A missing underscore sent innocent man to prison for 18 months
A Canadian man, Brandon Klayme, was wrongfully imprisoned for 18 months due to a clerical error involving a missing underscore in a username during a police investigation. The conviction was overturned after an appeal revealed the mistake, confirming his factual innocence.
Why it matters
This case underscores the catastrophic real-world consequences of digital evidence mishandling and the importance of precision in law enforcement investigations.
Details matter A missing underscore sent innocent man to prison for 18 months When the first step goes wrong, bad results follow.
65 Credit: Getty Images Credit: Getty Images Text settings Story text Size Small Standard Large Width * Standard Wide Links Standard Orange * Subscribers only Learn more Minimize to nav One missing underscore in a Skyrim-themed username put an innocent Nova Scotia man in prison for 18 months.
A 2018 child-luring investigation, which began in Madison, Wisconsin, and eventually extended to Halifax, Canada, was based on a false premise.
Police were looking for a man using the Kik messaging service under the name “fus__ro_dah” (two underscores after “fus”), but they accidentally requested records for the username “fus_ro_dah” (one underscore after “fus”). This one-character difference led them not to the perpetrator but to a Canadian man named Brandon Klayme.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in