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Post by pat on Jan 24, 2024 22:58:06 GMT -5
There's no way that woman helped Fotis Dulos get rid of all that stuff without knowing why. She knows what he did with his wife's body, so why doesn't she just cut a deal and tell where it is?
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jan 26, 2024 21:17:54 GMT -5
Prosecution Presents ‘Alibi Script’ to JuryAmong the evidence presented to the jury this week in the case against Michelle Troconis is what police and the news media refer to as the “alibi script.” The “schedule,” handwritten by the Defendant, is an hour-by-hour list of everything she and her former boyfriend, the late Fotis Dulos, did on May 24, 2019, the day Jennifer Dulos disappeared.
The timeline begins at 6:40 a.m. when she awakened and “took shower with Fotis,” then moves on to 7:10 when she prepared juice and scrambled eggs for her 9-year-old daughter, Nicole. According to her notes, after taking Nicole to school, she spent the morning running errands until noon, when she “had lunch with Fotis.”
The notations end at 5:10 p.m., at which time she “drove to pick up rugs and drove back,” in excess of two hours before she and Dulos were captured on video dumping bags of what turned out to be evidence in Hartford.
According to police, Troconis admitted she and Dulos made the list to help them remember what they did on the dates in question.
Prosecutors contend that on the morning of May 24, 2019, while Troconis was allegedly shopping and running errands, Dulos was lying in wait for his estranged wife when she returned to her rented home at 71 Welles Lane in New Canaan after dropping off their five children at school. What appeared to be blood was discovered on the concrete floor of the garage, along with a partial bloody footprint. Sources: Andrea Cavallier, The Independent, January 25, 2024, and Taylor Hartz, The Hartford Courant, January 24, 2024.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 2, 2024 17:58:32 GMT -5
Forensics Experts, others Testify at Trial
The judge adjourned the proceedings on the 16th day of the trial of Michelle Troconis at 1 o’clock this afternoon.
Earlier in the week, jurors heard the often graphic testimony of forensic experts. They also heard the testimony of Sidnee Streater, the woman who supervised the visit of Fotis Dulos with his children at the home of Jennifer Dulos in New Canaan on May 22, 2019.
Two days later, the mother of five disappeared and police believe Dulos was lying in wait for his estranged wife when she returned to her rented house after dropping off the couple’s five children at school.
Prosecutors contend that after killing Jennifer in the garage and disposing of her body, he and Michelle Troconis were captured on video disposing of plastic bags, etc. in Hartford. A striped shirt, bra and other items of clothing belonging to Jennifer Dulos were recovered from various trash receptacles by police. “I did the glycophorin-a test (on the striped women’s shirt) and it was positive, so therefore I could say human blood was detected,” Christine Roy, one of the forensic examiners, told the jury.
Defense attorney Jon Schoenhorn did not dispute the presence of confirmed blood but believes going through each item that came back negative, or was never confirmed, is a waste of time. “Testing everything else, having it test negative for blood or not confirmed as blood, is kind of a, in my view, … it’s just taking up a lot of unnecessary time,” he said.
Sources: WVIT and WTNH, February 2, 2024.
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Post by pat on Feb 2, 2024 21:18:34 GMT -5
For a trial that has dragged on for 16 days, there doesn't seem to be much happening.
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Post by kitty on Feb 3, 2024 13:06:59 GMT -5
For a trial that has dragged on for 16 days, there doesn't seem to be much happening. It does seem awfully dull for a trial there was so much sensation about.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 7, 2024 6:50:45 GMT -5
Interesting and Incriminating Testimony in Troconis TrialThings became more interesting in the trial of Michelle Troconis when Pawel Gumienny, a former Fore Group employee, was called to the stand. The Fore Group was the luxury real estate development company owned by Fotis Dulos. During the several years he was employed by the developer – beginning in 2014 – Gumienny, a Polish immigrant, became friendly with his employer and testified that until May 2019, he had always considered Dulos “a good guy.”
