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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

The case against James Bates, an Arkansas man and Amazon Echo owner charged with first-degree murder, has been dropped by prosecutors [npr.org]:

Arkansas prosecutors have dropped their case against James Bates, whom they had charged with first-degree murder partly with the help of evidence collected by an Amazon Echo smart speaker. On Wednesday, a circuit court judge granted their request to have the charges of murder and tampering with evidence dismissed.

The prosecutors declared nolle prosequi, stating that the evidence could support more than one reasonable explanation.

The move marks a curious end to a still more curious case, which had revolved around the role played by a personal assistant device that's supposed to begin recording as soon as someone says its wake word — "Alexa," in this case — in its presence.

Previously: Police Seek Amazon Echo Data in Murder Case [soylentnews.org]
Amazon Continues to Resist Requests for "Alexa" Audio Evidence in Arkansas Murder Case [soylentnews.org]
Can Amazon Echo Help Solve a Murder? Police Will Soon Find Out. [soylentnews.org]

Related: Law Enforcement Has Been Using OnStar, SiriusXM, to Eavesdrop, Track Car Locations [soylentnews.org]

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