeld · · Score: 5, Informative

    That's an amazing post. Except for "And destroying evidence is illegal, every sentence in that post is wrong (assuming you're referring to the USA, at least).

    And so is that one, destroying evidence can be perfectly legal, ask any document destruction company. It's destroying evidence that is currently being sought that is illegal.