Michelle Troconis found guilty on six counts in Jennifer Dulos murder case
Michelle Troconis, 49, pleaded not guilty and denies any involvement in Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance and death
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Michelle Troconis has been found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder.
After 12 hours of deliberation over the past three days, the jury found Ms Troconis guilty on all six counts Friday.
Jurors were tasked with deciding whether the 49-year-old conspired with her former boyfriend Fotis Dulos to kill his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos, in Connecticut on 24 May 2019, and cover up the crime.
During closing arguments, prosecutors described Jennifer’s murder as “deliberate and intentional” and said that Troconis and Dulos “worked to make this happen”.
Jennifer’s body has never been found, but she has been officially declared dead – with police finding that she died a violent death at the hands of Dulos.
In January 2020, Fotis died by suicide after being charged with her murder.
Troconis pleaded not guilty and insisted she did not know Fotis 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 Jennifer disappeared.
Michelle Troconis’ trial is almost over. A jury will decide if she conspired to kill her lover’s ex-wife
Michelle Troconis may be held in contempt of court in Jennifer Dulos conspiracy to murder case
Michelle Troconis’ alleged comments about wanting ‘to kill’ and ‘bury’ Jennifer Dulos revealed at trial
What happened to Jennifer Dulos’ children?
When Jennifer Dulos mysteriously vanished in Connecticut over four years ago in the midst of a custody dispute with her estranged husband Fotis Dulos, her five children were left behind.
By January 2020, their father was also gone, having died by suicide three weeks after being charged with murder in Jennifer’s disappearance and death.
Within just eight months, the children – who were ranging in age from 8-13 at the time – had lost both parents.
What happened to them?
What happened to Jennifer Dulos’ children?
The five children were ranging in age from 8-13 when their mother disappeared in May 2019
VIDEO: Nanny describes day Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos disappeared
Who is Michelle Troconis’ friend Clara Duperron?
Michelle Troconis’ friend Clara ‘Petu’ Duperron testified on 23 February, and claimed she has information and evidence that disproves the state’s case against Troconis.
But after multiple objections, the judge did not allow Ms Duperron to explain the specifics of her claims.
She also talked about her relationship with Troconis dating back to 2017 and recalled their interactions on the morning Jennifer went missing.
Ms Duperron recalled Ms Troconis acting normal.
She also described Fotis Dulos’ reaction to a custody report that the defense claims negates motive for the presumed murder of Jennifer Dulos, because Fotis wouldn’t have done anything to jeopardize his chance to have his kids back.
ICYMI: Bloodied clothes believed to belong to Jennifer Dulos shown in court
RECAP: Michelle Troconis’ trial is almost over. Now a jury is deciding her fate
Nearly five years after Jennifer Dulos vanished without a trace, her late ex-husband’s lover Michelle Troconis will soon learn her fate for her alleged role in the case.
Here’s what has been happening in her seven-week trial in Stamford, Connecticut:
Andrea Cavallier reports:
Closing arguments in the Michelle Treconis trial to begin on Tuesday
Nearly five years after Jennifer Dulos vanished without a trace, her late ex-husband’s lover Michelle Troconis will soon learn her fate for her alleged role in the case. Andrea Cavallier explains the key takeaways from her seven-week trial in Stamford, Connecticut
Defence attorneys will file a motion for a new trial
Michelle Troconis’ defence attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, said he planned to file a motion for a new trial.
In remarks outside the courthouse Friday, Mr Schoenhorn said he was “at a loss” over the guilty verdict.
“Her whole family is devastated,” he said. “I truly just don’t see how the jury could have reached this verdict.”
A journey to get ‘Justice for Jennifer'
Since Michelle Troconis’ trial began, family and friends of Jennifer Dulos, along with supporters who had never even met her, have been wearing purple ribbons and clothing in court to raise awareness for domestic violence.
Many of the supporters are members of “Justice For Jennifer Dulos,” a Facebook page that started over four years ago, and has since grown to more than 1,000 members.
“If there were room for 1100 of us in the courtroom, we would have all been there everyday,” Shell Meador, one of the Facebook admins told The Independent.
Ms Meador explained that the admin team is a group of personal friends, many of whom were brought together by their individual experiences of having a loved one be murdered.
“For most people especially Connecticut moms, Jennifer’s story brought an awareness of wow...things like this do happen here,” Ms Meador said, “And the family court system in CT is broken in ways that are hurting children, hurting families.”
Creating an online community gave them a chance to share their stories and advocate for Jennifer — and heal from some of their own pain.
“For me, it’s always been about creating a safe, respectful place to raise awareness of a missing person, follow and discuss case facts of a justice journey,” Ms Meador said.
Andrea Cavallier reports ...
Women fighting for ‘Justice for Jennifer’ show up at Michelle Troconis trial
Jennifer Dulos, 50, disappeared in 2019 and has since been declared dead. Andrea Cavallier talked to a team of supporters — many of whom never met Jennifer — who have been attending the trial of the woman accused of covering up her murder daily
What to expect today as the jury continues deliberations
The jury in the Michelle Troconis trial have deliberated for 11 hours over the course of three days since closing arguments concluded on Tuesday at the Connecticut Superior Court in Stamford .
They have not yet reached a verdict.
On Wednesday morning, they sent a note to the judge requesting testimony from Troconis’ friend Clara ‘Petu’ Duperron – which they watched in the courtroom.
On Thursday, the jury sent another note with two questions.
“In order to constitute tampering, does the defendant need to have physically altered, destroyed, concealed, or removed an item or thing, i.e. physical contact?” the first question read.
They also had questions about the term accessory or accessorial liability and said the information never mentions those terms.
The judge told them accessorial liability does not require physical contact.
Jurors are expected back at court at 10am today.
Will there be a verdict today? Deliberations resume in one hour
Jurors are expected to return to the courthouse at 10am today to continue deliberating in the Michelle Troconis murder conspiracy trial.
For 27 days, the court has heard dramatic testimony about how mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos, 50, was allegedly killed in 2019 by her estranged husband Fotis Dulos amid a contentious divorce and custody battle. After being charged with her murder, he died by suicide in 2020, leaving his girlfriend Michelle Troconis to take the fall.
Ms Troconis fate is now in the hands of the jury who will decide whether she was involved in conspiring with Fotis to kill Jennifer and cover up the crime.
