The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Troconis: Trust in Fotis Dulos ‘a mistake’
In her first public comments since being arrested nearly a year ago, Michelle Troconis said “it was a mistake to have trusted” Fotis Dulos, but she does not know where Jennifer Dulos is or what happened to her.
Troconis’ lawyer, Jon Schoenhorn, on Thursday released an audio statement recorded by his client in Spanish accompanied by an English translation.
Troconis has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution
in connection with the May 24, 2019 disappearance of Jennifer Dulos.
Her former boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, 52, died in January from an apparent suicide while facing murder, kidnapping and other charges in connection with the
death and disappearance of his estranged wife.
“To those who are quick to judge people they do not know, let me say this: it is possible to misjudge others. Whether or not Fotis Dulos was capable of doing the things the police and prosecutors accused him of doing, I do not know,” she said. “But based on what I have learned in the last year, I think it was a mistake to have trusted him.”
Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo, who is handling the prosecution of the case, declined to comment on the statement. Messages left with Schoenhorn have not been returned this week.
Troconis’ statement referenced the anniversary on Sunday of Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance, and noted that in the past year, “people have said many things about me — some kind; some cruel.”
She said she was advised by lawyers to not say anything about the case, which was “very frustrating for me because there is a lot I would wish to say.”
“It has been nearly a year since I first heard about the disappearance of
Jennifer Dulos,” Troconis said. “As a mother, I am saddened for the loss that these five children have suffered, being left without both parents in such a short period of time.
“But despite the way I have been treated by the police, I know nothing about Jennifer Dulos’ whereabouts or what may have happened to her,” Troconis said. “I know that under American law, I don’t have to prove my innocence, but actually to me it feels that way, during all this time while under public scrutiny.”
During her only court appearance in February since hiring Schoenhorn, Troconis wore headphones so the proceedings could be translated into Spanish. Troconis was born in the U.S., but grew up in Argentina and Schoenhorn said English is not her first language.
Schoenhorn, who replaced Westport defense attorney Andrew Bowman on the case, has claimed a language barrier could have been an issue when his client gave contradicting statements to police during their investigation.
In a note left in his car on the day of his suicide attempt, Fotis Dulos proclaimed he was innocent of the charges and that Troconis and his former attorney, Kent Mawhinney, who is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder, were not involved in the crime.
Troconis is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 6 after several postponements due to court closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Schoenhorn has complained that the courthouse closure has further delayed discovery evidence being turned over to him.
According to arrest warrants, police believe Fotis Dulos attacked his estranged wife in the garage of her New Canaan home when she returned from dropping off their children at a nearby school around 8 a.m. on May 24, 2019.
Police said they found signs Jennifer Dulos was the victim of a “serious physical assault” based on blood evidence they found in the garage, arrest warrants state.
Around the time the New Canaan mother was reported missing, surveillance footage captured Fotis Dulos and Troconis in Hartford, according to arrest warrants. Police say the video shows Fotis Dulos dumping bags and an expired license plate that was registered to him.
The bags contained Jennifer Dulos’ blood and her clothing, according to arrest warrants.
When police searched the Farmington home Fotis Dulos shared with Troconis, they found what they have described as “alibi scripts,” according to arrest warrants. The former couple wrote notes about what they were doing at specific times the day Jennifer Dulos disappeared in an effort to “help them remember” their activities, according to the warrant.
But police said the notes included inaccurate information and mentioned witnesses who were later determined to be false, the warrant states.
According to the warrant, police interviewed Troconis on June 2 — one day after she and Fotis Dulos were first arrested — and “provided substantial amount of information which was selfcontradictory and did not bear up under the scrutiny of the investigation.”
For example, Troconis could not account for Fotis Dulos’ whereabouts until around lunchtime on the day his wife disappeared, the warrant said. Fotis Dulos’ lawyer had previously contended Troconis could alibi his client.