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Fitbit for the prosecution: Activity tracker helps convict man in wife’s 2015 murder

ROCKVILLE, Ct. — A Connecticut man is facing 125 years to life in prison after a Rockville jury convicted him Tuesday in his wife’s December 2015 shooting death.

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The case was aided, in part, by data pulled from the victim’s Fitbit exercise activity tracker, WTNH reported.

Richard Dabate was found guilty of murder, tampering with evidence and making false statements, concluding a five-week trial that garnered national attention, WTIC-TV reported.

According to WTNH, Richard Dabate maintained his innocence throughout the trial, testifying that a large, masked, camouflage-clad man shot Connie Dabate before tying him up in the couple’s Ellington home.

Prosecutors argued, however, that evidence from Connie Dabate’s Fitbit contradicted her husband’s version of events, showing that she moved around an hour after Richard Dabate said she was killed, the TV station reported.

Richard Dabate also admitted that he had been having an affair with another woman at the time of his wife’s death and that he lied about it to police, WTIC reported.

Following Tuesday’s verdict, Judge Corinne Klatt increased Richard Dabate’s bond to $5 million. He had been free after posting $1 million bail following his arrest and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 16, WTNH reported.