Michelle Troconis, Jennifer Dulos, Fotis Dulos.Photo:Patrick Raycraft/Tribune News Service via Getty, National Center for Missing and Endangered, Connecticut State Police
Patrick Raycraft/Tribune News Service via Getty, National Center for Missing and Endangered, Connecticut State Police
On Thursday, nearly four years after Connecticut mother Jennifer Farber Dulos vanished after dropping her five children off at school, the trial of the woman accused of helping her estranged husband cover up her mysterious slaying began with grisly video of blood stains in her garage.
Jurors in the trial of Michelle Troconis, 49, at Stamford Superior Court in Stamford, Conn., viewed police body cam footage allegedly showing visible blood spatter on the grill of a Range Rover that was parked in the middle bay of the three-car garage inside Farber Dulos’s spacious New Canaan Colonial on May 24, 2019, the day she vanished.
The footage also showed what seemed to be blood on the concrete floor of the garage and a partial bloody footprint.
Troconis, who was in a relationship with Fotis Dulos while he was embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle with his estranged wife, is also charged with two counts of conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence, two counts of tampering with physical evidence and second-degree hindering prosecution. She pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Fotis Dulos, Michelle Troconis.
They allegedly found the blood in the garage when they went to the house. “You can see a blood smudge on the floor to the left of the driver’s side door,” Officer Blank can be heard saying in the body cam footage. “It’s strange (given) that we have a missing person.”
When Stamford Supervisory State’s Attorney Michele Manning asked LaTourette what else was in a picture she was displaying for the court, he said, “Drops on the rear left on the concrete floor,” and “an area that appeared to be smeared as if it was cleaned up.”
Lt. LaTourette, who was a sergeant at the time of the 911 call, also testified that he found Farber Dulos’s purse and light spring jacket inside the home “between the mudroom and the kitchen,” he said. Inside the jacket he found a notepad and the key fob for a Chevy vehicle.
Blood Allegedly Found on the Outside of Farber Dulos' Abandoned Chevy Suburban
Now-retired New Canaan Police Sgt. Scott Romano testified that he saw what appeared to be blood on the passenger side of Farber Dulos’s Chevy Suburban, which was found abandoned on a road just outside of New Canaan’s Waveny Park on May 24, 2019. He was tasked with guarding it on the night of May 24, 2019, until it was impounded and taken to police headquarters.
He said he saw something on the outside of the car that “appeared to have been wiped.” He also said he saw “small amounts of what looked to be a blood-like substance on the lower part” of the SUV.
Jurors also saw footage from a neighbor’s surveillance camera showing Farber Dulos’s SUV leaving the street before 8 a.m. that day, returning at 8:05 a.m., and then driving away from the house again at 10:25 a.m. — never to be seen on that road again.
Allegedly Dumping Evidence of a Violent Murder
On the evening of May 24, 2019, Farber Dulos vanished, Fotis Dulos was captured on surveillance video driving around Hartford and other areas throwing garbage bags into bins, arrest warrants alleged.
He and Troconis were living in the family’s Farmington home in upstate Connecticut at the time.
The bags allegedly contained items with Farber Dulos’s blood and DNA on them, according to the arrest warrants.
Surveillance video allegedly captured Troconis sitting in the passenger seat while Fotis Dulos drove, police said.
She is also accused of helping him to write a timeline of their whereabouts on May 24, 2019, when Farber Dulos vanished, prosecutors said.
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Police interviewed Troconis several times in the days after Farber Dulos disappeared.
“Accountability and Answers”
The day before the trial began, Carrie Luft issued a statement on behalf of the family and friends of Farber Dulos, saying, “It has been more than four years and seven months since Jennifer Farber Dulos was murdered and disappeared. We, her family and friends, have waited patiently, understanding that the justice process moves slowly and deliberatively, especially given the disruption of a global pandemic."
Adding: “As this trial begins, it is crucial to remember who is at the center: Jennifer, whose five children have lost their mother and, as an eventuality, both parents. Jennifer’s family and loved ones have lost a loving daughter, sister, cousin, and lifelong friend. We do not seek closure, as nothing can bring Jennifer back. Our hope is that this trial provides for accountability and answers.
“As this trial gets underway, we ask that you prioritize and respect the privacy of Jennifer’s family and loved ones. Thank you.”
During a lunch break on Thursday, Troconis’s family spoke to reporters.
“For us, it’s a very important day,” Carlos Troconis, Michelle Troconis’ father, said, reportsCT Insider. “We have been waiting for this opportunity for more than four years. “We know that she’s innocent,” he said. “We are trusting that this is a fair trial.”
Troconis’ lawyer, Jon Schoenhorn, did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment. State prosecutors had no comment.
source: people.com
