AfterDawn: Tech news

Teenager acquitted of crime thanks to Facebook alibi

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 12 Nov 2009 12:11 User comments (10)

Teenager acquitted of crime thanks to Facebook alibi Rodney Bradford, a teenager in New York City, has been freed after 12 days of incarceration after Facebook confirmed that a Facebook wall post sent at the time of the alleged crime was sent from an IP address matching his father's physical address.
Bradford had been held for almost two weeks on suspicion of armed robbery in the Brooklyn project where he lived.

The teen had maintained his innocence, as did witnesses who said Bradford was in his father's Harlem residence miles away when the crime was committed.

The Facebook post, sent to his girlfriend, asked playfully "where are my pancakes?," about one minute before the robbery took place.

Facebook confirmed that the IP address matched that of the Harlem apartment.

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10 user comments

112.11.2009 14:33

lol an ip address is what proved his innocents? maybe the lawyers were stupid cause that is very arguable... just cause the data was transmitted from that ip address doesn't mean he's the one that transmitted the post... his dad could've been in on the whole thing "here's 50% of the cut pops" xD

212.11.2009 14:40

Originally posted by navi1199:
lol an ip address is what proved his innocents? maybe the lawyers were stupid cause that is very arguable... just cause the data was transmitted from that ip address doesn't mean he's the one that transmitted the post... his dad could've been in on the whole thing "here's 50% of the cut pops" xD
I was thinking the same thing but there were also witnesses who swore he was in the Harlem building at the time. That + the post was enough for the prosecutor to know they had a losing case, is my guess.

312.11.2009 18:05

Quote:
Originally posted by navi1199:
lol an ip address is what proved his innocents? maybe the lawyers were stupid cause that is very arguable... just cause the data was transmitted from that ip address doesn't mean he's the one that transmitted the post... his dad could've been in on the whole thing "here's 50% of the cut pops" xD
I was thinking the same thing but there were also witnesses who swore he was in the Harlem building at the time. That + the post was enough for the prosecutor to know they had a losing case, is my guess.
It's good to know we're still innocent until proven guilty here in the USA.

412.11.2009 19:29

Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by navi1199:
lol an ip address is what proved his innocents? maybe the lawyers were stupid cause that is very arguable... just cause the data was transmitted from that ip address doesn't mean he's the one that transmitted the post... his dad could've been in on the whole thing "here's 50% of the cut pops" xD
I was thinking the same thing but there were also witnesses who swore he was in the Harlem building at the time. That + the post was enough for the prosecutor to know they had a losing case, is my guess.
It's good to know we're still innocent until proven guilty here in the USA.
Sorry, but you have that backwards. We are guilty until proven innocent...even then, we are still partially guilty.

512.11.2009 19:58

The I.P defense... I was at home clicking so the crimes not sticking

612.11.2009 22:04

Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Originally posted by navi1199:
lol an ip address is what proved his innocents? maybe the lawyers were stupid cause that is very arguable... just cause the data was transmitted from that ip address doesn't mean he's the one that transmitted the post... his dad could've been in on the whole thing "here's 50% of the cut pops" xD
I was thinking the same thing but there were also witnesses who swore he was in the Harlem building at the time. That + the post was enough for the prosecutor to know they had a losing case, is my guess.
It's good to know we're still innocent until proven guilty here in the USA.
Sorry, but you have that backwards. We are guilty until proven innocent...even then, we are still partially guilty.

Actually, it's technically NOT GUILTY until proven GUILTY. Only after being found NOT GUILTY of something can you then request to be found INNOCENT. Most people seem to be happy just being NOT GUILTY, though. ;-)

713.11.2009 23:51

"where are my pancakes?,"
Thats obviously a code for initiating the armed robbery

814.11.2009 00:45

Quote:
It's good to know we're still innocent until proven guilty here in the USA.

well technically if they can lock you up before proving your actually guilty its guilty before innocent.

Quote:
where are my pancakes?,"
Thats obviously a code for initiating the armed robbery


i got the purest grade pancakes here for you.got the cream???
Lol i just had to make a joke about that.seriously the I.P.thing is a load of crap anybody could of posted that.if he was on webcam to his girlfriend then she could give him an alibi.theres probably more to the case than we know if the prosecution had enough evidence they still would of convicted him.hes probably innocent.

914.11.2009 03:40

uuuummmmm if I'm not mistaken, don't his lawyers just have to create "reasonable doubt"

1014.11.2009 23:25

And people in law enforcement wonder why so many people, especially those of us without $$, have contempt for the US Justice System. It isn't really about guilt or innocence, it's about wins and convictions. If you're innocent, well "It's the best system in the world" crap spewed by Prosecutors each and every time someone ends up being released from prison after spending time in jail (usually many years) for something they didn't do.

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