How did detectives solve Connie Dabates murder case using a Fitbit?

May 13, 2024

Two days before Christmas in 2015, Connie Dabate was gunned down by a masked intruder in her suburban Ellington home, as claimed by her husband, Richard, who was also present at the scene. Connie was found dead in the basement, while Richard was discovered in the kitchen with superficial injuries, partly tied to a folding chair.

However, the narrative progressively unraveled as detectives began to depend on a silent but crucial witness - a Fitbit fitness tracker that captured Connie's final movements, revealing a series of events that contradicted her husband's sob story. Other digital footprints were also used to incriminate the husband.

Richard Dabate was convicted last May and sentenced to 65 years in prison.

NBC Dateline's upcoming episode titled The Secrets of Birch View Drive, scheduled to premiere on Friday, January 6, 2022, at 9 pm ET, will chronicle Connie Dabate's murder case.

Connie Dabate's 2015 murder case was solved using a Fitbit and other digital footprints left by the killer

The investigation began on December 23, 2015, when Connecticut police arrived at the residence of Richard and Connie Dabate in Ellington, Connecticut. The husband recounted a scuffle with a masked intruder who tied him to a chair, demanded his wallet and credit cards, wounded him with a knife, and then fatally shot his wife in the basement.

However, compared to a timeline assembled using digital data from the family home, the story Richard provided to detectives began to fall apart. Especially when a Fitbit around Connie Dabate's waist showed that she had walked 1,217 feet around the home at the time her husband claimed the intruder attacked them.

According to Richard's version of the attack, he dropped their two young sons at the bus stop, returned home to pick up a "work shirt," and left for work at 8:30 am. Meanwhile, his wife was still at home, getting ready for a YMCA exercise class. As per the fitbit record, Connie Dabate left home at 8:46 am.

Richard stated that when he returned home at about 9 am to get his laptop, he spotted a masked man, around 6-foot-2, dressed in camouflage clothing and wearing gloves. He claimed that the intruder "manhandled" and subdued Dabate with “pressure points” before shooting his wife, Connie Dabate, with a gun he owned. She had just returned from her exercise class.

On the other hand, the Fitbit presented a contrasting series of events. Based on the data retrieved from the device, Connie Dabate walked around for more than an hour after her husband claimed the crime occurred. It was also revealed that she had walked more than 1,200 feet since returning home that morning, contradicting Dabate's claim that she was shot as soon as she arrived.

Additional digital evidence included computer records demonstrating that he lied about his location when he emailed his employer that morning. He claimed to have been on the road while he was at home.

Dabate also acknowledged to having an extramarital affair that resulted in a pregnancy, but failed to mention whether his wife was aware of the illicit affair or unplanned pregnancy outside of their marriage. Moreover, on the night of Connie's murder, Richard allegedly texted his lover, writing, "I'll see you tomorrow, my little love nugget."

Dateline will air this Friday, January 6, with an all-new episode on NBC.

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