McStay Family Murder Trial Day 17 Part 2 Det Jason Schroeder Testifies

TL;DR

A forensic expert testifies about the interpretation of internet search history and browsing activity in a court case.

Transcript

hey your honor that means that so I wanted to just start with device for and that was the e machine is that correct yes and I also went over some index numbers I think one through 10 is that correct yes and then with each one each index that was brought to your attention does that represent an internet search do you know what I mean because I if I'... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🔬 An index number in internet search history can represent cached web pages rather than typical searches.
• 😒 Accessing a homepage from a cached record suggests frequent use.
• 👤 Further browsing can be done after accessing a homepage, but it is unclear if the user clicked on visited links.
• 👨‍🔬 Recent internet search history can be accessed from the device's hard drive image.
• 👨‍🔬 Clicking on a recent internet search entry will conduct a fresh search, not directly take the user to the webpage.
• 🍻 The possibility of a user clicking on visited links beyond the initial page depends on the presence of those links in the recorded data.
• 🥺 Different methods, such as typing out a URL or using drop-down search suggestions, can lead to accessing a webpage.

Questions & Answers

Q: What does index number one represent in the internet search history?

Index number one represents a specific URL attributed to Intuit, which is not a typical internet search but rather a cached homepage accessed frequently.

Q: Can the expert determine if the user clicked on links in the visited pages?

Without further information or recorded visited links, it is impossible to determine if the user clicked on any links beyond the initial page.

Q: How can a user access a homepage, such as the one attributed to Intuit?

A user can access a homepage by typing the URL, clicking on a bookmark, or clicking on a drop-down search option.

Q: Can the expert analyze recent internet searches on the device?

The expert did not specifically examine the recent internet search history on the device but acknowledges that it can be accessed from the image of the hard drive.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The expert discusses index numbers and their representation of internet searches.

• The expert explains that a cached homepage may suggest frequent use.

• The expert clarifies that further browsing can be done after accessing a homepage.