Suspect in 1981 Darien Police Killing Faces New Assault Charge

Anthony Sabato, the Stamford native named as a suspect in the 1981 murder of a Darien police officer, was arrested and charged with third degree assault last month, according to Wallingford Police.

Sabato, 53, was taken into custody June 10 at his home in West Haven. He posted a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to make a third appearance at Superior Court in Meriden on Aug. 8. 

According to Lt. Bill Wright of the Wallingford Police Department, the arrest stemmed from an incident in August 2010 in which Sabato threw coffee at and punched a vendor at the Redwood Flea Market. Detectives identified Sabato as the suspect in May, Wright said, and later obtained a warrant for his arrest.

In 2004, Sabato was publicly named as a suspect in the unsolved killing of Darien police Ofc. Kenneth E. Bateman Jr., who was gunned down on May 31, 1981.

"He has always been considered a suspect," Darien police Sgt. George Vitone told the Stamford Advocate at the time.

According to the Advocate, the identification came after police learned that Sabato's alleged involvement in the crime had been detailed in a 2001 Connecticut Law Tribune column.

Darien police Lt. Ron Bussell confirmed Tuesday that the man charged in the Wallingford incident is the same Anthony Sabato mentioned in connection with Bateman's killing.

"We were up there," Bussell said of the arrest. He declined to comment on specifics.

Bussell is one of just three active members of the department — along with Capt. Fred Komm and Capt. Gary Pavia — who were on the force at the time of Bateman's killing, which is believed to be the only unsolved murder of a police officer in Connecticut history.

Around 3:30 a.m. on the day of the incident, Bateman was dispatched to Duchess Patio Restaurant on Post Road to respond to a silent alarm. Shortly after arriving, he was shot in the throat by a surprised burglar exiting through a side door. The patrolman was rushed to Norwalk Hospital but pronounced dead 90 minutes later. 

Police believe at least two people were involved in the break-in. But despite thousands of hours of police work and large rewards offered for information, no charges have ever been brought in the case, which remains an active investigation.

Sabato, whose lengthy criminal history includes burglary and assault convictions, has been mentioned on numerous occasions by police in connection with the crime.

He matched witness descriptions of a man fleeing the scene of the shooting, according to police, and was already considered a suspect at the time in a series of burglaries committed across the area.

Taken during one of those burglaries, the Advocate reported, was gun containing distinctive .38 caliber bullets that matched the type retrieved in Bateman's shooting.

According to prison records, Sabato was released from federal custody on Nov. 4, 2009 after serving over seven years on firearms and gambling charges. A plea in his current case is still pending.

Sabato could be not reached for comment.

Bateman's memory is preserved in many ways at the . In addition to memorial outside of police headquarters and bronze plaque in the department's lobby, scholarships are awarded annually in his honor, and Hecker Avenue was renamed Kenneth E. Bateman Jr. Way in 2001.

In May, an honor guard marked the 30th anniversary of Bateman's passing . 

Ofc. Bateman was born in Stamford in 1947. He attended local schools before joining the U.S. Navy, where he served on the U.S.S. Enterprise. After being honorably discharged as a yeoman third class in 1970, he joined the Darien force in 1973. He left behind his wife, Barbara, and his parents, Kenneth Sr. and Gladys Bateman.

Anyone with information pertaining to Bateman's death is encouraged to contact the department's Detective Bureau at 203-662-5330.