Digital Forensics Dispatch

Vehicular Homicide Linked to Watching Porn While Driving

August 4, 2020

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Tate Doom, a truck driver from St. Paul Park Minnesota, recently was sentenced to over four years in prison after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation. The charges stem from an incident in which Doom’s big rig initiated a multi-vehicle accident in 2018. While driving the truck on I-94 in Minnesota he ran it into the back of another truck and trailer sending the trailer and debris careening into a work zone, fatally injuring Vernon Hedquist who was working at the site.

Investigators noted Doom’s truck was likely traveling only approximately 2 miles an hour over the posted limit; however, when a digital forensic review was conducted on the two cell phones found in the cab of his truck, the examiner noted 14 deleted videos from pornhub.com. Further review showed that a video that was over 5 minutes long had been started only about 90 seconds before the crash. Investigator Chuck Laszewski was quoted saying “It appears, based on the investigation, that he was watching pornography at the time”. Doom however, denies using his phone at the time of the crash.

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