Nearly five years have passed since Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos went missing. Michelle Troconis was found guilty Friday of conspiring to murder the mother of five.
PONTIAC, MICHIGAN - FEBRUARY 6: The jury box is empty as the jury in the trial of Jennifer Crumbley, the mother of Oxford school shooter Ethan Crumbley, begins its second day of deliberations at Oakland County Circuit Court on February 6, 2024 in Pontiac, Michigan. This is the first time in U.S. history that a parent has been charged with and tried for involuntary manslaughter for a mass school shooting committed by their child. Her husband, James Crumbley, goes on trial in March for the same charges.
She was again found guilty of one count of hindering prosecution, two counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence, and two counts of tampering with physical evidence.
How Did It All Unfold?
Troconis was in a relationship with Jennifer's estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, at the time she went missing. Dulos was charged with his wife's murder but died by an apparent suicide in January 2020 before facing justice.
Troconis has maintained her innocence from the beginning and pleaded not guilty to all charges against her.
According to CNN, Jennifer Dulos was last seen in May 2019 after dropping her children off at school. Friends reported her missing when they hadn't heard from her in over 10 hours. CNN noted Jennifer and her husband were in the middle of a contentious divorce and custody battle.
Despite her body never being found, Jennifer was officially pronounced dead through a declaration of death by a Connecticut judge in October 2023.
According to court documents and the state's chief medical examiner, she allegedly suffered a combination of "traumatic, blunt-force injuries."
ABC News reported that at Troconis' trial, the jury viewed the interrogation video where Troconis admitted to lying about seeing Fotis Dulos at their home on the morning Jennifer vanished.
"I have no idea where Jennifer is, and that's 100%," Troconis said in the interrogation video, according to WTNH. "I just know that I went as the stupid girlfriend to help him out, because he told me, 'Come and clean the house,' and I did."
"[Fotis Dulos] told me Jennifer is a monster," Tronocis said in the interrogation video, according to WTNH. "He hated her."
Police also testified the surveillance footage showed Dulos driving with Troconis in the passenger seat on the same day Jennifer went missing in Hartford, CT. Foulis allegedly made multiple stops to discard evidence in trash cans along the way.
The jury was shown zip ties, gloves, and stained clothing that were pulled from the trash cans, prosecutors said.
Troconis' defense attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, claims his client never denied being in the car with her boyfriend but denies having any involvement or knowledge of the crimes Dulos committed.
During closing arguments, prosecutor Michelle Manning made sure to highlight to the jury the garage where investigators believe Fotis Dulos killed his wife and where the blood-soaked items were thrown in the trash.
"There's blood spatter throughout the garage, throughout the undercarriage of two cars, footprints and swipes of blood," Manning said. "Her blood-soaked shirt and bra were thrown out ... along with zip ties, sponges, and duct tape. Make no mistake: This was a deliberate, intentional murder."
"Jennifer is dead. And Fotis and Michelle Troconis intended that to happen. They agreed to work together to make it happen," Manning said. "This trial is very simple: It's about a conspiracy and a cover-up. It's about Michelle Troconis' actions and about how she and Fotis Dulos conspired together to murder the woman who was standing in their way. It's about the frustration of Fotis Dulos not seeing his kids ... and every time those kids came around, Michelle Troconis had to leave her home ... and we know she was sick of it."
"The frustration turned to anger and hatred," Manning told the jurors. "Listen to her own words in the [police] interviews -- how she describes Jennifer -- someone she has never met. She describes her as manipulating, angry, toxic."
Schoenhorn defended his client in closing arguments, saying "Whatever Fotis Dulos' role was in the disappearance -- and I'll say the likely death of Jennifer Dulos -- Michelle Troconis did not know. She did not know that Fotis Dulos planned to harm her."
After the guilty verdict was read Friday, the judge set Troconis' bond at $6 million cash surety. She was granted additional conditions requested by the state, including house arrest, electronic monitoring, and surrendering her passport.
Troconis' sentencing is set for May 31.
