How personal data cracked the case of Caroline Crouch

Many of us have grown weary of the sheer volume of personal data we are generating and sharing with other internet users and marketing companies. There are increasing concerns about the security of the information we give willingly or otherwise online and what they could be used for.

However, in the case of Caroline Crouch, the 20-year-old British-born woman who was murdered by her husband, a data trail of smart devices was what it took to get Anagnostopoulos to confess to the crime.

Discrepancies in suspect’s story

Babis Anagnostopoulos, 33, a commercial helicopter pilot, initially told investigators that intruders broke into their Glyka Nera home in northeastern Athens on May 11, tied him up, and killed his wife and the family dog. He alleged that the supposed robbers stole money and other valuables.

But evidence from smartphones and smartwatches of both the deceased and the accused exposed many cracks in his story, which eventually led him to confess.

Caroline Crouch’s biometric watch revealed her pulse readings at the time her husband claimed she had already been murdered.

The activity tracker on his own phone showed him moving around the house, contrary to his earlier account of being tied up during the alleged break-in.

Police also retrieved data cards from the home security camera revealing that he had disabled the device hours before smouldering his young wife to death.

A case that shook Greece

The case left Greeks horrified, in a country where violent crimes such as this are rare.

What shocked many as well is the fact that Anagnostopoulos had begun a relationship with Crouch when he was 28 and she was 15. This has raised questions about whether or not authorities ignored a clear case of child abuse that eventually resulted in the death of a young woman.

Anagnostopoulos is currently behind bars facing two felony charges for the murder as well as two misdemeanour charges for killing the family dog by hanging it from a staircase.

The couple’s toddler who was nearby during the incident, is currently in with Crouch’s mother who was granted custody by the courts.