Court: Michelle Troconis to stay on GPS monitoring
STAMFORD — Michelle Troconis will remain on GPS monitoring as she faces charges in the death and disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, the state Appellate Court ruled this week.
The Appellate Court denied the request after Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Ronald Weller filed an 11-page brief opposing the removal of the GPS monitor. In his filing, Weller cited Superior Court Judge John Blawie denying the same request during an Aug. 28 hearing.
However, Blawie did loosen other restrictions, including taking Troconis off house arrest and removing her curfew, Weller said.
“In sum, the trial court’s ruling was not only well within its discretion, but was thoughtful and crafted to legitimate concerns,” Weller said. “The reasonableness of the court’s ruling is particularly evident given that the petitioner is not incarcerated, and now is no longer subject to house arrest, curfew, intensive pretrial supervision, and the requirement that she report to a probation officer.”
Defense attorney Jon Schoenhorn has argued that his client should no longer have non-financial conditions attached to her release on $2.1 million bond. Schoenhorn argued his client has not had any issues while under supervision since she was first arrested in the case in June 2019.
Schoenhorn also contended the GPS unit hampered his client’s ability to participate in her own defense by revealing her locations to probation officers who were monitoring the device.
“In sum, the trial court’s ruling was not only well within its discretion, but was thoughtful and crafted to legitimate concerns. The reasonableness of the court’s ruling is particularly evident given that the petitioner is not incarcerated, and now is no longer subject to house arrest, curfew, intensive pretrial supervision, and the requirement that she report to a probation officer.” Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Ronald Weller
Schoenhorn filed a series of motions, most of them related to bond restrictions, since he was hired to represent Troconis in February. However, the motions were not heard until Aug. 28 due to court closures related to the coronavirus pandemic. Schoenhorn tried twice to get the Appellate Court to hear the motions and order the Judicial Branch to schedule a court date for his client.
Schoenhorn was successful in getting the Appellate Court to order the Judicial Branch to schedule a hearing for Aug. 28. But after Blawie denied removing Troconis’ GPS device, Schoenhorn again turned to the Appellate Court to review the judge’s ruling.
Troconis is accused of helping her former boyfriend Fotis Dulos dispose of bloody items that contained the DNA of his estranged wife the night she vanished.
Fotis Dulos faced murder, kidnapping and other charges when he died from an apparent suicide on Jan. 30.
Attorney Kent Mawhinney, a longtime friend of Fotis Dulos, was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the case. He is being held on $2 million bond.
Troconis has a court date on Nov. 13, while Mahwinney is scheduled to appear on Dec. 24. Both have pleaded not guilty to the charges.