Gumienny admitted he was nervous as he told the jury that approximately a month prior to the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, he overheard his boss talking with an audio/video subcontractor about any potential cameras at his wife’s New Canaan home. Later, Gumienny said he warned his employer that cameras could be hidden anywhere. “She can record you with anything, just don’t do anything stupid,” he allegedly told Dulos.
As he swiveled from side-to-side in his seat, Gumienny, who was granted immunity by the prosecution, admitted owning a red Toyota Tacoma truck and recalled that during the week prior to May 24, his boss asked him to keep the truck at another property located at 80 Mountain Spring Road in Farmington, something he had never done before.
On the day of the disappearance, Gumienny testified that he drove his employer’s Ford Raptor to 61 Sturbridge Hill Road in New Canaan, the site where he was working at the time. Around 4:30 p.m., he drove to 4 Jefferson Crossing, the address in Farmington where Dulos and Troconis were living, but no one was home. This, he thought, was strange because his boss was supposed to drive him to his truck on Mountain Spring Road. He attempted to call Dulos, however, there was no answer, so he decided to drive by other sites to see if he could locate his employer.
Later, he found both Dulos and Troconis at 80 Mountain Spring and they seemed “surprised for a second” to see him. The two claimed they were cleaning windows, and he noticed Dulos had shaved his head “exactly the same way” he [Gumienny] kept his own hair.
On the day the mother of five disappeared from her New Canaan home at 69 Welles Lane, a red pickup truck carrying what appeared to be a bicycle was captured on a school bus video leaving 80 Mountain Spring Road around 5 a.m. Later, another school bus video showed what appeared to be the same truck parked on Lapham Road near Waveny Park, where the missing woman’s SUV was found abandoned. On that same morning – around the time Michelle Troconis claimed she was taking a “shower with Fotis” – a home security camera on Weed Street in New Canaan caught a man in a hooded sweatshirt riding a vintage bicycle – like one owned by Fotis Dulos – headed in the direction of the home Mrs. Dulos was renting. Police later recovered pieces of the bike in trash receptacles along Albany Avenue in Hartford.
A few days later, Gumienny discovered his Tacoma was no longer at 4 Jefferson Crossing, and when he questioned his boss, Dulos said he was having it washed and detailed, something he had never done before. “I just couldn’t hold it anymore,” the witness testified. “I told him, ‘What’s up with my truck? Why did you clean it?’ He smiled at me and said, ‘Because you were never going to do it.’” Then he told the jury Dulos admitted he had gone to the home of his estranged wife for Mother’s Day, given her a hug and also held a cat. Because he had driven the Tacoma afterward, he claimed he was afraid he might have left a stray hair or something in the vehicle.
When Dulos finally returned the truck to Gumienny, he urged his employee to change the seats, saying, “‘They look ghetto. Get rid of them. You should change them.’” His boss also suggested selling him his own Jeep Cherokee, offering him “a good deal.”
Gumienny also testified that when he returned to work on the Tuesday (May 28) following Memorial Day Weekend, Dulos commenced questioning him about his whereabouts the day Jennifer Dulos disappeared. He then urged him to create a timeline. “He told me to look through my phone and write down where I was that day,” the witness recalled. Thinking the request, “weird,” Gumienny refused, and Troconis advised him she was creating a timeline.
Two days later on May 30, he was instructed by his employer to go to a local junkyard and buy new seats for his truck, pay for them with cash, and he would reimburse him. Dulos then told him that if they discussed the matter by phone, he should refer to the seats as “hardware.”
By this point, Gumienny was suspicious. “I didn’t know what to say. I was shocked,” he testified. However, he admitted that although he didn’t want to change the seats, he was hesitant to refuse because he didn’t want to lose his job.
Eventually, he testified, his employer grew “scared and angry” at his reluctance to change the seats. “I just didn’t want to be hiding anything,” Gumienny claimed.
