VERNON, Conn. (AP) - Lawyers for a Connecticut man charged with murder in the killing of his wife have requested the judge move the trial because of extensive media coverage surrounding the case, according to court documents.
Richard Dabate, of Ellington, has maintained his innocence since he was charged in the shooting death of his wife, Connie Dabate, in 2017.
Dabate’s lawyers submitted a request for a change of venue on Jan. 14, the Hartford Courant reported Monday. If the judge declines, Dabate’s lawyers have asked that Ellington residents be excluded from the jury because they would prevent him from receiving a fair trial.
“The word-of-mouth rumors and gossip convicted Mr. Dabate in the eyes of that town without a trial,” one of Dabate’s lawyers wrote in a pretrial motion.
Connie Dabate was found shot to death in the basement of the couple’s home in 2015. Richard Dabate told investigators at the time that a masked man shot his wife and tied him up.
But state police found information from his wife’s Fitbit activity tracker that contradicts his story and shows she was moving around an hour after he said she was killed. Authorities also found that Richard Dabate had a girlfriend who was 10 weeks pregnant at the time of his wife’s death.
Dabate has been free on $1 million bail. He is charged with murder, tampering with physical evidence and lying to police.
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