An Ellington man charged in his wife's 2015 murder appeared in court Monday and was released on bond Wednesday.
Richard Dabate was arrested on Friday, state police said.
Connie Dabate, 39, was found dead of gunshot wounds and her husband, Richard, was found wounded on Dec. 23, 2015, when authorities responded to a burglary alarm at their home. Officials said at the time that the couple’s sons, ages 6 and 9, were in school at the time.
Investigators allege that Richard Dabate murdered his wife. He has been charged with murder, tampering with evidence, and false statement. However, according to the arrest warrant, Richard Dabate claims his wife was killed by an intruder who also tied him up and assaulted him.
The extensive arrest warrant lays out Richard Dabate's conversations with police and suggests inconsistencies in the suspect's story. Inconsistencies in the report including: who had set the alarm, where Dabate said he was during the attack, the intruder and the attacks timeline.
It also details an extramarital affair that Richard Dabate admitted to police.
Richard Dabate's bond was originally set at $1 million. In court on Monday the prosecution argued that that amount should be increased to $5 million and that the accused should surrender his passport because the family has considerable means.
The defense argued that Richard Dabate had no prior convictions and that the family would need to sell five pieces of real estate to post bond. Bail was posted Wednesday.
Dabate's attorney said his client knew the police were building a case against him from the beginning and that he recommended that his client surrender himself to police.
"We knew from the very beginning that the investigating state police officers were focused on Mr. Dabate. And we knew they were making efforts to build a case against him," said defense attorney Hubert Santos.
The next court appearance is scheduled for April 28.