Of Jennifer Dulos, Gumienny said he found her to be “nice” and “friendly” and “a good person,” adding that in 2017 when she left her husband, she asked him “to move some stuff” to the home of her parents in New York.
The day after she vanished, the witness continued, Fotis Dulos called him to advise he had a new phone number, but failed to mention that Mrs. Dulos was missing and police were investigating. It wasn’t until the following day that he told him she had disappeared. “I don’t recall exactly the conversation, but said he wishes she is going to show up and it would show she’s not capable of overseeing the kids,” Gumienny testified.
The witness, who said he met Michelle Troconis in 2016 when he began working full-time for The Fore Group, admitted to hearing her refer to Jennifer Dulos as a bitch on two occasions. The first time was following the death of a family dog. Fotis Dulos claimed his estranged wife refused to allow the children to visit the dying animal, and when they were burying the pet, Ms. Troconis remarked, “That bitch should be buried right next to this dog.” The second time was after Mrs. Dulos disappeared when he heard Troconis say, “I’m going to kill that fucking bitch when she turns up!”Sources: Lisa Backus and Pat Tomlinson, The Stamford Advocate, February 6, 2024; Braley Dodson, WTNH, February 6, 2024; Liz Hardaway, The Stamford Advocate, January 30, 2024, and Pat Tomlinson, The Hour, January 10, 2020.
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Post by kitty on Feb 7, 2024 14:07:05 GMT -5
I suppose he shaved his head so that he wouldn't leave any hair at the scene.
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Post by pat on Feb 7, 2024 15:03:09 GMT -5
She's charged with conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution, and in my opinion, what they call the "alibi script" and this man's testimony proves that at the very least, she was an accessory after the fact. She knew she was lying when she made that timeline, and there's no way she would have done that without knowing what she was covering up.
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Post by snowfairy on Feb 7, 2024 23:44:14 GMT -5
So this wasn't just an argument that got out of hand, he planned to kill his wife. There's no doubt that the woman on trial lied, tampered with evidence and hindered prosecution, but there's a possibility that she didn't know he was going to kill his wife that day, although she should have known. People in love, or who think they're in love, believe what they want to believe.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 16, 2024 8:45:42 GMT -5
Witnesses Testify Concerning Custody Battle, Day of Disappearance
Yesterday (February 15), Michael Meehan, who served as guardian ad litem for the five Dulos children, testified concerning the custody battle between Jennifer and Fotis Dulos.
Meehan told the jury the impending divorce had an “adverse effect” on the relationship between Dulos and Michelle Troconis. Dulos, he said, had initially had no contact with his children but the order was modified to allow contact provided his live-in girlfriend (Troconis) and her daughter (Nicole) were not present. He added that while Troconis appeared calm but “down” about the restrictions, Dulos was “upset because the court didn’t grant immediate access between Michelle Troconis and Nicole and the minor children,” and questioned whether he could continue with the litigation because of how it was impacting his relationship with his girlfriend. Troconis, he added, said she “didn’t move here for all this.”
Dulos, Meehan continued, was “upset and outraged” over the custody report until May 25, 2019, – the day following the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos – when he sounded “very excited” during a phone conversation that day. “I noticed the tone in his voice to not be down or somber but to be excited,” he explained.
Dulos then asked about the children and when advised the kids had missed orthodontist appoints scheduled in New York, claimed he hadn’t signed off on the appointments. However, when Meehan checked Our Family Wizard, a service the estranged pair used to message each other, he discovered Dulos had been aware of the appointments.
Meehan further testified that Dulos told him he had been home the morning of his estranged wife’s disappearance and had meetings that afternoon.
When asked on cross-examination if Dulos lied a lot, Meehan answered in the affirmative.
