Ellington Murder Case Seems Headed For Trial

VERNON/ELLINGTON, CT — The murder case involving an Ellington man accused of killing his wife three years ago seems headed for trial, a clerk at the court said.

Richard Dabate rejected a plea deal during an appearance Thursday in Rockville Superior Court. A clerk said Friday morning no trial date had been set.

Richard Dabate has been free on a $1 million bond since several family homes were leveraged for the bail money in April 2017,shorly after his arrest. The case itself dates back to two days before Christmas in 2015, when 39-year-old Connie Dabate was found dead. The warrant by which Richard Dabate, who is now in his early 40s, was charged with murder, reads like a Hollywood script with an alleged home invasion gone haywire.

A 50-page warrant not only accuses Richard Dabate of having an affair, but getting a girlfriend pregnant and then scripting an involved story that included him being tied to a chair with an intruder "manhandling" him before shooting his wife.

State police bdid not agree with Dabate's account of what happened and, after what they called a "long and exhaustive" investigation, arrested Dabate several months later, according to a warrant. See the full story on Richard Dabate's arrest, including details on the arrest warrant, here.

Richard Dabate also came under fire after a probate court official said Connie Dabate had $76,958.07 to her name shortly after her death, but her accounts showed a balance of $6.42 in late October 2017. See the details here.

Richard Dabate filed a civil complaint against the probate court in November 2017 while defending the use of the funds to support the Dabate children, court records show.

In all, Richard Dabate has filed 17 court appearances between April 28, 2017 and Thursday, according to the case file at Rockville Superior Court.

Richard Dabate is facing more than three decades in prison, case records indicate.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel; State Police

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