Just about any form of technology can be tracked nowadays if it's connected to the internet and the Switch is no exception. With this in mind, Nintendo's hybrid system recently provided the key break in a homicide case that had previously stumped investigators.
University of South Alabama professor Matthew Wiser was found shot and dead in his home last month. There were no suspects or arrests made at the time and his neighbour said he was a "nice person" who kept to himself.
It turns out it was an isolated incident, with police using the online activity of Wiser's stolen Switch to track down the burglars who entered his home. This followed with a bail hearing, where the defendant Tiquez Timmons admitted to investigators he drove the car and dropped off co-defendant Derric Scott at Wiser's home, further explaining how it was Scott who fired the gun.
According to FOX10 News, Scott and Timmons have both been charged with felony murder.
Mobile County Assistant District Attorney Keith Blackwood said the victim could have been "anyone" and said the bail should be set higher than the range recommended under local guidelines, suggesting $300,000.
In the end, it was set at $150,000 for both individuals as neither have an adult criminal history. If they can make the bond, they'll be required to wear electronic monitoring devices and can only leave the house for work, school or church.
The judge set both defendants arraignment for Wednesday.
[source gonintendo.com]
Comments 53
Not sure what to say, I'm glad they were caught though.
Maybe we shouldn't post stories like this. You know to keep dumb criminals dumb.
Oh boy, Herringway will want to see this news! He'll have a new novel faster than you can say, "Penguin politician peril puzzle perplexes polar police"!
Glad they were caught. It's sad that the victim didn't make it. 😢
They say only dumb criminals get caught.
Is it worth taking a life just to get a Switch? Hope these two get the punishment they deserve.
It's good when criminals are stupid. If only they could screw themselves over BEFORE they rob and kill people...
But on the other hand, I am not a fan of the degree big brother monitors everything. It's great when it stops or catches criminals, but this kind of power is very easy for a government to abuse. I assume everything I do online is on record somewhere. Every comment, every game, every video, what smut I like, what junk food and booze I buy, everything is logged. If there is something I truly want private, I don't do it online.
@retro_player_22 "Is it worth taking a life just to get a Switch? Hope these two get the punishment they deserve."
Called plain stupidity.
"can only leave the house for work, school or church."
This is more ironic... Church and School? Did they learn nothing.
150k bail? Insane.
@Heavyarms55
They arent gonna watch you or care about you unless you are a known criminal
Phoenix Wright: "The victim's console was running high quality Nintendo 1st party games until a month ago, Fortnite was downloaded and solely played. It proved beyond a doubt that the Switch was stolen."
Wow, stealing an online capable device and then like... playing it online? That takes a pretty impressive level of stupidity. Glad they caught the criminals, wish they could’ve been stopped before the loss of an innocent life. :-/
Criminals are terrible people. Dumb criminals are even worse.
People killing people. I will never understand that. Do some people have sick DNA or something?
@Cosats Valuing human life is something that has to be taught. If you're raised in an environment where you are taught to put yourself above all else, killing is easy. Or a person could be raised outright to not value life or at least not value the lives of anyone outside their "tribe". Such behavior is common throughout history.
Not useless after all eh?
their going to get the chair.
Sad to hear. May this professor Rest In Peace.
@NoTinderLife Will they arrest me for having Pokemon Let's Go Eevee as one of my most played games? (yes, that says my Switch has been sadly under-played. )
I knew that catch-only battles were going to single-handedly ruin the game but I didn't expect it that bad. I'd have otherwise considered the game at least a passable remake so far. BUT I'VE committed to seeing the end of this monstrosity.
@Kobeskillz
Well, everyone who makes the concious decision to commit a crime are dumb, period
The dumb thing wasn't that they stole the Switch, but the fact that, instead of selling it to a middle man for a hundred dollars or so, they instead decided to keep it, connect it to the Internet, and use the victim's account, screaming to the entire world where the stolen good is.
Bond? for murder? you have to be kidding!!
no wonder criminals are so emboldened these days. These sick creeps murdered someone and all they get is an electronic monitoring device? These two deserve the death penalty. They deserve at least lethal injection. I don't care if they are first time offenders or not. The fact that they could murder someone just to burglarize their home shows this was not their first rodeo. They have murdered before, this is simply the first time they were caught. These two are home invaders, one of the most violent types of criminals.
Lesson 1: Own a gun for home self defense.
Lesson 2: Own a Switch and be a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber.
All jokes aside though, glad the killer was caught.
@CurryPowderKeg79 Mabey, but like with the CSI shows they also might also end up making more evidence trying to cover up they basics
They must have wanted to sell the system. Nintendo fans aren't typically the type to murder people.