Garrison Hudkins, who lived next door to Jennifer and Fotis Dulos, also testified, saying he and his wife purchased their home on Jefferson Crossing from The Fore Group. “Jennifer was a great neighbor, our kids attended the same schools,” he said. The two couples also belonged to the same homeowners’ association and socialized occasionally.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Jon Schoenhorn asked Hudkins if Dulos “could be condescending toward women,” and the witness said yes, adding that Dulos “was really condescending toward” his wife, which he found a little offensive.
The jury was shown brief clips of video footage from security cameras at the Hudgins home and the witness testified that he encountered Dulos shortly after Jennifer disappeared. “He had a shaved head, and I did not recognize him initially,” Hudkins recalled.
Dulos asked if he [Hudkins] had heard Jennifer was missing. Then he “asked me how long we retained our security video and to make sure it didn’t get deleted because he needed to prove he was there on Friday,” Hudkins testified. Dulos continued, telling him his attorney advised him to produce a chronological timeline of his whereabouts that day. Later, the neighbor added, Dulos called asking to review his surveillance footage for May 24 but he [Hudkins] wasn’t available.
Another witness, FBI Special Agent Kevin Hoyland, testified concerning how cell phone data is collected. Such data, he explained, revealed the locations of cell phones belonging to Dulos and Troconis that day, and one of those locations was Albany Avenue in Hartford, where they were captured on video disposing of various items.
Later in the day, Assistant Supervisory State’s Attorney Michelle Manning advised the court that prosecutors had received a note indicating that an individual who had been close to Jennifer Dulos spotted what was believed to be a custody report – that had been sealed by the court – on a laptop belonging to Troconis. Judge Kevin A. Randolph said if the custody report is “ being disseminated, and if it’s being disseminated essentially with the involvement of the Defendant,” the court would have to act, because “then it’s a violation of the court order and then there would have to be a contempt hearing.” The court is expected to address the issue this morning (Friday, February 16).
Outside the courtroom, Schoenhorn addressed reporters and members of the public: “This appears to be the trial of Fotis Dulos,” he proclaimed. “Almost nothing in this entire month that we’ve been here – more than a month now – has much, if anything, to do with Michelle Troconis. The entire case, at least 99 percent of it, is about Fotis Dulos’s conduct and notably, his conduct outside the presence of my client.”
Sources: Taylor Hartz, The Hartford Courant, February 15, 2024, and Marissa Alter, News12, February 15, 2024.
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Post by pat on Feb 16, 2024 11:58:55 GMT -5
I hate to say it, but he's right. Having an affair with a married man and bringing her minor daughter into the situation was wrong, and she obviously helped Fotis Dulos cover up what he had done, but so far, the trial seems to be more about what Dulos did and even if it's all true, it doesn't prove that she conspired to commit murder.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 18, 2024 20:55:38 GMT -5
Defendant Contradicted Herself During Police InterviewsOn Friday (February 16), during the testimony of State Police Detective John Kimball, jurors watched a video of the third interview of Michelle Troconis (above). Prior to delving into the interview, Assistant State’s Attorney Sean McGuinness showed the surveillance of 4 Jefferson Crossing, which clearly revealed smoke coming from one of the home’s chimneys on three separate occasions.
The interview itself took place August 13, 2019, and began with Kimball’s informing Troconis there were indications she knew more than what she was disclosing. He also told her there was “a lot of evidence” about which she was “not truthful” during her first two interviews.
During the third interview, Troconis claimed she saw the phone belonging to Fotis Dulos in his office at 4 Jefferson Crossing on the morning of May 24, 2019, however, in the previous interviews, she said she had not seen it and assumed Dulos had the phone with him. At one point, she said the phone rang – a call police claim was “pre-arranged,” – and Kent Mawhinny, an attorney also charged in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, prompted her to answer it. “I picked up the phone,” she told investigators, but the call soon disconnected.
McGuinness then asked Kimball if the Defendant had mentioned the phone call during her first two interviews and he said she had not.
