The family of slain Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos issued a somber statement after her ex-husband’s girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit her murder.
‘Today’s verdict is a crucial attribution of responsibility, not a victory. There can be no victory when five children grow up without their mother,” said Farber family spokeswoman Carrie Luft.
‘This verdict represents the meticulous collection, analysis and presentation of evidence to illuminate a series of unconscionable crimes. That immense body of evidence also serves to highlight the gaps that remain in this case; the most important, that Jennifer Farber Dulos has not yet been found.
‘We have lost a mother, a daughter, a sister, a cousin and a dear friend. “Jennifer’s loved ones cannot bury her next to her father.”
Troconis, 49, was found guilty of all six charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence related to the disappearance of the mother of five in May 2019.
Michelle Troconis, 49, was convicted of all six charges, including conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence related to the disappearance of the mother of five.
Michell Troconis, 49, collapsed and sat with her head in her hands as the guilty verdict was read Friday morning.
Jennifer Farber Dulos disappeared in May 2019. Her remains were never found, but police believe she was murdered by her husband Fotis Dulos and that his new girlfriend Michelle Troconis conspired with him to help cover up the crime.
Troconis was convicted of helping his lover Fotis Dulos kill his wife in 2019. Fotis committed suicide before he could face trial.
The Farber family added: ‘Many questions remain as we approach the five-year marker. We are hopeful that the resurgence of public interest in this case may generate new and viable leads. Meanwhile, Jennifer’s grace, kindness and light live on through her children and the honor of her memory.’
The American-Venezuelan collapsed and sat with her head in her hands as the guilty verdict was read Friday morning.
The missing mother was in the midst of a bitter divorce from Troconis’s lover, Fotis Dulos, who was accused of her murder but committed suicide before his trial.
Before Troconis was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, the judge reportedly set her bail at $6 million cash only. She will be sentenced on May 31 and faces up to 50 years behind bars.
Troconis’ trial began in early January, when prosecutors argued that she helped dispose of Jennifer’s body in trash bags after Fotis killed her in her Connecticut home.
Jennifer disappeared on May 24, 2019, after dropping her children off at school, and her body was never found.
The mother, whose children were between eight and 13 years old at the time, was reported missing when she failed to show up for several appointments in New York City.
Because Fotis Dulos committed suicide before he could stand trial, the details of how Jennifer disappeared were left in the hands of Troconis’ conspiracy trial.
Prosecutors said Fotis attacked his wife in the garage of their home and put her body in his Chevrolet Suburban before driving it three miles away, where it was later found abandoned.
Later on the day of her disappearance, Troconis was seen with Fotis on surveillance footage around 7:30 p.m. stopping at several locations around Hartford, Connecticut, and the businessman was seen leaving several bags of garbage along the road.
Police recovered some of the bags several days later and found bloody clothing, zip ties and other items containing DNA that matched Jennifer and Fotis. One bag also had Troconis’ DNA on it.
At trial, jurors were shown gruesome images of blood-spattered evidence, including stains around Jennifer’s Connecticut home.
Surveillance video showing Dulos and Troconis “disposing of bloody objects” was among the damning evidence that led to Friday’s guilty verdict.
A ‘red spot’ on the grill of Jennifer Dulos’ Range Rover on May 24, 2019, the day she disappeared. Police who searched the house said it caught their attention and did not appear to have been caused by a deer attack.
Police also found a bloody footprint in the garage where they believe Jennifer’s body was taken.
Investigators said they also found red stains in Dulos’ kitchen, including on the inner tube of a roll of paper towels, on the sink faucet and on the edge of a countertop.
Also among the gruesome evidence was a blood stain on Jennifer Dulos’ Range Rover that was parked in her garage.
Jennifer and Fotis Dulos pictured before their murder and suicide.
Former State Police Detective Matthew Reilly testified that he saw blood stains on several surfaces in Jennifer’s kitchen, including on a roll of paper towels, the sink faucet and countertop, and in her garage.
Jurors were also shown photos of blood stains on Jennifer’s abandoned Chevy Suburban.
Blood was also found on the outside of a Range Rover in his garage, and officials found evidence of an attempted cleanup.
Due to the significant amount of blood that was apparently cleaned from the scene, it was clear that Jennifer had passed away; Judge William P. Osterndorf declared her “officially dead” while the trial was ongoing.
Troconis, a former ESPN anchor in South America, had been living with Fotis and his daughter in their Farmington, Connecticut, home, which the businessman had once shared with his wife and children.
After Jennifer was reported missing, Troconis was brought in for questioning, where she stated that she thought the bags seen on surveillance footage contained property from one of the homes Fotis was selling at the time.
Jennifer Dulos appears in a photo released by police when she disappeared
Fotis, a luxury real estate developer, allegedly attacked and killed his wife in their garage, but committed suicide before he could face the truth.
Venezuelan socialite Troconis (left with Dulos and right with her daughter) maintained her denial of any involvement in Jennifer’s death until her guilty verdict on Friday.
Officers also discovered what became known as ‘the alibi scripts’: two pages written by Fotis and Troconis that detailed their almost hourly activities on the day Jennifer was last seen, but did not include the time of elimination of the bag.
Troconis claimed they detailed their actions on the advice of Fotis’ attorney.
But his arrest warrant also alleges that he presented conflicting stories to police during three interviews about whether he saw Fotis the morning Jennifer died.