Can a gps help in the DC sniper case?

[+civilwarranger]

Law enforcement officers found a gps in the suspects car along with two-way radios. With this in hand, what information can law enforcement learn from it to help in prosecution? If any?

 

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

 

[This message was edited by civilwarranger on October 29, 2002 at 12:27 PM.]

[+Jamie Z]

I haven't seen any reports of GPS and two-way radios. In fact, from what I've read, the vehicle they used was borrowed, as well as the gun. I don't know how much money or resources they had. That said, I don't doubt your statement...

 

However, I doubt they were geocachers. I'd guess that most people who own GPSs have never even heard of geocaching, let alone are active cachers.

 

...and if they were? So what.

 

Jamie

[+civilwarranger]

They did find a gps and I hope it contains some information that will help in the prosecution when this goes to trial.

 

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

[Cache Canucks]

quote:

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Originally posted by civilwarranger:

"...Unequivocal no. However, law enforcement officers found a gps in the suspects car along with two-way radios. With this in hand, what information can law enforcement learn from it to lead to help in prosecution?..."

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...of you asking a question (the forum title) then stating the answer (your initial post above) as a preface to a second - and completely different - question?

 

With the various law enforcement agencies responsible for the analysis of this case's physical evidence (including what may or may not have been found in the possession of the accused), what is to be gained by making this kind of conjecture grist for the GeoCaching forum mill? Out of respect for the victims and their grieving families, I personally believe this forum to be in extremely poor taste.

[+civilwarranger]

Yes, you're right about the subject title. DC snipers were geocachers? I didn't mean that they were. Of course they're not. Oversight on my part.

 

I will simply state that I hope that the law enforcement will find information on the gps that can help bring justice for the

quote:

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victims and their grieving families

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. What information? I don't know. Thus the post.

 

If the #2 pencil is the most popular, why is it still #2?

 

[This message was edited by civilwarranger on October 29, 2002 at 12:42 PM.]

[+parkrrrr]

quote:

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Originally posted by civilwarranger:

Yes, you're right about the subject title. DC snipers were geocachers? I didn't mean that they were. Of course they're not. Oversight on my part.

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So fix it. You can, you know. Just edit the first post to the thread.

 

[+Jamie Z]

quote:

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Originally posted by Warm Fuzzies - Fuzzy:

So fix it.

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Great.. now my answer looks strange and out of context (I bet there's a cool word for that. Maybe non sequiter.)

 

Maybe I should go back and change it.

 

Jamie

[iryshe]

I'm confused by the whole topic now, but I suppose if the GPS was set up with track data they could use that to show they were at each location the crime was committed. Not being a lawyer, I don't know what is admissable or not, but it seems like it would be.

 

As another person said, however, these guys were homeless. I doubt they were super high tech here.

 

BTW, if a geocacher ever commits a crime in the future, it's a bit irrelevant that they go geocaching. It's like saying a murderer who plays soccer puts a bad face on soccer playing.

 

Jeremy Irish

Groundspeak - The Language of Location™

[Rubbertoe]

For anyone who doesn't think that a GPS/laptop was used, I did find this article on CNN - as well as hearing it on Headline News a few times each hour.

 

quote:

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The affidavit said each shot was taken from a distance and several were close to highway exit ramps. According to the affidavit, authorities test-fired a Bushmaster rifle found in the suspects' car and the bullet matched ballistics tests in all but two of the 13 shootings.

 

Inside the Chevrolet Caprice, authorities found a global positioning system unit, a Sony laptop computer, a pair of two-way radios, a .223-caliber bullet, a Bushmaster rifle and a cotton glove similar to one found at a shooting scene, according to the affidavit.

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From this page at CNN.

 

The Toe Pages

[+Jamie Z]

I'm not sure what good the GPS would do. Could be that they made some reconnaissance trips and marked the spots, but I don't know how useful that'd be.

 

Heck, they didn't have jobs, they probably went around Geocaching while they piddled away the last few of their days of freedom.

 

Jamie

[Rubbertoe]

Since they had a laptop too, I have this vision of them using the GPS hooked up to a mapping program so that they could monitor where they were in relation to the closest highways - and then monitor their progress in realtime as they were driving away from their latest victim. That is what I would do, anyway... er...

[DARC]

If law enforcement finds their fingerprints on the battery then they can confirm ownership and that it wasn't something that was left over in their car from the previous owner.

 

From waypoints, routes, and tracklogs, their location can be verified at a certain time to incriminate them even further.

 

The laptop could be used to upload and download data from their GPS. In addition, when most mapping software is opened, it defaults to the last view in the last map that it was closed in. This would tell detectives that the suspects had used that software to map out that area. Any saved data from the map program will of interest to police. For example how they traveled from Washington State to Washington DC.