Stamford, Conn./AP - Michelle Troconis insists she did not know her boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, was
doing anything nefarious as she watched him toss garbage bags into random bins,
or as she helped him write up a timeline of their whereabouts on the day his
estranged wife disappeared.
Those actions, authorities allege, were taken to cover up the killing of
Jennifer Dulos, who they say was attacked at her home in wealthy New Canaan,
Connecticut, on May 24, 2019, after dropping their five children off at school.
Her body has never been found and Fotis Dulos, the main suspect, died by suicide
shortly after being charged with murdering her in January 2020.
More than four years later, Troconis is set to go on trial Thursday, accused of
helping in an alleged coverup and facing criminal charges including conspiracy
to commit murder, evidence tampering and hindering prosecution. She has pleaded
not guilty and maintained she does not know what happened to Jennifer Dulos or
where her body might be.
"It's been 4 1/2 years since I was wrongly accused," Troconis wrote in a
posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, in October. "I have faith in Justice
and the jury system."
Troconis' lawyer, Jon Schoenhorn, did not return messages seeking comment.
State prosecutors were not commenting ahead of the trial, a spokesperson said.
The disappearance of Jennifer Dulos drew international attention and was the
subject of a made-for-TV movie. She was a member of a wealthy New York family
whose father, the late Hilliard Farber, founded his own brokerage firm. Fotis
Dulos, who denied any role in the killing, was a luxury home builder originally
from Greece.
Troconis, 49, a dual American and Venezuelan citizen, has described herself as
a co-founder of horse riding therapy programs in different parts of the world
who once had her own TV production company in Argentina and hosted a snow sports
show for ESPN South America.
At the time of Jennifer Dulos' disappearance, Troconis and her daughter were
living with Fotis Dulos in the Farmington, Connecticut, home he once shared with
his wife and children. Fotis and Jennifer Dulos were going through bitter
divorce and child custody court proceedings, and police said in arrest warrants
that Fotis Dolus was $7 million in debt.
State police believe Fotis Dulos drove an employee's pickup truck to New
Canaan, rode a bicycle to Jennifer Dulos' home and attacked her in the garage
when she got back from dropping the children off at school. He then put her in
her SUV and drove off, police said.
What happened next has never been made clear. The SUV was found abandoned at a
park in New Canaan. Police searched the park and several other locations, but
never found Jennifer Dulos' body.
Police said they found a bloody scene in Jennifer Dulos' garage and evidence of
an attempted cleanup. Officials said the amount of blood made it apparent she
could not have survived such injuries.
That evening, Fotis Dulos and Troconis were recorded on city video cameras in
Hartford stopping at several locations, with Dulos getting out of his pickup
truck and disposing of garbage bags as Troconis sat in the cab.
Police recovered some of the bags several days later after seizing Fotis Dulos'
cellphone and obtaining its location information and city video footage. In the
bags, investigators said they found clothing, zip ties and other items
containing Jennifer Dulos' DNA. Some of the items had blood on them, police
said. Other items had Fotis Dulos' DNA on them.
And one bag had DNA from both estranged spouses as well as Troconis on it,
authorities said.
Troconis later told police she had no idea what was in the bags. She has said
she thought they were from one of the homes Fotis Dulos was selling.
Police said they also found what they dubbed "the alibi script" - two pages
written by Dulos and Troconis that detailed their activities on a nearly hourly
basis the day Jennifer Dulos was last seen and the day after, but did not
include the time in Hartford when the garbage bags were being disposed.
Troconis told police she and Fotis Dulos wrote down their actions for the two
days at the direction of Dulos' lawyer.
The arrest warrant accusing Troconis of conspiracy to commit murder also
alleges she presented conflicting stories to police during three interviews
about whether she saw Dulos at the Farmington home the day police believe he
killed his wife.
That morning, he was scheduled to have a meeting with Kent Mawhinney, his
friend and lawyer, according to arrest warrants, but Mawhinney told police they
did not actually meet. Mawhinney was also charged with conspiracy to commit
murder and awaits trial. He has pleaded not guilty.
Schoenhorn, Troconis' lawyer, has accused police of lying to and misleading
Troconis during the interviews, and questioning her in English with no
interpreter present when her primary language is Spanish.
Schoenhorn has challenged much of the evidence in the case. Judge Kevin
Randolph recently ruled the police seizure of Troconis' cellphone was illegal
and any evidence obtained from it cannot be used during the trial. But Randolph
allowed other evidence Schoenhorn sought to bar, including video of the police
questioning of Troconis and DNA test results.
Jennifer Dulos' family and friends hope the trial provides accountability for
her death and answers to lingering questions.
"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," said her friend Carrie Luft, in a statement on behalf of family
and friends. "Jennifer's family and loved ones have lost a loving daughter,
sister, cousin, and lifelong friend."
In October, a state probate judge declared Jennifer Dulos dead, citing
extensive searches that have come up empty, evidence from her home and relatives
having no contact with her since she disappeared.
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