The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Troconis’ family says she’s innocent
Relatives speak during television interview
The family of Michelle Troconis claims she had nothing to do with the disappearance and death of her former boyfriend’s estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos, in a television interview.
When asked in the interview, set to air Saturday, if Troconis knew where the body was located, her sister said: “My sister is innocent. Absolutely not.”
The interview, part of an hourlong program on 48 Hours focusing on Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance, is the first time the family has publicly addressed the media since Troconis was arrested in 2019.
Troconis, 46, remains free on $2.1 million bond after pleading not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.
Fotis Dulos, her former boyfriend, died from a suicide last January while facing murder, kidnapping and other charges in connection with Jennifer Dulos’ death and disappearance.
Troconis’ family has been by her side at dozens of court appearances since her first arrest on June 6, 2019, for tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. Though they have joined her attorney when he has addressed the media, they have never spoken publicly about the case.
Her attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, has filed at least two motions in recent weeks seeking to have the some of those charges dropped, calling into question the evidence used by state police investigators in her arrest.
In one of his latest motions, filed last week, Schoenhorn provided excerpts of hours of videorecorded interviews between Troconis and state police detective in which she repeatedly denies knowledge of Dulos whereabouts and says she was not involved in the disappearance.
“I have no idea what happened to Jennifer. I have no idea where Jennifer is and that’s 100 percent.” Troconis told state police detectives in a excerpt of an Aug. 13, 2019, interview.
In an earlier interview with investigators, Troconis, clearly upset, offered to help investigators look for Jennifer Dulos, but claims she was not involved.
“I can spend a month with you guys. I can do whatever you want, but I didn’t do it,” Troconis told state police as she was being questioned on June 6, 2019.
Schoenhorn filed the video clips with the motion, he said, in an effort to show state police detectives had a “reckless disregard” for facts and evidence when drafting arrest warrant affidavits for Troconis.
Schoenhorn included surveillance footage from Hartford that he believes refutes accusations by state police investigators in the affidavits that Troconis participated in the disposal of key evidence connected to Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance.
Jennifer Dulos has been missing since May 24, 2019, when, police say, Fotis Dulos was “lying in wait” at her New Canan home as she returned from dropping their five children off at school, an arrest warrant reads.
She was presumed dead based on the evidence found by investigators including blood in the garage of the home. Her remains have never been found despite months of extensive searches across Connecticut.
Troconis, and Fotis Dulos longtime lawyer and friend, Kent Mawhinney, are the two remaining defendants in the case. Mawhinney, who also has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, is expected to testify if Troconis’ case goes to trial.
Judge John F. Blawey has yet to issue rulings on Schoenhorn’s motion to dismiss some of the charges.
Mawhinney, who had been held for 10 months on $2 million bail, was released in October on $246,000 bond, about six weeks after an interview with state police detectives, court filings show.
Schoenhorn has also filed motions seeking information on whether Mawhinney was given preferential treatment by prosecutors.
Troconis is scheduled to appear in court next on March 16.