Chilling text messages Fotis sent Dulos the day after he allegedly killed his wife in her Connecticut home have been shown in court.
Jurors were shown messages the Greek national sent to their nanny, Lauren Almeida, asking her for news about the disappearance of his 50-year-old wife on May 24, 2019.
Just hours after the state said he slaughtered her, Fotis asked for “updates” on Jennifer and how their children were doing, telling Almeida he had spoken to police.
Fotis and Jennifer were involved in bitter divorce and custody proceedings at the time, but he had not yet been identified as a suspect.
He would later be charged with her murder, while his new partner, Michelle Troconis, was accused of helping him cover up the crime.
Fotis committed suicide at the age of 52 in January 2020, leaving Troconis to face music alone. Her trial began last Thursday in Stamford Superior Court, with nanny Almeida, 32, giving evidence this week.
Jurors were shown messages that Fotis Dulos sent to their nanny, Lauren Almeida (pictured), asking for updates on the disappearance of his 50-year-old wife on May 24, 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
Almeida testified during the highly anticipated trial of Michelle Troconis, 49, who is accused of helping her late boyfriend and Jennifer’s ex-husband Fotis Dulos cover up the alleged murder on May 24, 2019. (Image: Troconis approaches court on day five of her process)
Chilling text messages sent by Fotis Dulos the day after he allegedly killed his wife in her Connecticut home have been shown in court
Jurors saw messages from Fotis to Almeida at 9:49 p.m. on the day of the murder asking him to call the next morning. Almeida said she asked police if she should respond, and they said that was fine since he was not a suspect at the time.
The next day, at 5:39 a.m., Fotis texted her saying, “GM Lauren – any news?” She responded that police were “still searching” Jennifer’s home in New Canaan.
In the days that followed, he asked for “updates” several more times, along with questions about how his children were doing.
Almeida said Fotis had an appointment with the children in a few days and continued to insist that she bring them on time. She described his behavior as “weird.”
The nanny wore a silver chain with the number “5” on it as she gave evidence, possibly an allusion to the five Dulos children still in her care.
The trial previously revealed that the wealthy Dulos couple enjoyed an idyllic life with their five children, who were between eight and thirteen years old at the time of Jennifer’s disappearance.
But their marriage deteriorated around the time Jennifer broke off Fotis’ affair with Troconis in March 2017, while all three were vacationing with the children at a private ski club in Aspen.
Jurors were shown messages the Greek national sent to their nanny, Lauren Almeida, asking her for updates on the May 24, 2019, disappearance of his 50-year-old wife.
Fotis asked Almeida several more times for “updates” in the days that followed, along with questions about how his five children were doing
Fotis Dulos was charged with Jennifer’s murder, but committed suicide prior to trial
Almeida said Jennifer became afraid of her husband and two months later tried to escape from their home in Farmington, Connecticut, with the children to file for divorce from the safety of the Mandarin Oriental, a five-star hotel in Manhattan.
The nanny, who stayed with them and still lives with the Dulos children, who are now between 13 and 17 years old, said Jennifer even hired a bodyguard to stand outside her hotel room door.
Almeida said Jennifer and the children stayed at the Mandarin Oriental for a week before moving into their first rental home in New Canaan, CT.
Eight days later, a custody trial between Jennifer and Fotis began in the same court where Troconis’ trial is being held, and Almeida testified on Jennifer’s behalf.
She told the court that she saw Fotis in the hallway with his lawyers and that he made aggressive comments to her.
“He came up to me and yelled at me, accused me again of kidnapping his children, and then I just walked away,” Almeida said.
‘He later tried to approach me differently with his lawyer, apologizing and just saying he was very upset. I just walked away.’
Almeida previously said she met the Dulos while working at a daycare where they dropped their children, and described Jennifer as “an incredibly caring” and playful mother, and Fotis as a largely absent father.
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.
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.
Troconis denies charges related to her alleged assistance to Fotis in covering up the crime – including conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution
She painted a picture of their family life as one filled with idyllic vacations to various locations, including Miami and Aspen, until Jennifer broke off Fotis’ affair with Troconis in March 2017.
Prosecutors allege Fotis brutally attacked Jennifer at her New Canaan property before disposing of bloodied items in 30 trash bins with Troconis’ help. Her body was never found.
Troconis denies charges related to her helping him cover up the crime, including conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.
The trial began on January 11 and is expected to last six weeks before jurors are sent out for deliberation.