Biometric Smartwatch Data Contradicts Testimony in Greek Homicide Investigation, Police Suggest

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, investigators trying to solve the murder of a British ex-pat living in Athens may have a new lead in the case thanks to the biometric data taken from the victim’s smartwatch.

The victims’ husband, Charalambos ‘Babis’ Anagnostopoulos, told Greek officers that he was tied up by three assailants while his wife Caroline Crouch was murdered in a home invasion on May 11 in the Athens suburb of Glyka Nera.

Anagnostopoulos’ statement to the police says the robbers were aware that there was £10,000 in cash on the premises — which had allegedly been withdrawn to pay for recently completed construction work — and they tortured and killed the family dog, held a gun to the head of their 11-month-old daughter, and tortured Caroline before ultimately strangling her in front of him.

However, the Daily Mail reports that digital forensics experts were recently able to extract biometric data from Caroline’s watch that shows the exact time her heart stopped beating — information that contradicts Mr. Anagnostopoulos’ statements to the police thus far, though details on how have yet to be revealed.

Smartwatches and fitness bands have been growing in popularity in recent years due in large part to the biometric capabilities they posses, and their utility as health monitors and fitness trackers.

Biometric wearables of various kinds have seen steady adoption in a number of fields including healthcare, sports, and the military. Recently, both private and public organizations around the world turned to biometric sensors embedded in watches, bracelets, and even rings to help track and monitor potential COVID-19 symptoms.

In this case, investigators are hoping the biometric data opens a new line of questioning with the victim’s husband, who is currently considered the only witness to the murder.

In the first official statement released in five weeks, investigators noted that “[t]he husband of the victim in Glyka Nera (the Athens suburb) is at the homicide department, in order to be examined as the only eye witness following new data that has emerged from the inquiry.”

Early this week, Greek police escorted Mr. Anagnostopoulos from a memorial service for his late wife on the island of Alonissos back to Athens for further questioning.

Source: The Daily Mail

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June 22, 2021 — by Tony Bitzionis