Michelle Troconis, the former girlfriend of Fotis Dulos, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for her role in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos. The case captivated the nation as details emerged about the tumultuous relationship between Fotis and Jennifer, ultimately leading to her disappearance in May 2019.
Troconis was found guilty of conspiracy to commit murder and hindering prosecution after evidence surfaced linking her to the crime. Despite maintaining her innocence throughout the trial, she was unable to escape the overwhelming evidence against her.
Tronconis, 49, was convicted this year on six criminal counts, including the top charge of conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the death of Jennifer Dulos, a New Canaan mother of five.
She was sentenced to 20 years, a term that will be suspended after 14½ years when she'll then serve five years of probation, under the sentence handed down by Stamford Superior Court Judge Kevin Randolph.
The defense had pleaded for probation in stark contrast to the prosecution's request of 45 years.
Petros Dulos said Troconis, a mother herself, "has desecrated" the meaning of the word mother.
The case began on May 24, 2019, when Jennifer Dulos, a Connecticut mother of five, disappeared amid a contentious custody dispute with her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos.
The counts pertain to two events on separate days in different towns—the disposal of evidence in Hartford on May 24 and the cleaning and detailing of a red pickup truck in Avon on May 29. But Attorney Jon Schoenhorn said the prosecution alleged the goal of both events was to destroy evidence of Jennifer Dulos’ presumed murder. Schoenhorn previously argued state law doesn’t allow multiple charges for a single conspiracy. Randolph called that “a colorable claim,” and said he’d issue a ruling on that during the sentencing.
Troconis’ attorneys plan to appeal her conviction.
Prosecutors also said Fotis Dulos left his cell phone at his home on the day Jennifer Dulos vanished and Troconis answered a call to it from his friend that morning.
They said that was evidence Troconis was in on the plot and tried to help him create a bogus alibi. She denied the allegation.
Another defendant in the case, Kent Mawhinney, a friend of Fotis Dulos and his one-time lawyer in a civil case, is awaiting trial on a murder conspiracy charge. He has pleaded not guilty.
Although Jennifer Dulos’ body has never been found, a probate judge declared her legally dead last year.
The Dulos children have been in the custody of Jennifer Dulos’ mother in New York City since she vanished.
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