Hartford, CT – The Connecticut Supreme Court on Monday, March 10, upheld the murder conviction of Richard Dabate, despite acknowledging “troubling” prosecutorial misconduct during his trial.
The case gained national attention due to evidence from the victim’s Fitbit contradicting Dabate’s account and resulted in a 65-year prison sentence for the 48-year-old.
In a unanimous 6-0 decision, justices ruled that Dabate was not denied a fair trial, despite four instances of misconduct by Tolland State’s Attorney Matthew Gedansky.
One of the prosecutor’s missteps included referencing the 2007 Cheshire home invasion murders while cross-examining Dabate. The court called the comparison “unnecessarily inflammatory.”
Dabate was convicted of fatally shooting his wife, Connie Dabate, 39, inside their Ellington home two days before Christmas in 2015.
Prosecutors said he staged a fake home invasion to cover up the killing, tying himself loosely with zip ties and self-inflicting wounds. They argued he wanted his wife dead because he was having an affair with a pregnant woman.
Dabate’s timeline of events clashed with data from Connie’s Fitbit, which showed she was active nearly an hour after he claimed she was shot.
The Supreme Court upheld the use of the Fitbit evidence, rejecting arguments that it was unreliable.
Dabate, who testified in his defense, insisted that a masked intruder with a voice like Vin Diesel killed his wife.
His attorney, Trent LaLima, expressed disappointment in the ruling and said they are evaluating further legal options.
