Amazon resists request for Echo recordings sought in Arkansas slaying case

LITTLE ROCK — Amazon says Arkansas prosecutors looking to obtain potential recordings from a slaying suspect's Amazon Echo smart speaker haven't established that their investigation is more important than a customer's privacy rights.

The issue comes in the investigation into the death of Victor Collins, who was found floating in a hot tub in a friend's Bentonville home in November 2015. The friend, James Andrew Bates, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.

Benton County prosecutors have asked a court to force Amazon to provide data that Bates' Echo may have collected. Echo devices "listen" for a user's voice and respond to commands.

In a response filed Friday, Amazon said prosecutors hadn't established the need for Amazon to violate its customers' constitutional rights. Amazon said prosecutors must prove the information isn't available elsewhere.

Read Thursday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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