Slain wife’s fitbit finds the ‘killer’ – her hubby
Gadget undoes his ‘home invader’ tale in Conn.
A CONNECTICUT man accused in his wife’s murder might have gotten away with it — if not for the victim’s Fitbit fitness tracker and other electronic devices, authorities allege.
Richard Dabate, 40, was charged this month with felony murder, tampering with physical evidence and making false statements following the December 2015 death of his wife, Connie, the mother of two young boys, at their home in Ellington, Tolland County.
Dabate called 911, reporting that his wife was the victim of a home invasion, alleging she was shot dead by a “tall, obese man” with a deep voice like actor Vin Diesel’s. The man sported “camouflage and a mask,” according to an arrest warrant.
Dabate alleged her death took place more than an hour before her Fitbit-tracked movements revealed. Closed-caption TV footage also showed her visiting a local gym the morning she died.
Investigators uncovered text messages between the couple, as well as the suspect and his reportedly pregnant mistress — thought to be a main motive behind the suspected domestic homicide.
One year before the murder, Dabate texted his wife saying, “I want a divorce,” around the time bank statement records showed credit card charges from hotels, strip clubs and floral purchases for his girlfriend.
Texts between Dabate and the unidentified woman that the Hartford Courant obtained contained messages like, “I’m ready for u big boy.”
Connie Dabate, 39, a pharmaceutical sales rep, was discovered inside the home with gunshot wounds from a Magnum .357-caliber pistol, a gun Dabate had bought months earlier.
Her husband, a computer network administrator, according to the Courant, claimed to have scared off the masked killer after his wife was shot dead.
State police used an analysis of the home’s “alarm system, computers, cell phones, social media postings and Connie Dabate’s Fitbit to create a timeline that contradicted Richard Dabate’s statements to police,” the warrant cited.
Lancaster County, Pa., District Attorney Craig Stedman, who used Fitbit records in a separate investigation, called them records “a great tool for investigators” in an interview with the Hartford Courant. The devices monitor a wearer’s heart rate, steps and other vital health stats.
The Courant reported that Dabate tried to cash in a $475,000 life insurance policy on his wife five days after her death.
Mourning family members expressed relief that an arrest was made in Connie Dabate’s death after 16 months of waiting.
“I was very happy to hear this news earlier today and am looking forward to getting justice for my cousin,” Danielle Iammatteo told the Courant.
Dabate, who was freed after posting bail, is scheduled to return to court Friday.