@Superdankgamepla truest post here
@BlackTalon2 I 100% agree. Our justice system could use some work murder first time offense or not is inexcusable and if all evidence is there why is death penalty such a stretch anymore. People should be held accountable for there actions to a degree that matches the crime. Eye for an eye I say. Humanitys gone the wayside this day in time sadly.
It creeps me out that he killed someone and afterwarda apperently just layed back and played his "new" switch. That's some scary sh... How can you just go on with your life and play that specific console with the previous owners blood on your hands? You have to be desensitized to do that.
@BlackTalon2 they haven't had a trail yet. That's why they got let on put bail. It's pretty important to have a trial.
@SwitchForce I was just about to leave a comment regarding..."they'll be required to wear electronic monitoring devices and can only leave the house for work, school or church." I'm like, "wait, commit murder, go to church...." something's not right there....
@Superdankgamepla I think there is some misunderstanding. The bail is set at $150,000. It is unlikely they (or their families) will pay that, but if they do they will be allowed to go home but will be tagged and monitored.
However, this situation is only until trial. The investigation is still ongoing. There will be court proceedings and the outcome of that will determine if they go to jail and for how long. If one of them has admitted to the murder already it is likely they are guilty. Therefore they are probably both going to jail, perhaps for a long time.
It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone deserves a fair trial. We don’t know all the facts and the hope is all these will come to light with the investigation and their fate will be decided by those who know best.
@BlackTalon2 just stop, dude.
@TYRANACLES see my post above for the explanation on the electronic tag. It is only if they can pay the bail and only until trial.
@CurryPowderKeg79 Hopefully they don't read blogs for good people like us...
@PBandSmelly Whistleblowers and other "enemies of the state" (enemies of whoever has a police commissioner in their pocket) can be targets, too.
@westman98 Naw, if they were all this stupid the world wouldn't have half as many problems.
@Cosats There has been a study on a psychopath gene but it usually takes a head trauma or extreme abuse in childhood to actually become active. If this is what you meant? Also, being a psychopath only makes you more inclined to kill, not necessarily an absolute.
A half arsed news story just so you can use a headline giving credit to a videogame console made by your favourite videogame company. A man died ffs.
This is pretty tasteless stuff.
Edit: Case in point this guttertrash story resulted in this Superdankgamepla person creating an account just to start ranting about minorities. This is the kind of scum these types of stories attract.
@retro_player_22 it was burglary. They didn’t kill him for a switch they took the switch as part of the burglary.
@RiasGremory if it were that simple, then every criminal would get a death sentence.
Comments really shouldn't be open on this article. Publishing a story related to an active court proceeding is inappropriate at best and even illegal in some jurisdictions, being seen as a publisher being in contempt of court
@alpacatears This isn’t an active proceeding, the trial hasn’t even started. This is information from the arrest and bond hearing, which is all public record. Also, all trials can be reported on in the US. The only information not open is grand jury, which does not even involve a trial.
@HobbitGamer Valid point about the trial not being started yet but Nintendolife, however, is UK based and we have much stricter laws and guidelines around these in Europe, so just the fact that they were charged would constitute a moratorium on comments being opened on such matters. The US is much more lax than other countries in this regard.
Overall, people are making jokes in the comments above, which is highly inappropriate considering that someone was killed and legality aside, that should be enough to close the comments. I wouldn't want to be a family member or student of the deceased seeing people acting so Glib about it online.
You go Nintendo
@alpacatears Doesn’t matter if the publication is based in Somewheristan, the local laws apply. The chance that folks may react to something in poor taste should never influence whether something is discussed or disseminated for public discourse, as well. Acting in that manner only allows for a select few (the deciders) to become the arbiters of what can and cannot be talked about in a society.
People have always been awful, just as much as people have always been great.
I'm looking forward to the retellings of this story by any of the crime/mystery series on right now.
Switch Online useful??? WHAT????
well im shock people gone more stupid..
@HobbitGamer Sumweristan. Learn how to spell. Americans and geography, sheesh.....
Idiots: Videogames cause gun violence!
Nintendo Switch: I'm about to pull a pro game system move!
@BlackTalon2 At the moment, they are accused criminals. Innocent until proven guilty and all that. We aren't supposed to lock people up to punish them for being accused of a crime. Bail is supposed to be offered... it's in the constitution and all that.
@PBandSmelly ah the old Michael Howard , “the innocent have nothing to fear” argument. Didn’t like it then, don’t like it now.
Rather than endorsing a global, always on digital panopticon, we should start seriously addressing the causes of violence, poverty and ignorance and treating them.
I, like many others who have posted, find myself shocked they were granted 150k bail. Especially with the confession. Seems low.
Bail, while constitutional, is not guaranteed and can be denied by a Judge for numerous reasons (flight risk, threat to others, etc). First offense is what saved these guys considering it's a murder offense.
Wow! Sounds like you work in the advertising industry
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