Michelle Troconis sobs as police interview about Jennifer Dulos’s death played at trial: Updates
Michelle Troconis is accused of helping then-boyfriend Fotis Dulos cover up the murder of his estranged wife Jennifer Dulos in Connecticut in 2019
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Michelle Troconis is facing trial in Stamford, Connecticut for her alleged role in helping her lover Fotis Dulos conceal the murder of his estranged wife and mother of his five children, Jennifer Dulos.
At the time of her disappearance in May 2019, Jennifer – whose remains have never been found – was in the midst of a bitter divorce and custody battle with Dulos. Investigators believe Fotis killed her in the garage of her home and that Ms Troconis, Fotis’ then-girlfriend, helped him cover up the murder.
On Thursday, Ms Troconis broke down in tears in the courtroom as jurors were shown her first interview with police following Jennifer’s disappearance.
In the footage, she is heard claiming that she and Dulos were staying together that morning, and that he woke up in her presence and got in the shower with her.
Earlier in the week, jurors saw a bloodstained long-sleeve, striped Vineyard Vines shirt that Jennifer is believed to have been wearing on the day she was killed.
Fotis killed himself in 2020 after being charged with murder.
Ms Troconis is charged with conspiracy to murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.
Warning: Graphic images
What happened to Jennifer Dulos’ children?
Mom-of-five murdered, husband dead by suicide and his lover on trial: The Jennifer Dulos case
Michelle Troconis defended by her family at Jennifer Dulos murder conspiracy trial
Michelle Troconis trial kicks off with new bodycam video from Jennifer Dulos search
No presumptive blood found in Fotis Dulos’ truck
Det Matthew Reilly testified on 24 January that presumptive blood tests police conducted in Fotis Dulos’ truck – believed to have been the vehicle used when Dulos dump evidence – were negative.
Dulos was seen on surveillance footage driving the truck along Albany Avenue, stopping at multiple trash bins to dumb bags that were later found to contain bloodstained clothes, zip ties and ponchos.
Some of the items tested positive for Jennifer Dulos’ DNA, according to Dulos’ arrest warrant.
The truck was searched by police on 31 May 2019, and police used Luminol to search for traces of blood.
While several areas illuminated, police conducted presumptive tests but they came back negative for blood.
Michelle Troconis trial shown bloody clothes and tools dumped after Jennifer Dulos murder
A blood-soaked bra recovered from trash bins along with zip ties, gloves and a razor – also splattered with a “blood-like” substance – were presented in court as evidence that prosecutors say links Michelle Troconis to the alleged murder of Jennifer Dulos.
Ms Troconis, 49, is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. She’s accused of helping her then-boyfriend Fotis Dulos cover up the 2019 killing of Dulos, his estranged wife, whose body has never been found.
Michelle Troconis trial shown bloody clothes dumped after Jennifer Dulos murder
Prosecutors allege Ms Troconis was with Fotis Dulos as he tossed bags of blood-soaked items just hours after Jennifer vanished
Michelle Troconis included intimate detail in ‘alibi scripts’
Documents dubbed “alibi scripts” by police found at the Farmington home of Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis were read in court on 24 January.
Three photocopies – two of which outline the couple’s movements the day Jennifer Dulos disappeared – were found inside a black computer bag during a search of the home on 9 June 2019.
Ms Troconis previously told police that they had been advised by an divorce attorney at the time to write out the timelines.
The first document presented to the court mentioned sending emails to “Jennifer” and “Michelle,” a trip to Starbucks at 7pm in which she wrote, “West Hartford Starbucks ... Two frappuccinos ... I did not like the sandwich.”
The trip to Starbucks was made after Ms Troconis and Fotis Dulos were seen driving the route of Albany Avenue as Dulos tossed trash bags that police later discovered contained Jennifer’s DNA.
A second document was a detailed timeline that began with “take a shower with Fotis” at 6.40am, a description of an outfit and cooking scrambled eggs for her daughter.
The third photocopy appeared to be a call log which documented the incoming, outgoing and canceled calls and the duration of each one.
A fourth document, found in an office in the home, appeared to be the original version of the first photocopy.
It was dated 25 May 2019 and noted a meeting with an officer from the New Canaan Police Department and what vehicles “Michi,” “Fotis” and “Pawel” drove.
The defence previously asked the judge to ban any mention of the writing as “alibi scripts.”
Prosecutors clarified that they don’t intend to call the documents “alibi scripts” during the evidentiary portion of the trial, and also have advised their witnesses to call the documents “timelines.”
However, the state will be able to call the documents “alibi scripts” during closing arguments.
WATCH: Bloodied clothes believed to belong to Jennifer Dulos shown in court
Michelle Troconis trial: Key moments so far
Four years after mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos vanished without a trace, her late ex-husband’s lover Michelle Troconis is now facing a judge and jury for her alleged role in the case.
The Independent’s Andrea Cavallier explains the key takeaways from court:
Michelle Troconis trial: Key moments so far
Four years after mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos vanished without a trace, her late ex-husband’s lover Michelle Troconis is now facing a judge and jury for her alleged role in the case. Andrea Cavallier explains the key takeaways from court
Michelle Troconis trial shown ‘alibi scripts’ found at Fotis Dulos’ home following wife’s disappearance
Handwritten timelines detailing the alleged movements of Michelle Troconis and Fotis Dulos on the day his estranged wife Jennifer Dulos vanished in 2019 were shown in court on Wednesday.
The documents dubbed “alibi scripts” by police were found at Dulos’ Farmington, Connecticut home where he lived with Ms Troconis, who is now on trial for charges related to the disappearance and death of Jennifer.
Michelle Troconis trial shown ‘alibi scripts’ found at Fotis Dulos’ home
The 49-year-old socialite detailed her movements of 24 May 2019, which included starting her day with a ‘shower with Fotis’
Fotis Dulos created story of Jennifer running away as a teen
Ms Troconis told police that she believed Jennifer was “somewhere, I hope, hiding.” She said that Fotis Dulos had mentioned Jennifer supposedly once ran away from home as a teenager and supported herself with money from an inheritance.
Det Kimball noted that it was unlikely because Jennifer was a loving mother to her five children.
“Would you ever leave and go hide and not tell your 12-year-old daughter where you were?” Det Kimball said.
Ms Troconis said that while her relationship with Dulos was never violent, she was going to move to Colorado once Jennifer was found - alive, Ms Troconis appeared to suggest - because she was determined to end her relationship with Dulos.
“He never hit me. He never talked aggressively to me,” Ms Troconis said. “We have fights as couples, but I’m also very dominant.”
Police confronted Ms Troconis about Fotis Dulos
“Fotis lies to everybody, and the reason he lies to everybody is because he only cares about one person in the world - and that’s himself,” a detective told Ms Troconis.
“He didn’t care about his first wife, didn’t care about his second wife, and doesn’t care about you.”
“I’ll do whatever you want, but I didn’t do it,” Ms Troconis answered in tears.
Fotis Dulos told Michelle Troconis that Jennifer had mental illness
Ms Troconis said that Fotis Dulos had told her Jennifer Dulos had borderline personality disorder.
“And you got this information from Fotis? This is the man who killed this woman,” a detective told Ms Troconis.
A female detective in the room also confronted Ms Troconis for staying with Dulos even after Jennifer’s disappearance.
“Fotis, the love of your life. The man you sleep with every night,” the female detective said as Ms Troconis broke down in tears. “So imagine what he could do to you ... [after what he did] to a woman he was married to for a long time, who he had five children with, two sets of twins.”