Michelle Troconis trial: Fotis Dulos’ lover in court over Jennifer’s murder

Following Fotis Dulos’ arrest over the disappearance and dying of his spouse Jennifer Dulos in 2019, his legal professional Norm Pattis threw out a wild idea about what had occurred to her.

In insisting his purchasers’ innocence, Mr Pattis – who went on to symbolize conspiracy theorist Alex Jones – claimed that the mother-of-five really orchestrated her personal disappearance in a Gone Woman-style plot to border her estranged husband.

Mr Pattis stated that the defence had discovered a “very darkish” novel written by Jennifer which mirrored the plot of the Gillian Flynn novel turned film, the place a girl faked her personal dying to border her husband for his infidelity.

“We don’t know what had grow to be of Jennifer however the Gone Woman speculation could be very a lot on our thoughts,” he stated in an announcement on the time.

He later claimed she had the “creativeness, means and motive to vanish”.

Jennifer’s household and buddies slammed his idea, calling it “false and irresponsible” and mentioning that her novel had been written 17 years earlier.

“Jennifer’s novel is just not a thriller. It’s a character-driven story that follows a younger girl by way of relationships and self-discovery over a interval of years. Like all of Jennifer’s writing, it expresses a deep eager for human connection and the should be accepted as one’s true self,” pal Carrie Luft stated within the assertion to CNN on the time.

“Attempting to tie Jennifer’s absence to a e-book she wrote greater than 17 years in the past is unnecessary. Proof exhibits that Jennifer was the sufferer of a violent assault in her New Canaan residence. This isn’t fiction or a film. That is actual life, as skilled each single day by Jennifer’s 5 younger youngsters, her household, and her buddies. We’re heartbroken. Jennifer is just not right here to guard her youngsters, and these false and irresponsible allegations damage the kids now and into the longer term.”

Forward of the beginning of Michelle Troconis’ trial, Jennifer’s household launched an announcement.

“It’s arduous to consider that nearly 4 and a half years have elapsed since Jennifer disappeared, and he or she nonetheless has not been discovered.

“Day-after-day, we miss her voice, her chortle, her mild demeanor, her inside and outer power, her perception, her steering, her dedication, her means with phrases, her love, her religion, her goodness. Many because of all who’ve helped to maintain Jennifer’s reminiscence alive.

“We’re relieved that the trial course of is underway, and we’re endlessly grateful to the Connecticut State’s Lawyer’s workplace for his or her dedication, diligent work, and assist.”

Michelle Troconis, 49, is going through fees of conspiracy to commit homicide, two counts of conspiracy to tamper with bodily proof, two counts of tampering with bodily proof and second-degree hindering prosecution.

She has pleaded not responsible, along with her trial set to start on 11 January.

The choose stated it may final by way of 1 March.

Simply weeks earlier than the trial was set to start, the choose dominated that prosecutors might not use proof obtained from a warrantless search of her telephone, the Stamford Advocate reported.

Her telephone had been seized on 31 Might 2019 with no warrant throughout a search of Fotis’ Farmington residence. Connecticut State Police Sgt Mike Beauton Jr testified that police wanted to grab it to stop the proprietor from manipulating or deleting any potential proof on it.

However state Superior Court docket Senior Decide Kevin Randolph granted a movement filed by Ms Troconis’ protection searching for to have it thrown out.

Whereas this marked a win for Ms Troconis, the choose additionally refused to have her taped interviews with police thrown out.

Within the interrogation video, Ms Troconis gave investigators her model of occasions on the day of Jennifer’s disappearance.

She stated she dropped her daughter off in school, ran errands and had lunch with Fotis at his Farmington residence.

They then went to considered one of Fotis’ properties to wash it, and went for espresso in West Hartford, she claimed. On the way in which there, she stated Fotis dumped trash baggage whereas she was within the truck. Ms Troconis stated she didn’t know what was within the baggage.

Her legal professional Jon Schoenhorn argued that the tapes ought to be inadmissible as she was pushed to reply questions whereas drained and was denied her fundamental rights – together with repeatedly asking for her legal professional, whereas combating a language barrier.

The choose disagreed, paving the way in which for the proof to be introduced in court docket.

After his arrest for homicide, Fotis Dulos pleaded not responsible and denied having something to do with Jennifer’s disappearance.

His defence legal professional, Norm Pattis, even urged Jennifer might have staged her disappearance to border Fotis – in a Gone Woman fashion plot.

Two days after his arrest, Fotis walked free from jail after posting $6m bond.

