In the weeks before he killed and mutilated his girlfriend, prosecutors say Chad Gurney viewed an Internet video depicting a woman being beheaded as punishment for being unfaithful.

Gurney now hopes that this video link, used to suggest premeditation in his trial, will get his murder conviction thrown out in the appeal.

The high-profile murder case provides the latest window into what experts are calling the still-evolving debate over computer forensics in criminal justice. What are the limits of a search of a person’s computer, hard drive, mobile devices, or social networks, and what justifies a search and seizure? 

Source: Bangor Daily News