Ellington Husband Accused of Killing Wife Searched ‘Poison’ Online: Court Documents

What to Know

Connie Dabate, 39, was found dead in her Ellington home on Dec. 23, 2015, when authorities responded to a burglar alarm at the home.
Police said Richard Dabate told them that he and his wife were attacked in a home invasion and a masked intruder shot his wife in front of him.
Police arrested Richard Dabate and charged him with murder, tampering with evidence and making a false statement.

The Ellington man charged with killing his wife in 2015 made several internet searches about poison in the months leading up to her death, according to a motion filed by a state prosecutor.

Richard Dabate told police an armed intruder broke into their home on December 23, 2015, attacked him and shot and killed his 39-year-old wife, Connie.

State police said they found enough evidence to charge Dabate with his wife's death, including data from her Fitbit. The evidence from Connie Dabate’s Fitbit contradicted Richard’s account of the alleged attack on him and his wife. He was arrested in April 2017.

It was four years ago this month that 39-year-old mother Connie Dabate was found shot to death in her home.

In a motion filed in Rockville Superior Court on Friday, state's attorney Matthew Gedansky said an examination of a computer in the home found Dabate conducted internet searches in July and on three days in September.

Those searches consisted of search terms such as: "deadly over the counter pill combinations," "ethylene glycol," "how much ethylene glycol is lethal," "fast untraceable poisen (sic)," "RICIN," "purchase RICIN," "RICIN recipe," "tasteless poison easily available," "how to use antifreeze as poison," "which antifreeze tatses(sic) sweet," among other searches, according to the prosecutor's motion.

The motion is a notice to Dabate and his attorneys that the state is introducing the searches as evidence in the case.

Gedansky said in the motion the evidence is admissible to help prove motive and intent, and helps corroborate the prosecution's evidence to "complete the story of the crime."

" Mr. Dabate absolutely denies making any searches related to Connie’s death. He looks forward to fighting these allegations against him at his trial," said Trent LaLima, Dabate's attorney.