Ellington Murder Warrant Reads Like Hollywood Script as Husband Arranges $1 Million Bond

ELLINGTON, CT — An Ellington man charged with murdering his wife is posting a $1 million bond by pooling assets from several family homes.

Richard Dabate was arraigned in Rockville Superior Court on a murder charge Monday. The 40-year-old is accused of killing his wife two days before Christmas in 2015. He is also charged with evidence tampering and making false statements, according to an arrest warrant.

Dabate did not enter a plea so the proceeding quickly turned into a lengthy bond hearing before Judge Samuel Sefrrazza. Prosecutors pushed for a $5 million bond, citing a flight risk on the part of Dabate and family "means." That drew gasps from family members in attendance.

Defense Lawyer Hubert Santos asked for the $1 million bond to remain and sharply denied the presence family wealth. He then said that five homes — including the Dabate house in Ellington, an aunt's house in Manchester and two homes belonging to cousins in Manchester can be turned into a real estate-backed bond with a total equity of $710,000. The balance would be paid for via surety, he said.

The judge then allowed to $1 million bond to stand.

The case was continued until April 28. Members of both families declined comment while exiting the courthouse.

The court appearance Monday in the latest chapter of a tale that reads in an arrest warrant like a soap opera or a Hollywood script. A 50-page warrant not only accuses 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, Connie.

State police begged to differ with Dabate's account of what happened and, after what they called a "long and exhaustive" investigation, arrested Dabate on Friday, according to a warrant.

State police remained even-keeled during the investigation, despite the Internet's keyboard cowboys essentially playing cop, judge and jury in accusing the husband of the killing. The details of that investigation were then released once Dabate was in custody on a $1 million bond.

It was 10:16 a.m. on Dec. 23, 2015, when firefighters first, then state police responded to a panic alarm at the Dabate home at 7 Birchview Drive, according to a warrant. They found Richard Debate with minor injuries, fastened to a metal chair with zip ties, blood leading to an area of the kitchen and blood also leading to the body of his wife, Connie Dabate, who had been shot, according to a warrant.

Both were 39 at the time, according to police records. Richard Dabate was taken to Hartford Hospital in an ambulance with blood stains on his head, shirt and pants, while Connie Dabate was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a warrant.

A .357-Cal. stainless steel revolver, later identified as Richard Dabate's registered Ruger pistol, was found nearby, according to a warrant.

Richard Dabate told state police investigators that he had dropped the children off at 8:10 a.m. and was eventually headed to work, while Connie Dabate went to the local YMCA for an exercise class, according to a warrant. One of the last people to see Connie Dabate alive was an off-duty state trooper who said she seemed to be in good spirits when heading back home after the exercise class was canceled, according to a warrant.

A warrant paints a picture of simmering marital problems fueled by an affair between Richard Dabate and a female acquaintance.

Richard Dabate said he had turned around and went back home after forgetting his laptop, according to a warrant.

That's when the twists and turns began to take shape, according to a warrant.

Richard Dabate told state police that he came home to encounter a "large" male intruder, dressed in camouflage and wearing a mask, according to a warrant. He said he was beaten up and tied to a chair, according to a warrant. He also told state police there was a struggle between his wife and the intruder before hearing the family gun go off.

He then said he managed to make his way, chair in tow, to his phone and call 911, according to a warrant.

A forensic examination of the house shows that there was no visible signs of forced entry into the home and some windows in question even had dust collecting in certain areas.

The initial police dog team found no signs of someone fleeing the residence and the dog at one point, circled the house and came back to Richard Dabate while he was in an ambulance, according to a warrant. Two other dog teams found no signs of an intruder fleeing the property, according to a warrant.

Blood patterns were not consistent with Richard Dabate's account of struggling to a phone while tied to a chair, according to a warrant.

The warrant outlines text messages between Richard Dabate and a female acquaintance, who was pregnant, according to a warrant. Richard Dabate initially told investigators that he and his wife were helping the woman have a child, according to a warrant. Text messages also showed Richard Debate telling the woman he was looking into divorce proceedings, according to a warrant.

One witness in the case, according to a warrant, said Richard Dabate came to visit the next day and instinctively said, "It wasn't me."

Another witness spoke of spending problems on the part of Richard Dabate causing tensions, according to a warrant.

An autopsy revealed that Connie Dabate died of gunshot wounds to the head and torso and the case was quickly deemed to be a homicide, according to a warrant.

An investigation also showed the Dabates' alarm system had been turned on and off on the day of the murder, according to a warrant.

Richard Dabate himself called the ordeal a "soap opera," during extensive state police interviews eventually cut off with the emergence of leading defense lawyer Hubert Santos.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel