In December 2015, Connie Dabate’s body was found in her own home in the town of Ellington, Connecticut, which seemed to be a quiet place.
Richard, who was tied to a chair next to his wife’s body, said that a masked intruder in camouflage gear had broken into their house and attacked them before leaving.
The horrible murder is told on NBC “Dateline: The Secret of Birch View Drive.” The show shows how information from the victim’s Fitbit led to a break in the case. Let’s investigate the murder further to see what we can find out.
How Did Connie Dabate Die?
Connie was only 39 years old when she was killed. She lived in Ellington, Connecticut. From the outside, it looked like her marriage to Richard and their two children was perfect. Connie was known for her friendliness and was said to be a loving and kind woman.
She never hesitated to lend a hand. Also, neighbors said that she and Richard seemed to be happy together and had built their lives around their children. So, no one knew about the sudden tragedy that was going to happen to the Dabates.
On December 23, 2015, police got a call about a possible robbery and murder in Ellington. When they got there, they found Connie lying on the floor, not moving. Richard, her husband, was tied to a chair next to her body.
Connie Dabate was all about the fun. But on the morning of December 23, 2015, there was only chaos at Connie’s house… Her story tonight at 9/8c on an all-new 2-hour #Dateline. pic.twitter.com/6j5eSxegwO
— Dateline NBC (@DatelineNBC) January 6, 2023
When the police freed him, he told them that a man in a mask and camouflage clothes had broken into their house and demanded his wallet, keys, and money.
Even though Richard said that the man did what he asked, the man is said to have shot his wife twice before running away. The autopsy reports showed that Connie had been shot in the stomach and the back of the head, which backs up what he said. But the police were surprised that there were no signs of forced entry. This meant that Connie knew who killed her.
Who Is Responsible for Connie Dabate’s Murder?
At first, the police believed Richard’s story about a man in a mask breaking into his house. They even searched the area for such a man. Even though the intruder wasn’t caught on CCTV, Richard kept changing his story and telling the police crazy things every time the police questioned him.
Also, the couple’s neighborhood was thought to be pretty safe, and the couple’s neighbors said they had never seen a masked man on the night of the murder.
So, when Richard became a suspect in the murder, the police started looking into him. They soon found that he had bought a .357 Magnum, the same gun used to kill Connie, about two months before she died.
On the other hand, the police found Sara Ganzer, who was pregnant with his child. Richard said she was a surrogate mother, but detectives found out they were having an affair and that he was sending flowers and gifts to his girlfriend with a separate credit card.
After doing more research, the police also found out that Richard had tried to cash in Connie’s life insurance policy days after she died and had also taken out a huge amount of money from one of her investment accounts.
After an apparent brazen home invasion in a quiet Connecticut community leaves Connie Dabate dead, investigators discover a silent witness that cracks the case wide open. An all-new #Dateline Friday at 9pm on @NBC10Boston. pic.twitter.com/cPJBiILTL7
— NECN (@NECN) January 5, 2023
But the final piece of evidence was a Fitbit watch that Connie was wearing when she was killed. With the information from Connie’s Fitbit watch, police were able to figure out exactly where she was. Also, they compared the data to what Richard said at first and found many differences.
First of all, Connie was at home and free to move around when her house was broken into. The police also found that Connie, who was 39 at the time, was still alive long after her husband said she had died. On top of that, the police used information from the couple’s laptop and security system to confirm that the whole home invasion was faked.
Richard’s story turned out to be false, so the police questioned him again. This time, he refused to take any blame and said he was innocent. Even so, the police thought they had enough evidence to arrest him and charge him with killing Connie.
Even though Richard was arrested for murder, tampering with evidence, and giving the police false information in April 2017, his trial kept getting pushed back. Richard was finally brought to court in April 2022.
He said he was innocent, but the jury didn’t believe him and found him guilty of murder. Because of this, he was given a prison sentence of 65 years in May of the same year… Follow us only on Lee Daily for more news like this.
