Amazon’s Alexa is surprise ‘witness’ in Broward murder trial

A Pompano Beach man was convicted Tuesday of killing his wife three years ago in the apartment they shared with their twin infant girls.

Philip Edwards, 34, testified in his trial that he killed Kathi Blankenberg, 35, in a fit of rage when she threatened to leave him during an argument and take the girls with her. But a “witness” sitting in their living room, so to speak, provided prosecutors with evidence he was probably lying.

That witness was Amazon’s Echo device, commonly known as “Alexa,” which captured several minutes of quiet, mundane conversation during the time Edwards claimed he and Blankenberg were in a heated argument.

The device, which is installed in more than 46 million American homes, becomes active when a “wake word” is spoken, recording a user’s question about trivia, shopping, weather or whatever the user has in mind.

Blankenberg was using it as a timer as she cooked, said prosecutor Pascale Achille. Investigators subpoenaed the records shortly after the June 22, 2020, murder. The device also woke several times during the evening by accident, which can happen when someone says a word that sounds similar to “Alexa” or “Amazon.”

Edwards shot Blankenberg six times, including once in the back of the head. Defense lawyer Francis Wesley Blankner asked jurors to consider the possibility that Edwards deserved to be punished for a lesser crime, including second-degree murder or manslaughter.

A dozen jurors deliberated for less than an hour before returning a verdict of guilty on the charge of first-degree murder. The conviction comes with a mandatory life sentence, which Broward Circuit Judge Tim Bailey imposed after the victim’s family members condemned him from the witness stand.

“You have no soul, but I will have my say regardless,” said Kelly Henry, the victim’s sister. “You killed the only person in the world who gave a damn about you. You will live the rest of your meaningless life in a cage.”

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.