Michelle Troconis found guilty of conspiring to murder Jennifer Dulos
Michelle Troconis was found guilty Friday of conspiring with Fotis Dulos to kill his wife, Connecticut mother Jennifer Farber Dulos, along with five other counts in connection to her disappearance and presumed death.
Troconis, 49, was Dulos’ girlfriend when his wife disappeared in May 2019. Dulos was eventually charged with murder in the case but died by suicide while out on bail.
On Friday, after two days of deliberations, a six-person jury found Troconis guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence, two counts of tampering with physical evidence and one count of hindering prosecution in the second degree following a multiweek trial in Stamford Superior Court.
Troconis, a dual American and Venezuelan citizen, became visibly emotional during the reading of the verdict. She sat with her head down and could be heard crying as she was handcuffed and escorted out of the courtroom.
Troconis is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31, and her bond was set at $6 million. If she makes bond, she’ll be held under house arrest while awaiting sentencing.
Troconis, who once produced and hosted a show on ESPN South America, has been free on bond since 2019. She now faces up to 50 years in prison.
On Tuesday, she’ll appear before a different judge for a contempt hearing after allegations she displayed a sealed custody report on her laptop during the trial.
The niece by marriage of fashion designer Liz Claiborne, Jennifer Farber Dulos was a member of a wealthy New York City family. Her father, the late Hilliard Farber, headed Chase Manhattan Bank’s bond trading desk earlier in his career before founding his own brokerage firm, Hilliard Farber & Co., in 1975.
Farber Dulos was last seen alive on May 24, 2019, at her home in New Canaan, Conn. She was 50 years old at the time.
The mother of five, who seemed to have vanished after dropping off her kids at school, was reported missing later that night after failing to arrive for several appointments in New York City, according to CT Insider.
Last month, her 88-year-old mother, Gloria Farber, told the jury during trial that her daughter was supposed to meet her at Farber’s NYC apartment after a doctor’s visit that day, but never showed up.
Despite an extensive search of the city, surrounding areas and other Dulos-related locations, she has never been found. She was declared legally dead in October 2023.
When she disappeared, Farber Dulos was going through an acrimonious divorce with her husband, a luxury real estate developer in the tri-state area. Troconis at the time was living with Fotis Dulos at a home in Farmington, Conn.
Dulos was arrested on Jan. 7, 2020, and charged with killing his wife. He posted $6 million bail and died by suicide on Jan. 30.
Troconis and a lawyer, Kent Mawhinney, were arrested the same day. Troconis was the first person to stand trial in connection with Farber Dulos’ death.
Surveillance video from Hartford on the days after the murder showed Dulos driving around the city and disposing of items in various trash bins. Prosecutors played several of the videos at trial and claimed Troconis was with Dulos while he was attempting to destroy evidence.
Investigators eventually recovered several of the items, which prosecutors said included zip ties, plastic ponchos and blood-stained clothing.
Prosecutors also played Troconis’ three interviews with police during the trial. In the third interview, Troconis admitted to lying about knowing Fotis Dulos was home on the day of Farber Dulos’ murder.
Defense attorneys argued that investigators presented plenty of evidence against Dulos but very little against Troconis, adding that she merely could have been stressed and confused during police interrogations.
“The entire case, at least 99% of it, is about Fotis Dulos’ conduct and notably his conduct outside the presence of my client,” Troconis’ attorney Jon Schoenhorn told local CBS affiliate WFSB.
Speaking with reporters after Friday’s verdict was announced, Schoenhorn said the defense team plans to “file post-trial motions for a new trial where [he will list] any number of reasons why the trial itself was not fair.”
Meanwhile, Stamford/Norwalk State Attorney Paul J. Ferencek expressed gratitude to the jury “for their thoughtfulness and attention” during the trial and offered condolences to Dulos’ family — particularly her five children.
“While it’s our hope that today’s verdict brings Jennifer’s family and friends some peace, we also hope that someday we can provide a resolution to the still unanswered question of where Jennifer rests,” Fereneck said. “I assure you the State of Connecticut and this office will never stop looking.”
Kent Mawhinney, who previously worked as a lawyer for Dulos, is still awaiting trial on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder. The opening date for those proceedings has not been scheduled.
