The evidence presented at Michelle Troconis’ murder conspiracy trial

Michelle Troconis was convicted of helping her boyfriend Fotis Dulos murder his estranged wife. Prosecutors say she helped plan the murder, destroy evidence and create an alibi for Fotis Dulos. 

Here’s a look at the evidence presented at her trial.

Testimony began in the trial of Troconis, 49, on Jan. 11, 2024. She was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, along with tampering with physical evidence and hindering prosecution.  Over the next six weeks, prosecutors would present evidence they say proves Troconis hated Jennifer Dulos and wanted her gone.       

How the story began

On May 24, 2019, Jennifer Dulos vanished. The mother and writer was last seen near her New Canaan, Connecticut, home after dropping her five children off at school.  She was reported missing around 7 p.m. that evening.  Police soon launched a massive search.  

Blood in Jennifer Dulos’ garage

When New Canaan Police arrived at Jennifer Dulos’ rented home, they found blood on the floor of the garage. A little over an hour later, detectives found her Suburban SUV — also containing blood evidence — abandoned by nearby Waveny Park.

Fotis and Jennifer Dulos’ contentious divorce

Detectives learned that Jennifer Dulos was embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle with her husband Fotis Dulos, a luxury home builder. The couple was living separately at the time of Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance. Former Connecticut State Police Sgt. Kenneth Ventresca told “48 Hours” that Fotis Dulos didn’t help with the search and “never seemed concerned about his wife.”

A new love interest for Fotis Dulos

Detectives also learned Fotis Dulos had a new woman in his life —  live-in girlfriend Michelle Troconis, who he had met at a waterskiing club in Miami.

Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis on Albany Avenue

Police soon learn that Fotis Dulos and Troconis drove around Albany Avenue in Hartford, Connecticut, together the evening of the day that Jennifer Dulos disappeared. They spotted Fotis Dulos on surveillance footage throwing away black garbage bags. 

Michelle Troconis seen on surveillance footage

At one of the stops, Troconis is seen leaning out of Fotis Dulos’ vehicle. She would later tell police that she had spit out gum and since her hand was sticky, she decided to wipe it on the sidewalk. Police didn’t believe her — especially after they saw what was in those garbage bags.

Investigators discover more bloody evidence

Detectives descended on Albany Avenue and began digging through the trash discarded by Fotis Dulos. They found clothing in Jennifer Dulos’ size, ponchos and cut zip ties (pictured). The items were covered in blood matching Jennifer Dulos’ DNA, convincing detectives of what they already suspected: this was a homicide. They believed Fotis Dulos was responsible for her murder, and that Troconis helped plan the murder and dispose of incriminating items.    

Michelle Troconis and Fotis Dulos charged     

Troconis was many things — a mother, former ESPN reporter in South America, horseback rider — but now she was an alleged conspirator in her boyfriend’s wife’s disappearance. She was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and Fotis Dulos was charged with murder. Fotis Dulos would never stand trial. He died by suicide eight months after Jennifer Dulos disappeared, leaving Troconis to face the consequences alone.

Michelle Troconis’ trial begins

To prove that Troconis conspired with Fotis Dulos to commit murder, prosecutors first had to prove there was a murder, and then, that it was Fotis Dulos who murdered her.  The State took the jury step-by-step through what they believe happened, telling the story through surveillance videos. Their timeline began with this old red Toyota Tacoma truck belonging to one of Fotis Dulos’ employees. Police believe Fotis Dulos took it without permission on May 24, 2019, and drove it to New Canaan.  

Evidence captured on bus video

Police found this video from a passing school bus of the Tacoma on the side of the road near Waveny Park in New Canaan at 7:57 a.m. It was approximately 100 feet from where Jennifer’ Dulos’ Suburban was later found.

A mysterious cyclist caught on camera

The State showed the jury this surveillance video of a figure in dark clothing. Prosecutors believe Fotis Dulos had brought a bicycle with him in the Tacoma, and that it shows him biking the last three miles to Jennifer Dulos’ house. Prosecutors believe Fotis Dulos was lying in wait and assaulted her in her garage. 

