Content Warning: This article mentions murder and suicide. Please take caution while reading.
There is no doubt about who unjustly caused Jennifer Dulos’ death, a Connecticut mother of five, who disappeared in 2019, and was tragically never found.
Even her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, after being charged in 2020, knew there was no chance of not going to prison for Jennifer’s murder. All signs pointed to him. So, he resolved to put an end to his own life via carbon monoxide, opting for death over justice for the mother of his kids. Sure, his suicide note tried to clean his reputation and save his lover, Michelle Troconis, from being further persecuted for her suspected role as a helping hand in Dulos’ disappearance.
However, hard evidence cannot be made to go away with a few soft written words left in a last-ditch effort to not appear like the villain.
Jennifer Dulos disappeared on Friday, May 24, 2019
Jennifer Dulos was never heard from or seen again after that date. However, an extremely messy divorce process, with hundreds of court fillings, and worrisome contention surrounding parental custody, pointed the finger in Fotis Dulos’ direction, who also happened to be millions of dollars in debt. Fotis was arrested and charged two weeks after Jennifer went missing, only ever showing concern for his children and never for their missing mother. Prior to her disappearance, Jennifer had even expressed being afraid of her ex, and demonstrated the awareness that having filed for divorce would result in violent retaliation.
As for physical evidence, a trail of blood led from the couple’s garage to Jennifer’s SUV. The vehicle was later discovered abandoned in a nearby park. Another piece of evidence was two altered license plates hidden in a FedEx envelope, attempted to be disposed of inside a drain but thankfully recovered by investigators.
But one of the most damning pieces of evidence, for both Fotis and Michelle, was the video footage, showing Mr. Dulos driving around and disposing of evidence in trash cans, while Troconis sat in the passenger’s seat. At one point, Troconis could be seen opening the door and dropping what investigators believe is a piece of gum.
One of the pieces of evidence recovered was a white t-shirt with blood on it, another, was a bloody bra.
What was Troconis charged with? Was she convicted?
After Dulos and Troconis were first brought in for interviews, police found a note detailing the exact timeline Troconis had spelled out for them. An alibi letter, one could call it. Troconis was interviewed a total of three times and made conflicting statements each time.
Michelle Troconis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence. Troconis pleaded not guilty to all charges, claiming she did not know what Fotis was up to the day his estranged wife vanished. Troconis’ family was vocal in their belief Michelle too was a victim in this horrible sequence of events. But the jury seems not to have shared the sentiment.
Troconis’ DNA was indeed missing from a lot of evidence items at Jennifer’s home. However, some of those results were inconclusive.
On March 1, 2024, after deliberating for twelve hours, the jury reached a unanimous decision on all six counts Troconis was facing: Guilty.
Although this chapter is over – there may still be appeals – Jennifer’s children still deserve to know where their mother is, so they can properly put her to rest and find some closure, as difficult as it might be in this most tragic situation.