However, he was summoned again to Stamford Superior Court docket for an emergency bond listening to after the corporate that posted the $6m bond realized that two properties provided as collateral had been topic to foreclosures and a 3rd was overvalued.

On the listening to – 28 January 2020 – Fotis seemingly would have been despatched again to jail.

However Fotis failed to point out up in court docket.

Officers went to his residence and located Fotis unresponsive. He was rushed to hospital, the place he died two days later. His dying was dominated a suicide.

Fotis left behind a suicide notice, by which he continued to insist his innocence.

Within the notice, he “declared his innocence of the notorious and heinous crimes that the state has accused him of and claimed his attorneys have the proof to show it,” his attorneys wrote in a court docket submitting.

Jennifer Farber Dulos, the mother-of-five who vanished from her Connecticut residence over 4 years in the past, has formally been declared lifeless.

The declaration was revealed simply days earlier than her estranged husband’s lover is ready to face trial on conspiracy homicide fees in connection to the case.

Jennifer was final seen on 24 Might 2019 after dropping her youngsters off in school in New Canaan the place she had been dwelling within the wake of her contentious divorce and youngster custody battle with Fotis Dulos.

Just a little over every week after Jennifer Dulos was reported lacking, Fotis Dulos and his then-girlfriend Michelle Troconis had been arrested and charged with tampering with proof and hindering prosecution.

Investigators stated that Fotis had been noticed on surveillance footage driving to and from New Canaan on the day Jennifer went lacking, in a pickup truck belonging to considered one of his staff.

Footage later captured Fotis – this time with Ms Troconis using within the entrance seat of the automobile – stopping in Hartford, with Fotis seen tossing rubbish baggage into greater than 30 trash bins within the space.

Contained in the trash baggage, investigators discovered clothes belonging to Jennifer and plastic zip ties that examined optimistic for her DNA.

A blood-like substance with Jennifer’s DNA was additionally discovered within the pickup truck, in line with a warrant launched by the Connecticut State Police in September 2019.

The proprietor of the truck instructed police Fotis had later instructed him to switch the seats within the truck and obtained “pushy” and offended when he didn’t.

Ms Troconis, who was dwelling with Fotis in his Farmington residence on the time, instructed investigators that he had the automobile cleaned “as a result of the physique of Jennifer in some unspecified time in the future was in there”, in line with a warrant. She has denied realizing what was within the baggage Fotis dumped.

Then, on 7 January 2020, Connecticut state police charged Fotis with homicide, felony homicide and kidnapping.

Ms Troconis and Fotis’ pal Kent Mawhinney had been additionally charged with conspiracy to commit homicide.

Investigators stated they believed Fotis had been“mendacity in wait” for Jennifer when she returned to her residence after taking the kids to highschool.

Police consider that Fotis attacked his estranged spouse in her storage after which drove off along with her physique.

Jennifer, a 50-year-old New York native, was final seen alive on 24 Might 2019.

She and Fotis, who had been married for 13 years, had been within the midst of a contentious divorce and youngster custody battle.

Within the 2017 divorce submitting, Jennifer wrote that she was “afraid” of her estrangedh husband and feared that he may “retaliate by attempting to hurt me in a roundabout way”.

She went on to say her husband had proven “irrational, unsafe, bullying, threatening and controlling habits”.

On the morning she was final seen alive, she had dropped the couple’s 5 youngsters off in school within the rich enclave of New Canaan – the place she had moved with them since leaving the household residence.

Fotis Dulos died by suicide in 2020 simply weeks after being charged together with his spouse Jennifer Dulos’ homicide

She was reported lacking by her buddies about 10 hours later, after she failed to point out up for appointments and stopped returning calls and texts.

Her 2017 Chevrolet Suburban was later discovered at a park close to her residence.

“I’m afraid of my husband,” Jennifer Dulos wrote in 2017 court docket paperwork as she filed for divorce from husband Fotis Dulos.

“I do know that submitting for divorce and submitting this movement will enrage him. I do know he’ll retaliate by attempting to hurt me in a roundabout way.”

Two years later, the mother-of-five’s ominous prediction appeared to return true.

On 24 Might 2019, Jennifer dropped the previous couple’s 5 youngsters off at their elite, non-public faculty in New Canaan, Connecticut.

She hasn’t been seen or heard from since. Her physique has by no means been discovered.

Right here’s what we all know thus far:

Comply with dwell as Michelle Troconis’ trial will get below means in Connecticut