Episode 121: The Murder of Connie Dabate
39-year-old Connie Dabate was a loving mother to her two sons on top of working full-time as a pharmaceutical representative. She was known for her kindness for others as she was often doing fundraisers and cooking meals that she delivered to her neighbors when they were sick. One of her children was born with a birth defect and had some additional medical needs, and Connie drove him to all of his doctors appointments. Connie’s husband, 41-year-old Richard Dabate, worked as a computer network administrator and was known for his “off beat humor”. They had been married for 12 years and were very different from one another, but by all accounts seemed like a happy and normal family.
On December 23rd, 2015, a firefighter responded to an alert from the home security system at the Dabate home in Ellington, Connecticut. He found Richard zip tied to a folding chair moaning in pain, and Richard told him that there was an intruder still inside the house. After calling for backup law enforcement entered the home and found Connie’s body in the basement with two fatal gunshot wounds to her head and chest, a gun that was determined to belong to Richard, and several items that appeared to have been used to try and start a fire. What they didn’t find was evidence of a break in.
From the start Richard’s story seemed off and inconsistent. As he was being loaded into an ambulance, Rocky the K9 that was brought on scene to search for the intruder continued to run to Richard. From his hospital bed he told police that a 6’2 male dressed in camouflage and a mask who sounded like Vin Diesel broke in, tortured him and shot his wife when she got home from the gym. He also admitted to having an affair that resulted in a pregnancy, but assured police that Connie welcomed this baby and wanted to help raise it.
Evidence pulled from the home security system, Richard and Connie’s phones and laptops and, most damningly, Connie’s FitBit, quickly dismantled Richard’s claims of the intruder as the time of his arrival home, emails, social media posts, and the distance Connie walked did not at all match his story. He was arrested for Connie’s murder in April of 2017. He posted the $1 million dollar bail and remained out of jail until the trial began in May of 2022 after many delays. While he was out on bail he spent almost the entire estate meant for his two sons, leaving them just $6.24 in total.
In court Richard maintained his innocence, telling the judge that he thinks of his wife every day and wants justice for her. Over a dozen of Connie’s family and friends took the stand to demand justice and tell the court what an amazing woman Connie was. Although the defense attempted to dispute the evidence from the FitBit, this ended up being one of the main arguments against Richard.
He was sentenced to 65 years in total for Connie’s murder, tampering with evidence and giving a false statement to police. Addressing Connie’s family, Judge Klatt stated “I can’t replace Connie in your lives, if I could order that I would certainly do it.” Richard remains in prison and continues to attempt to file appeals.
Image sources:
wtnh.com - “Testimony continues in Richard Dabate trial”
nbcconnecticut.com - “Arrest, But No Conviction, Four Years After Murder Stuns Small Town”