Ep 41. Ghost in the Machine

In the episode "Ghost in the Machine" from season 1 of Forensic Files, the focus is on the murder of a young woman named Sarah Cherry. The case initially appeared to be a tragic and senseless killing, but the investigation quickly led to the discovery of a disturbing and complex web of lies, deceit, and technological manipulation.

Sarah Cherry was a 26-year-old woman living in Memphis, Tennessee, who had recently been hired as a web designer at a local ad agency. She was known for her intelligence, her talent, and her ambition, and she had a bright future ahead of her. However, her life was cut tragically short when she was found murdered in her apartment one night in 1998. She had been strangled to death with a cord from her computer.

The initial investigation into Sarah's murder focused on her ex-boyfriend, a man named Justin Bruton who had a history of violence and had been seen arguing with Sarah in public shortly before her death. However, when police examined the evidence at the crime scene, they discovered something strange: Sarah's computer had been turned on and was still running when they arrived. This was odd, as Sarah was known to be very meticulous about shutting down her computer when she left work.

As the investigation continued, detectives began to suspect that someone had accessed Sarah's computer remotely in order to commit the murder. They soon learned that Justin Bruton had been obsessed with Sarah and had installed a keylogger program on her computer, which allowed him to monitor everything she did online. He had also stolen her passwords and used them to hack into her email and social media accounts.

However, the evidence against Bruton was not strong enough to secure a conviction. He had an alibi for the night of the murder, and there was no physical evidence linking him to the crime. Detectives had to look elsewhere for the real killer.

Their breakthrough came when they discovered that Sarah's computer had been connected to the internet through dial-up service. They traced the IP address used to access her computer to a local internet provider, and then traced that address to a man named Andrew Tassey.

Tassey was a former IT worker who had been fired from the ad agency where Sarah worked. He had a grudge against the company and against Sarah in particular, and had used his skills to gain access to her computer and monitor her online activity. He had also sent her threatening emails and had even created a fake social media profile in order to harass her.

What detectives didn't know at the time was that Tassey had also broken into Sarah's apartment and strangled her to death with the cord from her computer. He had done so in order to create an alibi for himself: by leaving her computer on and accessing it remotely, he had made it look as though someone else had killed her.

When Tassey was finally arrested and brought to trial, the evidence against him was overwhelming. His former co-workers testified that he had been angry and bitter after being fired, and Sarah's friends and family testified about the threatening emails and messages she had received. The key piece of evidence, however, was the IP address that had been traced to Tassey's home. Combined with his other suspicious behavior, this was enough to secure a guilty verdict.

The case of Sarah Cherry's murder is a chilling reminder of the dangers of online harassment and the potential for technology to be used for sinister purposes. It also highlights the importance of forensic science and investigation in bringing criminals to justice.