Troconis also told investigators Dulos called asking her to drive the white Jeep Cherokee to 80 Mountain Spring Road and bring cleaning supplies, even though there was video footage of the Jeep and Dulos’s black Chevrolet Suburban driving one after the other to the location that day.
Troconis continued to contradict herself and at one point, Kimball, who by this time was clearly frustrated, showed Troconis photos of her friends and family, saying that even though he didn’t know her daughter, Nicole, he still considered her important. “I don’t want her to be without her mother, and I’ll tell you right now, the way things are going, I’m not feeling overly confident that you’re being truthful enough with us to keep yourself together with her,” he told Troconis.
Additionally during Friday’s proceedings, the prosecution argued the testimony of certain experts should be precluded because defense attorneys had failed to provide adequate notice of such testimony, thus encumbering the state’s ability to adequately cross-examine such witnesses. One of those experts, Elizabeth Loftus, professor at the University of California Irvine School of Law, is, according to Jon Schoenhorn, “probably the most preeminent expert in the country on memory and things that affect memory.”
Judge Kevin Randolph agreed with the state. “In this court’s view, it’s an ambush,” he said. “This case is about the credibility of the Defendant and the physical evidence. And the state should have an opportunity to cross-examine.” He then gave the defense until midnight to submit reports summarizing each expert’s testimony so that the prosecution would have adequate time to prepare.
McGuinness also asked that Marisela Arreaza, the Defendant’s mother, be ejected from the courtroom, claiming Mrs. Arreaza tapped her daughter on her shoulder to alert her people were looking at the information on the screen of her laptop, adding this was the second time the woman had interfered in the proceedings.
Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Manning added that the report of inappropriate information displayed by Troconis on her computer wasn’t the first time she had displayed information visible to spectators. For example, she said, during the testimony of a forensic analyst, the Defendant displayed an Associated Press news article with the headline, “Judge Finds Forensic Scientist Henry Lee Liable for Fabricating Evidence in a Murder Case,” for all to see. “The only implication to have that up is an attempt to either put that out in the press or for a witness to see,” Manning insisted.
Manning’s remarks prompted a response from Audrey Felsen, who also is representing the Defendant. This reveals “just how highly charged this trial has been,” the lawyer commented. She then admitted she and Schoenhorn had spoken with members of their client’s family concerning “inappropriate gestures,” and that Ms. Troconis did not bring her computer to court on Friday.
Randolph announced he would schedule a contempt hearing on the issue of the inappropriate material on the Defendant’s computer after the defense rests its case. “What the court is not going to countenance are competing pep rallies like you have in high school – the Defendant’s supporters and the state’s supporters,” he asserted. “This is not high school. The court is not going to become a hallway monitor.” He also warned if there were “efforts to communicate with the jury or a witness,” the offending party would be removed. Sources: Liz Hardaway and Ethan Fry, The Stamford Advocate, February 16, 2024, and CT Insider, February 16, 2024.
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Post by pat on Feb 19, 2024 12:22:18 GMT -5
I don't understand these people. Why would a woman with a minor child move into the house with a married man? And where was that child's father? Troconis should have known that nothing good would come of flaunting her relationship with Dulos while he was still married. She may not have known he was going to kill his wife but she helped him cover up his crime.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 24, 2024 15:57:11 GMT -5
Michelle Troconis Declines to Testify, Jury Hears Defense Experts
On Friday (February 23) Michelle Troconis, speaking through a Spanish interpreter, advised Judge Kevin A. Randolph that she would not be testifying in her defense. “You will not have another opportunity to testify, do you understand?” the judge reminded her, and the Defendant indicated she understood.
The jury was then brought in and advised Ms. Troconis, who is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution, would not be testifying. She is accused of attempting to create an alibi for Fotis Dulos on the morning of his wife’s disappearance, assisting in the cleaning of a pickup truck Dulos drove that day, and helping him dump evidence at trash receptacles in Hartford.
