Week three in the Richard Dabate murder trial ended with some compelling testimony from a woman who mentions that she had an affair with him.
Sara Ganzer claims she was pregnant with Dabate's child when his wife Connie was killed.
Both the prosecution and defense asked her about their relationship and the communication the two had with one another.
Dabate and his defense attorney only offered a few words after a day of testimony that was centered around the contact and exchanges between he and Ganzer back in 2015.
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“We’re going to let the evidence speak for itself," defense attorney Trent LaLima said.
The two have known each other for 30 years and Ganzer said she and Dabate began a physical relationship in May of 2015. She said that she found out she was pregnant with the child a month later.
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Dabate is accused of killing his wife Connie in their Ellington home seven months later in December.
In court Friday, Ganzer was asked about the text messages and communication she and Dabate exchanged before and after Connie was killed.
“Prosecution, state, law enforcement, likes to get that information from those devices,” Quinnipiac University School of Law Professor Timothy Ronan said.
Ronan said different forms of communication are sometimes used in trials.
“The information recorded on these electronic devices, or in text messages, or on Facebook posts, is reliable to the extent that it can be properly authenticated," Ronan said.
Ganzer also talked about the updates that Dabate would give her about the alleged status of the divorce with his wife Connie. She revealed that she told Dabate to figure out if he planned to stay or go.
“I think we said from the beginning of this trial we don’t want to comment as the testimony that is coming in," LaLima said.
Dabate and his attorney continue to stay tight lipped about what's happening in the courtroom. Ronan said it's not uncommon for defense attorneys to do so.
“Perhaps he has chosen that he is not going to serve his client’s interest by trailing his case in the media," Ronan said. "It’s a situation where he may feel comfortable that the state’s evidence is something that he can deal with.”
Dabate has pleaded not guilty to murdering his wife and claims a masked intruder killed her. The trial is expected to pick up on Monday.
