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
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
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
Second juror dismissed from Michelle Troconis trial after comparing case to ‘Gone Girl’
A second juror in the Michelle Troconis murder conspiracy trial has been dismissed after reportedly comparing the high-profile Jennifer Dulos death case to psychological thriller Gone Girl.
Ms Troconis is standing trial on charges in connection to the murder of her ex-boyfriend Fotis Dulos’ estranged wife Jennifer Dulos, who disappeared on 24 May 2019. Investigators believe Dulos killed Jennifer in the garage of her home and that Ms Troconis helped him cover up the murder. Her body has never been found but she has since been declared dead.
Second juror dismissed after comparing Jennifer Dulos case to ‘Gone Girl’
In 2019, Fotis Dulos’ attorney alleged Jennifer Dulos faked her disappearance, which is the plot of the psychological thriller Gone Girl
Police lied to Ms Troconis about Jennifer’s blood being found
Det Kimball admitted investigators use a tactic known as “ruse,” and told Ms Tronconis that law enforcement had retrieved grabs of surveillance that showed a man removing a bloody pillow from a trash receptacle.
The detectives told Ms Tronconis that the blood was Jennifer’s - although that was never corroborated through DNA analysis.
“You need to start being honest with us about where Fotis was in the morning,” Ms Tronconis was told.
At times, Ms Troconis was seen crying as prosecutors played her interview tape.
Court is shown Michelle Troconis police interview
In her interview with police, Ms Troconis was read her Miranda rights before a detective asked her to help them find out what had happened to Jennifer Dulos.
“We understand that has been described as a person who may have the tendency to manipulate and control people,” she was told. “We need the truth, we need details.”
Ms Troconis and detectives went over her activities on 23 May and 14 May 2019, the day Jennifer Dulos went missing. Ms Troconis said she went to her daughter’s bedroom at night because it was raining and she was scared.
“Then the alarm sounds, I wake up and I go to our bedroom,” Ms Troconis said. “Fotis wakes up ... I get to the shower ...Fotis jumps into the shower with me.”
Prosecutors then asked Det Kimball whether Ms Troconis had said “Fotis hopped in the shower” with her, to which the defence objected.
“Throughout the course of the interviews, did the defendant always indicate that Fotis Dulos woke up in her presence and got in the shower with her,” Mr McGeeney asked.
Det Kimball said that Ms Troconis had changed his version throughout the three times she was interviewed by police.
Michelle Troconis trial: Court resumes for 10th day in Stamford
Retired state police detective John Kimball took the stand on Thursday.
The defence asked Mr Kimball about his interview eith Michelle Troconis in 2019.
Jennifer Dulos wore shirt with ‘Every day should feel this good’ (EDSFTG) slogan on day she was murdered
A long-sleeve, striped shirt shown in a Connecticut courtroom this week had turned nearly one solid colour after being soaked in what appeared to be blood, jurors in Michelle Troconis’s murder conspiracy trial heard.
The Vineyard Vines-brand shirt is believed to be what Jennifer Dulos was wearing on 24 May 2019, the day she vanished and was allegedly murdered. Her body has never been found.
The Independent’s Andrea Cavallier reports:
Michelle Troconis trial shown bloody shirt with cheerful slogan
Jennifer Dulos’s loved ones became emotional as grim evidence was shown in court
IN PICTURES: Michelle Troconis trial continues in Stamford, Connecticut
Video shows man removing seemingly bloody object from trash
The prosecution showed surveillance footage of what appeared to be a homeless man removing trash from a garbage can where Fotis Dulos had been seen discarding something earlier the same day.
The man appeared to remove an item with a large blood-like stain and then he put it back before walking away.
Trooper Brett Attmore, who was on the witness stand at the time, confirmed to the court that law enforcement has been able to identify the person, but details were not revealed.
WATCH: Nanny describes day Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos disappeared
Jennifer Dulos hired armed bodyguard before filing for divorce from alleged killer husband
The nanny who cared for Jennifer Dulos’s five children revealed in court on Wednesday that the slain Connecticut woman was so terrified of her husband, Fotis Dulos, that she hired an armed bodyguard to stand outside her hotel room while she filed for a divorce.
“She was afraid of what Fotis would do to her and the kids if she filed for divorce while they were living under the same roof,” Lauren Almeida told jurors in Stamford. “She was terrified.”
The Independent’s Andrea Cavallier reports:
Jennifer Dulos hired bodyguard before filing for divorce from alleged killer husband
Lauren Almeida testified that in 2017 Jennifer Dulos confided in her suspicions about husband Fotis’ affair
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
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.