Prosecuted for threatening spoofed emails – cops failed to check headers

During Petzold’s preliminary hearing on Oct. 1, 2023, the Crown called RCMP [supposed] digital forensic expert Const. Wilson Yee to explain his analysis of the email on Marguerite’s laptop.

Petzold's defence lawyer Ian McKay then had a chance to cross-examine.

He asked Yee about the email “headers” — metadata contained in the digital file that is not typically seen by the end user unless they specifically go looking for it.

The email headers read, in part: "Received: From Emkei.CZ".

That website, based in the Czech Republic, describes itself as a "free online fake mailer” and allows users to send emails that can appear to come from any sender.