- Troconis, 49, broke down with her head in her hands as the verdict was read
- She was found guilty Friday of conspiring to murder missing mom Jennifer Dulos
- Jennifer was killed by her husband Fotis Dulos, who killed himself before his trial
The family of slain Connecticut mom Jennifer Dulos has issued a somber statement after her estranged husband’s girlfriend Michelle Troconis was convicted of conspiracy to commit her murder.
‘Today’s verdict is a crucial attribution of accountability, not a victory. There can be no victory when five children are growing up without their mother,’ said Farber family spokeswoman Carrie Luft.
‘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. Jennifer’s loved ones cannot bury her next to her father.’
Troconis, 49, was convicted on all six counts including conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence linked to the disappearance of the mother-of-five in May 2019.
Michelle Troconis, 49, was convicted on all six counts including conspiracy to commit murder and tampering with evidence linked to the disappearance of the mother of five
Michell Troconis, 49, broke down and sat with her head in her hands as the guilty verdict was read on Friday morning
Jennifer Farber Dulos vanished in May 2019. Her remains have never been found, but police believe she was murdered by her husband Fotis Dulos, and that his new girlfriend Michelle Troconis conspired with him to help him cover up the crime
Troconis was found guilty of helping lover Fotis Dulos kill his wife in 2019. Fotis killed himself before he could face trial
The Farber family added: ‘Many questions remain as we approach the five-year marker. 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.’
The American-Venezuelan broke down and sat with her head in her hands as the guilty verdict was read on Friday morning.
The vanished mom was in the midst of a bitter divorce from Troconis’ lover Fotis Dulos, who was charged with her murder but committed suicide before his trial.
Before Troconis was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs, the judge reportedly set her bond at $6 million dollars in cash only. She is set to be sentenced on May 31 and faces up to 50 years behind bars.
Troconis’ trial began in early January, as prosecutors argued she helped dispose of Jennifer’s body in trash bags after Fotis slayed her in their Connecticut home.
Jennifer vanished on May 24, 2019, after dropping her children off at school, and her body has never been found.
The mom, whose children were aged between eight and 13 at the time, was reported missing when she failed to show up for several appointments in New York City.
Because Fotis Dulos killed himself before he could stand trial, the details of how Jennifer disappeared were left to Troconis’ conspiracy trial.
Prosecutors said Fotis attacked his wife in the garage of her home, and put her body in her Chevrolet Suburban before driving it three miles away, where it was later found abandoned.
Later on the day of her disappearance, Troconis was seen with Fotis on surveillance footage at around 7:30pm stopping at several locations around Hartford, Connecticut, with the businessman seen dropping off several trash bags along the way.
Police recovered some of the bags several days later and found bloodied clothing, zip ties and other items containing DNA matching Jennifer and Fotis. One bag also had Troconis’ DNA on.
At trial, jurors were shown grisly images of blood-spattered evidence, including stains around Jennifer’s Connecticut home.
Surveillance video showing Dulos and Troconis ‘disposing of bloodied items’ was among the damning evidence that led to Friday’s guilty verdict
A ‘red stain’ on the grill of Jennifer Dulos’ Range Rover on May 24, 2019, the day she vanished. Police searching the house said it stood out to them and did not appear to have been from a deer strike
Police also found a bloody footprint in the garage where they believe Jennifer’s body was moved
Investigators said they also found red stains in Dulos’ kitchen, including on the inside tubing of a paper towel roll, on the faucet at her sink, and on the edge of a countertop
Also among the grisly evidence was a blood stain in Jennifer Dulos’ Range Rover which was parked in her garage
Jennifer and Fotis Dulos are pictured before her murder and his suicide
Former state police detective Matthew Reilly testified that he spotted blood stains on several surfaces in Jennifer’s kitchen, including on a paper towel roll, sink faucet, and counter-top – and in her garage.
Jurors were also shown photographs of bloodstains on Jennifer’s abandoned Chevy Suburban.
Blood was also found on the exterior of a Range Rover in their garage, and officials found evidence of an attempted cleanup.
Due to the significant amount of blood apparently cleaned from the scene, it was clear that Jennifer was deceased – with Judge William P. Osterndorf declaring her ‘officially dead’ as the trial was ongoing.
Troconis, who was a former ESPN host in South America, had been living with Fotis and her daughter in their Farmington, Connecticut home that the businessman had once shared with his wife and children.
After Jennifer was reported missing, Troconis was brought in for questioning, where she claimed she thought the bags seen in the surveillance footage contained goods from one of the homes Fotis was selling at the time.
Jennifer Dulos is pictured in a photo released by police when she went missing
Fotis, a luxury real estate developer, is alleged to have attacked and killed his wife in her garage, but committed suicide before he could face the music
Venezuelan socialite Troconis (left with Dulos and right with her daughter) maintained her denials at having any involvement in Jennifer’s death up until her guilty verdict on Friday
Officers also uncovered what came to be known as ‘the alibi scripts’ – two pages written by Fotis and Troconis which detailed their activities on a nearly hourly basis the day Jennifer was last seen, but did not include the bag disposal time.
Troconis claimed they detailed their actions on the advice of Fotis’ lawyer.
But her arrest warrant also alleges that she presented conflicting stories to police during three interviews about whether she saw Fotis on the morning that Jennifer died.