Connecticut husband sentenced to 65 years in Fitbit murder case

Richard Dabate, the husband accused of killing his spouse in 2015 after police have been capable of monitor her Fitbit information, sentenced to 65 years in jail.
AP

A Connecticut man was sentenced Thursday to 65 years in jail for the 2015 killing of his spouse, who prosecutors say was sporting a Fitbit train exercise tracker with information that contradicted his statements to police.

Richard Dabate, 46, of Ellington, was convicted by a jury in Might of homicide and different prices. He maintains his innocence and intends to enchantment the verdicts, his lawyer, Trent LaLima, mentioned after the listening to at Rockville Superior Courtroom.

Connie Dabate was fatally shot in her Connecticut residence. Her husband claimed a masked man broke into their residence, tied him up and killed Connie.

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The deadly taking pictures of Connie Dabate, 39, on the couple’s residence two days earlier than Christmas in 2015, whereas their two younger sons have been in class, drew nationwide consideration, with the weird Fitbit proof and particulars of Richard Dabate’s affair with a lady who was pregnant on the time of the killing and later gave delivery to their little one.

The sentencing listening to included emotional testimony by Connie Dabate’s kinfolk.

“It permits us to get a bit of little bit of closure, despite the fact that it gained’t deliver Connie again. As a household, we are able to transfer ahead,” Connie Dabate’s brother, Keith Margotta, mentioned exterior the courthouse after the sentencing.

Dabate advised police a masked man broke into their residence, killed his spouse and tied him up. Police discovered him with superficial knife wounds, with one arm and one leg zip-tied to a folding chair.

State police mentioned Dabate gave them a timeline of occasions that conflicted with information on his spouse’s Fitbit, which confirmed she was transferring round for about an hour after the time Dabate mentioned she was shot. There have been additionally no indicators of a wrestle in the home, state police mentioned.

In his closing arguments, prosecutor Matthew Gedansky mentioned Dabate hatched a plan to kill his spouse and stage a house invasion as his life was about to unravel due to the affair with the opposite lady and her being pregnant.

LaLima has questioned the reliability of Fitbit information. He additionally mentioned Dabate’s model of the occasions was bolstered by unknown DNA discovered within the residence and a witness who mentioned she could have seen an unknown particular person or deer within the neighborhood on the day of the killing.

Greater than 100 folks testified in the course of the five-week trial.