Your Own Pacemaker Can Now Testify Against You In Court

When Ross Compton had a pacemaker installed, he had a constitutional right to remain silent. One would expect his body to have the same. But when the 59-year-old's Middletown, Ohio, home erupted in flames last September, the electronic data stored in his cardiac device eventually led to his arrest and subsequent indictment on charges of arson and insurance fraud. And despite his attorney's arguments to the contrary, earlier this month Butler county judge Charles Pater held that the functioning of Compton's own body -- heartbeat included -- could be used against him at the upcoming trial. Deanna Paul (@thedeannapaul) is a former New York City prosecutor and adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Fordham University school of law.