One Unique Piece Of Evidence Helps Police Charge Husband With Murdering Wife

In December 2015, Richard Dabate told detectives a masked intruder broke into his Connecticut […]

April 27, 2017, 1:34am

In December 2015, Richard Dabate told detectives a masked intruder broke into his Connecticut home, tied him up and tortured him and when his wife came home the intruder shot and killed her.

Dabate’s story, however, did not hold up with investigators. And when cops ultimately charged him with murdering his wife, they relied on evidence gathered from an unlikely source — The Fitbit Connie Dabate was wearing.

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In his version of the incident, Dabate said he went back home when he realized he’d forgotten his laptop. That was between 8:45 a.m. and 9 a.m.. He heard a noise and went to investigate. And that’s where he spotted an intruder. Right then, Dabate said he heard his wife return home and yelled for her to run.

After a brief struggle, the intruder shot and killed the wife. At that point, he told detectives the intruder half tied him to a chair and began burning him with a torch. The two tussled and at one point, Dabate said he turned the torch on the intruder.

He then said he crawled upstairs with the chair still attached to his wrist, pushed the panic button on his alarm and called 911. But, his wife’s technology told an entirely different story.

At 9:01 a.m. Richard logged into Outlook from an IP address assigned to the Internet at his house. At 9:04 a.m., Dabate sent his supervisor an e-mail saying an alarm had gone off at his house and he’s got to go back and check on it.

His wife’s Fitbit registered movement at 9:23 a.m., the same time the garage door opened into the kitchen.

Connie was active on Facebook between 9:40 and 9:46 a.m., posting videos to her page with her iPhone. She was utilizing the IP address at their home. While she was at the house, her Fitbit recorded a distance of 1,217 feet between 9:18 a.m. and 10:05 a.m. when movement stops.

If Richard’s claims were true, detectives say the total distance it would take the victim to walk from her vehicle to the basement, where she died, would be no more than 125 feet.

Dabate later admitted to having an extramarital affair where he impregnated a woman. Five days after the incident, Dabate also attempted to make a claim for his wife’s life insurance policy for $475,000, police said.

Now, Dabate is charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and providing a false statement.

Last week, he posted a $1 million bond and was released. He is expected to enter a plea during his next appearance in court on Apr. 27.