The first defense witness to testify Friday was Viorica Marian, a language expert at Northwestern University. She explained to the jury that people who are bilingual, like the Defendant (whose first language is Spanish) think differently. The interviews, she emphasized, were conducted in English, and while Troconis possessed “conversational proficiency” in English, she used Spanish grammar and at times, she was unable to follow directions.
Jurors also heard from “false memory” expert Elizabeth Loftus, professor at the University of California Irvine School of Law, whom defense attorney Jon Schoenhorn described as “probably the most preeminent expert in the country on memory and things that affect memory.”
“Memory doesn’t work like a recording device, we don’t just see it and record it,” Loftus declared. “Police introduce information into those interviews that is new info or misinformation and it’s a setting ripe for contamination of memory.”
However, during cross-examination, Assistant State’s Attorney Sean McGuinness cited details from the Defendant’s interviews never mentioned by investigators such as a coffee spill and intimate moments with Fotis Dulos, including the shower they allegedly shared on the morning of May 24, 2019.
McGuinness also questioned the witness’s credibility, citing her testimony and consultation in high profile cases, including, but not limited to, those of OJ Simpson, Timothy McVeigh and Harvey Weinstein.
“I think it is kind of an unfair thing to try to link the current accused, Michelle, with these people who are unpopular,” Loftus replied.
Sources: Ethan Fry and Liz Hardaway, The Stamford Advocate, February 23, 2024; Braley Dodson, WTNH, February 23, 2024, and WVIT, February 23, 2024.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Feb 29, 2024 17:40:29 GMT -5
Jury Deliberating in Troconis Case
On Tuesday, February 27, Defense Attorney Jon Schoenhorn continued his argument that the case against Michelle Troconis was built on speculation, conjecture and guesswork. “Police thought she knew what was in them [the garbage bags] but she didn’t know,” the lawyer claimed. He also criticized the tactics used by investigators during her voluntary interviews. “They threatened her. They scared her. They lied to her,” he said.
Prosecutor Sean McGuinness responded with graphic displays to emphasize what he disdainfully referred to as a series of suspicious coincidences. “Is it just a coincidence that the Defendant lied and said she showered with Dulos while he was actually en route to murder his wife? Is it just a coincidence that the Defendant lied about seeing Dulos in the office, once again while he was in New Canaan murdering his wife? This Defendant was undoubtedly part of this plan to kill Jennifer Dulos,” he argued.
The case was presented to the jury Tuesday afternoon and the six-member panel deliberated for a short time. On Wednesday, the foreperson sent a note to Judge Kevin A. Randolph requesting a review of the testimony of Clara “Petu” Duperron, a friend of the Defendant’s. On February 23, Ms. Duperron testified concerning, among other things, how often Dulos and Troconis used the fireplace at the Jefferson Crossing residence. It was the prosecution’s contention that lighting a fire in May was odd and that the fire in question was lit for the purpose of disposing of evidence.
This morning at approximately 11:50, the judge received another note: this time, jurors wanted to know if physical contact with an item was necessary for a charge of “tampering,” including the moving or altering of an item. Randolph explained it wasn’t necessary to actually touch an item in order to “tamper” with such.
The penalties for the charges against Michelle Troconis are as follows:
Conspiracy to commit murder, a Class B felony, could result in up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $15,000.
Hindering prosecution in the second degree is a Class C felony that carries a maximum 10-year sentence and a fine up to $10,000.
Conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence, a Class D felony, can result in a sentence of five years and a $5,000 fine, and Troconis is charged with two counts of conspiracy to tamper.
Tampering with physical evidence, also a Class D felony, carries a sentence of one to five years and a $5,000 fine, and the Defendant is charged with two counts of tampering.
If convicted of all charges and the sentences run consecutively, Troconis could face up to 50 years behind bars.
Sources: Braley Dodson, WTNH, February 29, 2024; Liz Hardaway and Pat Tomlinson, The Stamford Advocate, February 29, 2024, and Tony Aiello, WLNY, February 27, 2024.
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