Michelle Troconis Found Guilty of Helping Late Boyfriend Kill His Estranged Wife Jennifer Dulos

Michelle Troconis was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the death of Jennifer Dulos

Michelle Troconis was convicted of helping her late boyfriend Fotis Dulos kill his estranged wife Jennifer Dulos in 2019.

She was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering the prosecution, CBS and NBC report.

Troconis, 49, faces a maximum of 50 years in prison, according to The New York Times.

“Today’s verdict is a crucial attribution of accountability, not a victory,” Carrie Luft, a friend of the Dulos family, said in a statement to PEOPLE and other media outlets. “There can be no victory when five children are growing up without their mother.”

Luft added, “This verdict represents the meticulous collection, analysis, and presentation of evidence to illuminate an unconscionable series of crimes. That immense body of evidence also serves to highlight the gaps that remain in this case — most important, that Jennifer Farber Dulos still has not been found.”

“We have lost a mother, daughter, sister, cousin, and cherished friend,” Luft said. “Jennifer’s loved ones cannot bury her next to her father.”

Jennifer, a mother of five, went missing in late May 2019 after dropping her children off at school. Fotis, who authorities believe killed his wife before dumping her body with Troconis’ help, died by suicide in Jan. 2020 at the age of 52 before a bail hearing related to the murder charge he faced in Jennifer's death.

Related: Michelle Troconis Allegedly Said She Was 'Going to Kill' Jennifer Dulos, Called Her Derogatory Name

The Times reports that Troconis became emotional when her conviction was read, laying her head down on the table in front of her as one of her attorneys rubbed her back.

In late January, prosecutors showed blood-soaked clothing they say belonged to Jennifer and was worn when her late husband allegedly killed her. Prosecutors said that Fotis attacked Jennifer after she arrived home from dropping her children off at school, restraining her with zip ties, killing her, and then disposing of her body.

“For Jennifer’s family and loved ones, seeing the physical evidence on Tuesday was brutal but also crucial,” Luft said in a statement at the time on behalf of the family. “Witnessing Jennifer’s blood-soaked clothing, knowing that was the shirt, the bra, she wore on the last day of her life, made us imagine, again, what she must have endured on May 24, 2019.”

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CBS News reported that surveillance video shown at the trial also showed Troconis sitting in the passenger seat of Fotis’ black truck when he allegedly dumped garbage bags filled with the evidence. Troconis was having an affair with Fotis while he was still married to Jennifer, according to testimony by the nanny for the Dulos children earlier in the trial, CBS reported.

Related: Jennifer Dulos' Family Reacts After Bloodied Clothing Shown at Woman's Murder Trial: 'Brutal But Crucial'

Fotis and Jennifer’s divorce was reportedly bitter and the two estranged parents were in a fierce custody battle over their children. Troconis and Jennifer also had a contentious relationship, the trial revealed. One of Fotis’ coworkers testified at the trial that Troconis once said she was “going to kill” Jennifer and made reference to murdering her on multiple occasions, the Associated Press and the Stamford Advocate previously reported.

Luft said the family was grateful for Troconis’ guilty verdict on Friday, but they are still seeking answers about Jennifer’s whereabouts. The Times reports Jennifer was declared legally dead last October.

“Many questions remain as we approach the five-year marker,” the family’s statement read Friday. “It is our hope that the resurgent public interest in this case might spur new, viable leads. In the meantime, Jennifer’s grace, goodness, and light live on through her children and through the honor of her memory.”

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