Her Fitbit Exposed Her Husband For Killing Her To Cover Up Getting His Mistress Pregnant, But He Still Maintains An Intruder Did It
Connie Margotta Dabate was born in Rockville, Connecticut, graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1999, and worked as a pharmaceutical sales representative for Reckitt Benckiser.
Then, she and her husband, Richard Dabate, tied the knot on July 4, 2003. The pair settled down on Birchview Drive in Ellington, Connecticut, and welcomed two sons, RJ and Connor, into the world.
From the outside, their over-a-decade-long marriage seemed picture perfect, with Allie Clarke, one of Connie’s friends, calling Connie and Richard “a really solid couple.”
Yet, just two days before Christmas in 2015, the 39-year-old mother of two was killed in her own home. Richard would later be convicted of murdering his wife to hide the fact that he’d gotten his mistress pregnant.
On the morning of December 23, 2015, Connie’s sons, who were just 9 and 6 years old, respectively, headed out for school.
Richard later told police that he brought his sons to the bus stop before returning home since he’d forgotten his “work shirt.”
At that point, Richard alleged to have come face-to-face with an intruder in their home. He called 911, and once the police arrived, he claimed a masked intruder wearing camouflage had broken into their house, used zip-ties to tie him up, and made money demands.
Afterward, Richard alleged Connie arrived home early from her workout class at the Indian Valley YMCA, and the intruder shot her to death when she tried to flee to the basement.
Connie’s body was discovered by investigators in the basement of her Ellington home, with one gunshot to the back of the head and one gunshot to the stomach; meanwhile, Richard received treatment for “minor” injuries.
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As Connie’s death shook her family, the police were at a loss with Richard’s recollection of events. Both physical evidence, like no signs of forced entry or a struggle, and digital evidence conflicted with his statements.
“His story made no sense. So we had to begin a thorough investigation to get to the bottom of it,” said a Connecticut State Police spokesperson in 2017.
In subsequent conversations with investigators, Richard admitted that his marriage with Connie wasn’t as idyllic as it appeared. He reportedly said, “There was cheating going on in the beginning, on both sides.”
This revelation prompted the police to analyze Richard’s text messages, recovering records from the months after Connie’s death. He ultimately admitted to having an affair with a friend from high school and getting his mistress pregnant.
Just one day before Connie was killed, Richard also allegedly texted his mistress, “I’ll see you tomorrow, my little love nugget.”
Richard was arrested in connection to Connie’s slaying in April 2017. He was charged with her murder, in addition to evidence tampering and providing false statements to the police.
State prosecutors alleged that he faked the break-in because when canines were brought to Connie and Richard’s Ellington home, no scent of an intruder was detected.
Connie was also wearing a Fitbit activity tracking watch at the time of her death, which provided shocking evidence.
The watch’s data showed Connie had traveled approximately 1,217 feet between 9:18 a.m. and 10:05 a.m. on the day she was killed.
This directly contradicted Richard’s story, as her final movement took place about one hour after he claimed the intruder had murdered Connie.
Following his 2017 arrest, Richard was released for a brief period on a $1 million bond. However, he was convicted of killing Connie in 2022 in a trial that became known as the “Fitbit Murder.”
He was sentenced to 65 years behind bars and is currently at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution, not scheduled to be released until 2087.
Despite that, Richard continues to assert that he is innocent, and his attorneys haven’t stopped trying to appeal his conviction.
In October 2024, Richard’s defense team argued that he didn’t receive a fair trial and accused the prosecutor of impropriety.
His defense alleged the prosecutor failed to disclose evidence before the trial, asked Richard questions about other witness testimony, and violated prior evidentiary rulings, among other complaints.
“I don’t think there’s anything improper at all about using the defendant’s own words, in a prior inconsistent statement, to impeach his testimony once he testifies,” noted state’s attorney Nathan Buchok at the time.
There hasn’t been a decision made regarding Richard’s October appeal, which may result in both his conviction and sentence being reassessed.
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