Thursday marked day three of an Ellington man’s murder trial.
Richard Dabate, 46, is accused of killing his wife, Connie, in their Ellington home on December 23, 2015 and staging a cover up. He’s pled not guilty to the charges against him.
Now-retired state police Detective Jeffery Payette and his partner Detective Brett Langevin took the stand Thursday. Together, they answered questions regarding evidence and photographs of Dabate’s injuries.
The prosecution also played one of five hours of the recorded interview they had with him in the hospital in 2015.
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Payette told prosecutors there was “no opposition” from Dabate when asked to examine evidence, including his residence, his phone and DNA testing. Payette adds that Dabate didn’t appear to be “hiding” or “shielding” his injuries when speaking to law enforcement in the hospital.
After seeing photographs of Dabate's punctured wounds, a burn mark and lacerations on his hands, jurors got to hear Dabate tell his side of the story from nearly six years ago in that recorded interview.
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Dabate describes in detail that an intruder shot his wife with the couple’s gun, tied him up and manhandled him. The state has said Dabate shot his wife in an attempt to escape the pressure of alleged affairs and a pregnant mistress.
Langevin testified that Dabate told him about a woman who was pregnant but then changed his story, first saying it was a planned, co-parent situation because she couldn’t get pregnant. Later, he said the pregnancy was not expected.
The defense has yet to cross examine this detective. Dabate’s defense team has filed a motion to strike testimony from a doctor Wednesday who said he believes the wounds were consistent with being self-inflicted.
The trial will continue Friday morning where jurors are expected to listen to the remainder of Dabate’s interview with law enforcement.