An alibi for Fotis Dulos  

Authorities believe Fotis Dulos spent the next couple of hours cleaning up, but that he left behind evidence—his DNA on a doorknob and a mixture of his and Jennifer Dulos’ DNA on a faucet in the kitchen. Meanwhile, prosecutors say, Troconis was at the home she shared with Fotis Dulos, helping him create an alibi. Fotis Dulos had left his phone at home and prearranged a call with a friend. Prosecutors believe Troconis picked up the call to make it appear that Fotis Dulos was home, an allegation she denies.    

Evidence in the Tacoma

Police then think Fotis Dulos drove Jennifer Dulos’ SUV to Waveny Park and transferred her body or bloody evidence into the Tacoma. They later tested a fabric sample from a seat in the Tacoma and it came back positive for Jennifer Dulos’ blood.

Michelle Troconis talks to investigators

The next part of the police theory comes from Michelle Troconis. During a series of three interviews, she told investigators that she and Fotis Dulos had lunch together on the afternoon of May 24. Afterwards, she said that she and Fotis Dulos went to one of his properties to clean it for a showing that was scheduled for the next day. Prosecutors believe they were bagging up evidence and cleaning the Tacoma, before heading to Albany Avenue to throw away those incriminating items. 

Smoke rising from Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis’ home

Prosecutors say that same day, Troconis was caught burning evidence in the home she shared with Fotis. They point to this surveillance footage from a home across the street showing smoke rising from the chimney — on what was a mild spring day in May. 

Fotis Dulos at the car wash

Prosecutors showed the jury video of Fotis Dulos once again driving the Tacoma. Five days after Jennifer Dulos went missing, he brought the truck to a local car wash and detail shop. That’s him paying for the cleaning. Troconis met him there.

Jennifer Dulos’ clothing shown in court

One of the most emotional moments of the trial was when Prosecutor Michelle Manning held up some of the evidence police recovered from the bags Fotis Dulos had dumped on Albany Avenue, including a bloody shirt that belonged to Jennifer Dulos.  Jennifer Dulos’ close friend Carrie Luft was in the courtroom.  She told “48 Hours,” “being in … the same space and time as Jennifer’s clothes just really drove home that she’s not here.”

Jon Schoenhorn delivers closing arguments

After six weeks of testimony, it was time for closing arguments.  Troconis’ attorney Jon Schoenhorn told the jury that Troconis was not involved in any plan to murder Jennifer Dulos and that the State’s case was based on “speculation.” He said that Fotis Dulos had simply invited her to go on a Starbucks run the day he was dumping evidence, and Troconis didn’t know what was inside the bags. He also said that Troconis would often light the fireplace and was burning nothing more than firewood that day.  

The prosecution’s final statements

During Prosecutor Sean McGuinness’ closing arguments, he focused on one simple word: “coincidence.”  “Is it just a coincidence that the defendant answered Dulos’ phone … when he was murdering his wife in New Canaan?” he asked the jury.  “Is it just a coincidence that the defendant travels with Dulos to Hartford as he disposes of the evidence on the same day?”

Troconis family reacts to guilty verdict

After deliberating a little more than two days, the jury reached a verdict: guilty. Outside, Troconis’ family, who had sat behind her throughout the trial, made an emotional statement to the media.  “We don’t know what happened to Jennifer,” said Troconis’ sister, Claudia Troconis-Marmol, through her tears.  “And choosing and putting my sister as the guilty person is not the right thing to do because she’s innocent.” 

Jennifer Dulos: Five years gone

In May 2024, it will be five years since Jennifer Dulos disappeared. Police have been unable to find her body. “And that’s what’s the most painful… We don’t know where she is,” Luft told “48 Hours.” “Jennifer’s still here in so many ways. But I think it would bring some peace to be able to let her rest in peace.”