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Homicide

Richard Dabate: Husband convicted in shooting wife in 'Fitbit' murder

Husband's testimony is contradicted by slain wife's activity tracking device

Rebecca Rosenberg By Rebecca Rosenberg Fox News
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A wealthy Connecticut man was convicted Tuesday of all charges for murdering his wife and trying to pin the crime on a phantom intruder – after his testimony was contradicted by a "Fitbit" activity tracker. 

'FITBIT' MURDER TRIAL: JURY GETS CASE OF RICH CONNECTICUT MAN CHARGED IN WIFE'S SLAYING

It took jurors less than four hours to find Richard Dabate, 45, guilty of murder, tampering with physical evidence and making a false statement for fatally shooting his wife, Connie Dabate, 39, two days before Christmas in 2015, according to the Journal Inquirer.

Connie Dabate killed by husband Richard Dabate

Connie Dabate was killed at her home in Connecticut in 2015. (Facebook)

His wife was wearing the activity tracker wristwatch and data recovered from the device allegedly showed she was leisurely walking around an hour after Dabate claimed she had been killed by a camouflage-wearing burglar. 

FLORIDA COUPLE FOUND DEAD 'MOST VICIOUS' CRIME POLICE CHIEF HAS SEEN IN 20 YEARS: 'DERANGED'

Dabate took the stand in Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, Connecticut, and claimed that he had left for work Dec. 23 but had forgotten his laptop and turned around to retrieve it. When he got home, he found an intruder in the house, who shot his wife, tied him to a chair and slashed him with a box cutter. 

FILE - In this Monday, April 17, 2017, file photo, Richard Dabate, center, appears with attorneys Hubie Santos, left, and Trent LaLima, right, while being arraigned, in Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, Conn. Authorities said Dabate told them a masked man had entered their home Dec. 23, 2015, shot his wife and tied him up before he burned the intruder with a torch. But the New York Daily News reported the Connecticut State Police wrote in an arrest warrant that his wife’s Fitbit was logging steps after the time Dabate told them she was killed. (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant via AP, Pool, File)

Richard Dabate, center, appears with attorneys Hubie Santos, left, and Trent LaLima, right, while being arraigned, in Rockville Superior Court in Vernon, Connecticut. (Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant via AP, Pool, File)

Prosecutor Matthew Gedansky argued that Dabate killed his wife to avoid a divorce after impregnating his mistress.

A device expert testified that it was highly unlikely the data on the tracker would be off by an hour, undermining Dabate's timeline.

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After the verdict, a judge hiked Dabate's bond from $1 million to $5 million. He faces a minimum of 25 years in prison when he's sentenced. The five-week trial came after two years of delays due to COVID-19 shutdowns.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rebecca Rosenberg is a veteran journalist and book author with a focus on crime and criminal justice. Email tips to rebecca.rosenberg@fox.com and @ReRosenberg.