A woman was convicted Friday of conspiring to kill missing mother of five Jennifer Dulos, who disappeared from a wealthy Connecticut enclave in 2019 and was never found.
Prosecutors said Michelle Troconis, 49, helped her then-boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, in his plot to kill his estranged wife and cover it up.
As jurors were questioned about whether they agreed with the verdict, Troconis sat with her head down, crying as one of her lawyers rubbed her back. Later, she rested her head on the table and heard sobbing.
Authorities believe Fotis Dulos killed Jennifer Dulos while they were battling each other in divorce and custody proceedings. Fotis Dulos committed suicide in January 2020, shortly after being charged with murder. He had denied the allegations.
Jennifer Dulos, 50, disappeared on May 24, 2019, after dropping off their five children at school. At the time, she lived with the children in New Canaan, while Fotis Dulos stayed in the family’s spacious home about 70 miles away in Farmington. Troconis and her daughter lived with Fotis Dulos at the time.
The case attracted widespread attention and was the subject of a TV movie, Lifetime’s “Gone Mom.”
Jennifer Dulos was a member of a wealthy New York City family whose father, the late Hilliard Farber, founded his own real estate agency. She was also a niece by marriage of fashion designer Liz Claiborne. Fotis Dulos was a luxury homebuilder originally from Greece.
Troconis, a dual American and Venezuelan citizen, has described himself as co-founder of horse riding therapy programs in various parts of the world. She once had her own TV production company in Argentina and hosted a snow sports show for ESPN South America.
Another defendant in the case, Kent Mawhinney, a friend of Fotis Dulos and his former attorney in a civil case, is awaiting trial on murder conspiracy charges. He has pleaded not guilty.