Michelle Troconis, the Venezuelan socialite who plotted to kill Jennifer Dulos, broke down in tears as the slain mother’s teenage son spoke for the first time at her sentencing hearing.
The 49-year-old former television presenter faces up to 50 years in prison. Stamford Superior Court heard heartbreaking statements from Jennifer’s family, including her eldest son, Petros, 18, on Friday.
Petros, who was only 13 when his mother died, said Troconis had “helped destroy” his family and “should be punished.” “I have been left with a void inside me that I know I will never be able to fill,” he said while paying moving tribute to his “hero” mother.
The sentencing will be broadcast live, but Judge Kevin A. Randolph prohibited the media from showing any of Jennifer’s children on camera. Instead, cameras showed Troconis breaking down in tears as Petros spoke.
Venezuelan socialite Michelle Troconis (center), who plotted to kill Jennifer Dulos, broke down in tears as the teenage son of the murdered mother of five paid a heartbreaking tribute.
Eviscerating Troconis, who has a daughter of similar age, Petros said: “Your Honor, I understand that sitting there is a mother with a child and a family that loves her.
‘My mom had that once. We had that once. She helped destroy it. That woman appeals to our sympathy under the pretext of being a mother. She has desecrated the meaning of that word to me.
“The defendant’s actions in conspiring to murder my mother have had irreparable effects on my life, many of which I am still discovering every day,” he added.
‘I have been left with a void inside me that I know I will never be able to fill.
‘The loss of my mother ripped me from the joyful innocence of my youth and made me face the horrors of the world at a young age.
‘I want to end with a lesson my mother taught me: leave everything the same or better as you found it. Michelle Troconis, you did the complete opposite and should be punished.
Jennifer, 50, was brutally attacked by her ex-husband Fotis Dulos at their Connecticut home as she returned from dropping her five children off at school, and her new lover Troconis helped cover up the crime. Fotis committed suicide before being tried
Jennifer’s eldest son, Petros, was only 13 years old at the time of her death. Now 18, he told Stamford Superior Court that Troconis had “helped destroy” his family. (Pictured: a photograph of Jennifer and Petros when he was a child)
Petros added that his mother was “everything” to him, but during their bitter divorce, “he became very bitter toward everyone, especially mom, because she was always trying to help me.”
“This meant that I hurt the person closest to me because I didn’t know how else to express my pain,” she said.
‘The defendant’s actions mean I will never be able to tell my mother how sorry I am for not being a better son when she needed me.
‘I will never be able to tell Mum how proud I am of her courage and, most importantly, how much I love her. This fact haunts me every day.
The sentencing will be broadcast live, but Judge Kevin A. Randolph prohibited the media from showing any of Jennifer’s children on camera. Instead, cameras showed Troconis breaking down in tears as Petros Dulos spoke.
Police say Jennifer was brutally attacked by her ex-husband Fotis Dulos on May 24, 2019. He committed suicide before the trial, but in March this year jurors found his glamorous girlfriend Troconis guilty of helping to cover up the gruesome murder.
‘There are feelings and thoughts that I will never be able to express again because my mom was the key to those parts of me.
“I’m upset because I will never know the man I would have become if my mother was still here to guide me.
‘She was my hero and now I often feel lost without her comforting smile and meaningful conversations.
‘I wish I could share my victories with her, but I can’t because she is no longer here. I wish I knew she was in the stands watching me play.
‘I wish I could come home and show her my grades and feel a genuine pride in myself that I only got from her.
‘I wish she could see me mature from a boy to a young man. She wishes she could hug mom again, but right now I can’t.”
Troconis rubbed his eyes and sobbed as he sat between his attorneys as they listened to the teenager speak.
Michelle Troconis (left) and Fotis Dulos (right) were living together in their Farmington CT home at the time of Jennifer’s disappearance on May 24, 2019.
Jennifer Dulos (left) disappeared on May 24, 2019, in the midst of a divorce from her husband Fotis (right), who was later charged with her murder. Fotis committed suicide in January 2020, leaving his new lover Michelle Troconis to face trial alone for allegedly helping him cover up the murder.
Jennifer’s mother, Gloria Farber, 88, who gave heartbreaking testimony earlier in the trial, said her daughter’s friends had been helping to care for her five orphaned children as “blended families.”
Gloria added that her daughter “lived in fear for her life and fearing that her husband would kidnap her children” during her final years.
Jennifer’s older sister, Melissa Farber, remembered her as a “beautiful, precious little sister,” a “talented writer, and a beautiful person.”
She also recalled feeling “shocked to the core” the day Jennifer died, even before hearing the devastating news.
“At 8.45am on May 24, 2019, I woke up with a start,” Melissa told the court. “I didn’t realize at the time that my sister Jennifer’s life was ending, but there was something in me that shook me to my core.”
The prosecutor criticized Troconis for “not showing any remorse.” The judge will sentence Troconis later today. His sentencing hearing continues.