Aug. 19 (UPI) -- A Connecticut man has been sentenced to 65 years in prison for killing his wife several years ago, who was wearing a fitness watch that became a critical piece of evidence at his murder trial.
Richard Dabate was convicted of his wife's death in May, and for making false statements and tampering with physical evidence. On Thursday, a judge handed out his sentence.
Dabate shot his wife Connie at their home two days before Christmas in 2015 and tried to cover it up. Police said he was having an affair at the time and the other woman was pregnant with his child.
Prosecutors argued that Dabate's timeline was inconsistent with facts and surveillance video and GPS data built in to his wife's Fitbit watch showed inconsistencies in his story.
The defense argued that a masked intruder killed Connie Dabate and that the DNA of an unidentified man was found in six different places, including the handle of the gun that was used in the crime.
"I just feel this surge from up above," Cindi Margotta, Connie's mother, said according to WFSB-TV. "I feel this strength coming to me right now through all of us. She's here."
Dabate maintains that he did not kill his wife and defense attorneys promised to appeal the conviction.
