Fitbit Data Unveils Shocking Truth, Leading to 65-Year Murder Sentence
So, here’s a question that might just keep you up at night—can your Fitbit really catch a killer? On December 23, 2015, Connie Dabate was tragically murdered in her Connecticut home, and while her husband Richard spun a wild tale about a masked intruder with a voice like Vin Diesel, tech had other plans. Enter the Fitbit, that innocent-looking fitness tracker which quietly logged Connie’s every move on the day she died, unraveling Richard’s story piece by piece. Sounds like something straight out of a crime thriller, right? The ‘Fitbit murder’ case has not only rocked the US but also became the centerpiece of a gripping documentary, The Fitbit Killer, now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Richard’s 65-year sentence and his failed appeal raised eyebrows about tech evidence in court—and the Supreme Court’s ruling? It’s a go. Sure, your smartwatch knows when you’ve been sitting too long, but who knew it could also serve as a digital witness in a murder trial? Talk about upgrading from fitness tracking to truth-tracking!
On 23 December 2015, Connie Dabate was murdered at her home in Ellington, Connecticut.
While her husband, Richard, initially claimed an intruder had broken in and killed her, it was later proven that he was lying.
The case in the US became known as the ‘Fitbit murder’ with a documentary releasing on Amazon Prime Video (15 September) exploring this.
The Fitbit Killer shows how Connie’s fitness device had tracked her movements on the day she died, contradicting Richard’s version of events.
He was sentenced to 65 years in prison for her death and last year, lost his appeal which questioned the reliability of the Fitbit evidence and whether the judge was wrong to have allowed it. The Supreme Court ruled that Richard was not deprived of a fair trial.
He maintained his innocence and was sentenced to 65 years. (Connecticut State Police)
During the original 2022 trial, jurors heard how he claimed a 6-foot-2-inch masked intruder broke into the couple’s home two days before Christmas while their two sons were in school.
In his defence, he testified and said the killer had a voice like actor Vin Diesel.
Richard claimed the intruder tied him up and tortured him and then shot and killed Connie.
The father claimed he had taken their children to the bus stop, gone back home to grab a ‘work shirt’, returning at around 9am when he was attacked by the intruder. He said his wife was still home and getting ready for a fitness class.
However, police gathered evidence which contradicted Richard’s version of events.
And in 2017, a spokesperson for Connecticut State Police told PEOPLE: “His story made no sense.”
Officers used records from various devices, with a Fitbit worn by Connie showing that she didn’t take her last movements until 10:05 – over an hour after her husband claimed he watched her die.
Fitness tracker evidence contradicted his version of events. (Derek Davis/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
She was also active on Facebook between 9:40 and 9:46am while Richard emailed his work supervisor at 9:04am to tell his supervisor an alarm had gone off at the house and he’d have to go back to check it.
And police sniffer dogs didn’t pick up the scent of anyone else in the house in the hours before Connie’s death.
Richard was found by police with an arm and leg zip-tied to a chair in the kitchen with what was described as superficial knife wounds.
Investigators said he had text his wife a year before her murder saying: “I want a divorce.”
Prosecutors said Richard wanted Connie dead, in part because he was having a years-long affair with another woman who was pregnant at the time.
Richard maintained his innocence and had claimed all three planned to co-parent the child.
A spokesperson for Connie’s family told The Associated Press following his conviction: “The trial was not about Fitbit. The trial was about the cold-blooded, planned murder of Connie Margotta Dabate.”
Richard was found guilty of murder, tampering with evidence, and making false statements to the police and given a 65 year jail sentence.
The Fitbit Killer is available to stream on Prime Video from 15 September.
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