The husband of an Ellington woman who was found dead in her home in 2015 has been charged with his wife's murder and is due in court Monday, authorities confirmed Friday.
Richard Dabate, 39, was arrested on Friday, state police said.
Connie Dabate, 39, was found dead of gunshot wounds and her husband, Richard, was found wounded on Dec. 23, 2015, when authorities responded to a burglary alarm at their home. Officials said at the time that the couple’s sons, ages 6 and 9, were in school at the time. No arrests were made during this time.
After an extensive investigation, state police released new details on the case Friday. In the arrest warrant application, police said Richard Dabate told them that he and his wife were attacked in a home invasion. Richard Dabate stated that an intruder entered their home and shot Connie in front of him, using Dabate's own gun. He also claimed that the intruder tied him to a chair and stabbed him with a "box cutter or something" and burned him with a torch.
But according to police, Richard Dabate changed his story several times and it was inconsistent with evidence. Police found no evidence of forced entry or that anyone had fled the property. Investigators reported that the injuries Dabate suffered could have been self-inflicted, according to the arrest warrant.
In addition, the report details an alleged extramarital affair. Richard Dabate said he and Connie wanted another child, but couldn't have one, so he got another woman pregnant. The idea, he claimed, was Connie's in a way.
Later in the same conversation, Richard Dabate said that the pregnancy was unexpected and therefore, it was a secret.
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When police interviewed the other woman, she told investigators that Connie Dabate was not aware of the pregnancy and that Richard Dabate was going to divorce his wife.
The arrest warrant details a wide variety of evidence collected by investigators, ranging from physical evidence, to photos of the scene, to witness interviews, to text messages, computer records, and even records from a FitBit device that the victim was wearing the day of her death. This is the evidence that authorities believe give probable cause to charge Richard Dabate with murder.
Throughout the investigation, Richard Dabate maintained that he is innocent.
Richard Dabate is charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and false statement. His bond was set at $1 million and he is scheduled to appear in court on April 17.
