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Police use murdered woman's Fitbit records to arrest her husband

Posted at 11:40 AM, Apr 25, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-25 11:43:20-04

ELLINGTON, Conn. -- A Connecticut man accused of murdering his wife in December 2015 may have never been suspected had police not consulted his wife’s fitness tracker.

Connie Dabate’s Fitbit records showed her last movements inside her home were nearly an hour after the time her husband Richard told detectives she had been killed by a masked intruder.

"To say it is rare to use Fitbit records would be safe," Lancaster, Pa., District Attorney Craig Stedman told The Hartford Courant. "It is an electronic footprint that tracks your movements … It is a great tool for investigators to use. We can also get the information much faster than some other types of evidence such as DNA tests."

State police were immediately suspicious of Richard’s account of the attack since K-9 units didn’t pick up any other scents and there were no signs of forced entry or the dramatic struggle he described to police.

The Courant reports the monthslong investigation relied heavily on digital records from cellphones, laptops, security alarms and Connie’s Fitbit.

Richard told investigators his life was “like a frickin’ soap opera” when they discovered early in the investigation that he had a pregnant mistress and had been discussing divorce options with his wife.

Read more at The Hartford Courant’s website here.