Michelle Troconis cried in court as a detective debunked her apparent lie that she showered with her boyfriend the morning he killed his estranged wife.
Jurors at Stamford Superior Court were shown videos of the 49-year-old Venezuelan socialite being questioned by police in the days after Connecticut mother of five Jennifer Dulos disappeared on May 24, 2019.
Troconis burst into tears, blotted her nose with a tissue and put her hands on her head in a moment of fear, as lead detective on the case John Kimball highlighted the discrepancies in the stories she gave in three different interviews.
Police say Fotis Dulos killed his estranged wife Jennifer as she returned home from the school run for their five children, who were between the ages of eight and 13 at the time, before throwing the evidence into trash bins around Hartford, CT with Troconis.
Luxury real estate developer Fotis committed suicide in January 2020 at the age of 52, leaving his new lover Troconis to face only evidence tampering charges. She denies knowing anything about Jennifer’s death.
Michelle Troconis cried in court as a detective debunked her apparent lie about having showered with her boyfriend the morning he killed his estranged wife
Troconis broke down in tears and wiped her nose with a tissue as lead detective on the case John Kimball highlighted the discrepancies in the stories she gave in three different interviews with police in the days after Jennifer Dulos disappeared on May 24, 2019.
Troconis placed her hands on her head in a moment of fear as she collapsed in Stamford Superior Court on Thursday, the 10th day of her trial in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos
Michelle Troconis told police two conflicting stories about what she was up to the morning her boyfriend allegedly killed his ex Jennifer Dulos, jurors have heard. (Pictured: Troconis’ interview with police on June 2, 2019)
Jennifer Dulos (left) disappeared on May 24, 2019 during a divorce from her husband Fotis (right), who was later charged with murder. Fotis committed suicide in January 2020, leaving his new lover Michelle Troconis to stand trial only for allegedly helping him cover up the murder
Michelle Troconis (left) and Fotis Dulos (right) were living together in his Farmington CT home at the time of his ex-wife Jennifer’s disappearance on May 24, 2019
On Thursday, former Connecticut State Police Detective John Kimball told the court that he interviewed Troconis three times: on June 2, June 6 and August 13, 2019.
Jurors were shown footage of the first interview, in which Troconis told police she woke up on May 24, 2019, got into the shower and then “Fotis jumped in the shower with me.”
Prosecutors paused the footage to ask Kimball if Troconis “always maintained that she showered with Fotis Dulos that morning.”
“She didn’t,” Kimball said.
Earlier in the interview footage, the detectives told Troconis that Fotis had been described by them as controlling and manipulative, and that they were concerned for her safety.
“We understand that after learning some things about Fotis, we understand that he has been described to us as a person with a very strong personality and that he has a tendency to control and manipulate people,” one of the officers told her .
“We believe there is a possibility that he could manipulate you and that is one of the reasons why you are now physically separated, and you are safe, and we are concerned for your safety if you get out of here and he is gone… that we don’t. wants something bad to happen to you.”
Troconis spoke with her attorney Jon Schoenhorn as they approached the courthouse
Troconis will consult with her attorney Jon Schoenhorn in court on Wednesday
Zip ties covered in blood were also recovered from a local garbage bin
A blood-soaked bra that police recovered from a trash bin that the state alleges Fotis Dulos, with the help of his lover Michelle Troconis, disposed of in
Former Connecticut State Police Detective Matthew Reilly gives testimony in court
The court previously heard from several other department detectives who described finding blood-stained objects at Jennifer’s home in New Canaan, where it is alleged Fotis killed her.
Prosecutors also presented several blood-soaked items, including a bra, long-sleeved shirt, zip ties and razor blades, recovered from several trash bins near Hartford, CT.
Detective Matthew Reilly said they also found traces of blood in Jennifer’s Chevy Suburban, which were illuminated by a test for blood and other substances called luminol.
Prosecutors allege Fotis brutally attacked Jennifer at her rented property in New Canaan as she returned from the school run for their five children, who were between the ages of eight and 13 at the time, on the morning of May 24, 2019.
The state claims he cleaned up the evidence at her home before putting her body in her Chevy and driving it about three miles away, where it was found abandoned. Jennifer’s body was never found.
Fotis and Troconis are accused of dumping garbage bags containing bloody evidence, including the bra, T-shirt and razor, into several trash bins around Hartford in his Ford Raptor.
Jurors were shown images of each bloodied item, along with some of them present in the courtroom, and surveillance footage of Fotis and Troconis disposing of the items in the Connecticut town.
Almeida previously said Jennifer was an “incredibly caring mother” to her five children, who were aged between eight and 13 when she disappeared on May 24, 2019.
Jennifer’s heartbroken friend Carrie Luft (pictured) described seeing her blood-soaked clothing as it was shown to jurors the previous day
Jennifer’s heartbroken friend Carrie Luft described seeing her blood-soaked clothes in a statement released on behalf of her family.
“Witnessing Jennifer’s blood-soaked clothing, knowing that this was the shirt and bra she wore on the last day of her life, made us reimagine what she must have endured on May 24, 2019,” Luft said.
‘We hope that seeing this evidence in three dimensions can put an end to any suggestion that Jennifer is ‘missing’.
“She died a tragic death, and her loss is felt beyond what words can express. We are grateful to the prosecutor and investigators for their meticulous collection and presentation of evidence in this case.
“We trust justice above all else, and we hope this trial will help provide answers and accountability for what was done to Jennifer that day.”
Troconis denies all charges against her: conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. The process continues.