When Alexandra and Robert unlocks Penny's laptop, we see a hard drive wipe in progress. In one cut to the laptop screen you see the progress of the wipe at 84% with time elapsed 16:27:36 and then progress to 85%. The next cut is to the detectives again. Then, back to the laptop in which the progress is back to 84% complete and time elapsed 16:27:33.
Another mistake is that because the wipe has been running 16 hours on a 20GB hard drive would mean several of the 33 passes would have been completed. Therefore data recovery would be nearly impossible. Recovery software typically does not wipe a sector the configured number of passes and then proceed to the next sector. It typically wipes the entire volume, then proceeds to the next wipe pass. After 1 wipe pass, data recovery takes specialized equipment.
Another mistake is that because the wipe has been running 16 hours on a 20GB hard drive would mean several of the 33 passes would have been completed. Therefore data recovery would be nearly impossible. Recovery software typically does not wipe a sector the configured number of passes and then proceed to the next sector. It typically wipes the entire volume, then proceeds to the next wipe pass. After 1 wipe pass, data recovery takes specialized equipment.
The victim having security clearance with the Department of Defense would make the investigation of her murder federal jurisdiction, specifically of the Department of Homeland Security. At the very least it would be a joint investigation between the DHS and the NYPD.