Leon Walker snooped in his wife’s Gmail account – used her password, logged on and started reading. From the Detroit Free Press:
Leon Walker was Clara Walker’s third husband. Her e-mail showed she was having an affair with her second husband, a man who once had been arrested for beating her in front of her small son. Leon Walker, worried that the child might be exposed to domestic violence again, handed the e-mails over to the child’s father, Clara Walker’s first husband. He promptly filed an emergency motion to obtain custody.
Now, they’re divorced, and Clara is bringing him to court for a criminal – not civic – case in which his actions could fall under a hacking statute that’s generally used for identity theft. But, Leon claims this was a family computer and Clara kept a book of her passwords right next to the computer. He says he used the computer all the time. Some defense attorneys say if Leon can be charged under this statute, parents who check their kids’ Facebook accounts are vulnerable, too.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
