- Fotis was charged with murdering his wife Jennifer in May 2019, but he committed suicide.
- His girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, is on trial for allegedly helping to cover up the crime.
- Detective Kimball said Troconis changed details of his story during police questioning.
Jurors were shown footage of Michelle Troconis telling a police officer, “I'm innocent,'' days after his then-boyfriend killed his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos.
On Thursday, the 10th day of the trial, footage of several hours of police interrogating Troconis, 49, a popular Venezuelan socialite, was shown in Stamford Superior Court.
Police believe Fotis Dulos killed Jennifer at her New Canaan home on May 24, 2019, before Troconis helped dispose of evidence in Hartford, Connecticut.
Mr. Fotis was charged with murder on June 1, and Mr. Troconis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. However, Fotis committed suicide in January 2020, leaving his girlfriend behind to face music alone.
At Troconis' trial on Thursday, jurors were shown footage of her breaking down in tears during police questioning on June 2, 2019, and of her insisting on her innocence during hours of interrogation in jail. It has been shown.
Meanwhile, a similar scene unfolded in court, with Troconis sobbing as detectives worked out her alibi. She denies knowing anything about Jennifer's death.
In the video, police tell Troconis that she was “confused” and “in tears” when she was arrested the day before, and wondered why she had such a strong reaction when she had nothing to hide. I asked.
“You were battered, tearful, upset, and hunched over. If you just talked to us today, why are you angry?” the officer asked her.
“I'm angry about this whole situation,” Troconis said. “Why is this happening to me even though I haven't done anything?” I'm very innocent.
Police spent hours trying to get information about Fotis and Troconis to find Jennifer's body, but to no avail.
At the end of the interview, Ms. Troconis hugged her lawyer and crouched on the floor, reaching out to him and appearing to beg him to help her.
One of the officers involved in the investigation, former Connecticut State Police Detective John Kimball, appeared in court as a witness.
He said he spoke with the popular American-Venezuelan socialite three times, on June 2, June 6, and August 13, 2019, and that he did not know what she initially told police and what she said later. He pointed out that there were discrepancies in what was said.
Jurors were shown footage of Troconis telling officers during his June 2 interrogation that he woke up in the morning, Jennifer disappeared, went to the bathroom, and then “Fotis jumped in the shower with me.” It has been shown.
Prosecutors paused the video and asked Kimball if Troconis “always maintained the explanation that he had showered with Fotis Dulos” that morning.
“She didn't,” Kimball said.
At the beginning of the investigation, detectives told Troconis that Fotis was described as controlling and manipulative and that they feared for her safety.
“We have learned some things about Fotis and understand that he is described to us as someone with a very strong personality and a tendency to control and manipulate people.” one of the officers told her.
“We believe he may be able to manipulate you. That's one of the reasons you're physically separated now and you're safe.”
“If you get out of here and he gets out of here, we're concerned about your safety… We don't want anything bad to happen to you.”
The court previously heard testimony from several other detectives on the unit that bloodstained objects were found in Jennifer's home where Fotis allegedly killed her.
State prosecutors also presented several items stained with blood, including a bra, long-sleeved shirt, zip ties and a razor, recovered from several trash cans around Hartford, Connecticut.
Detective Matthew Riley said investigators found traces of blood in Jennifer's Chevrolet Suburban that were illuminated by a test for blood and another substance called Luminol.
Prosecutors allege that on the morning of May 24, 2019, Fotis grabbed Jennifer at a rental property in New Canaan when she returned from a school run with her five children, who were between 8 and 13 years old at the time. It is said that he brutally attacked her.
The state alleges that after sorting out evidence at his home, the man put the body in his Chevrolet and drove about three miles away, where the SUV was found abandoned. Jennifer's body was never found.
Fotis and Troconis are accused of dumping trash bags containing bloody evidence, including bras, T-shirts and razors, into various dumpsters around Hartford in their Ford Raptor.
In court, jurors were shown some of the bloodstained items and a screen showed a Chevrolet Suburban along with surveillance footage of Fotis and Troconis disposing of the items on Albany Street in Hartford.
In a statement released on behalf of the family, Jennifer's heartbroken friend Carrie Luft described what she felt when she saw the blood-soaked clothes.
“Seeing Jennifer's blood-soaked clothes and knowing they were the shirt and bra she wore on the last day of her life made me realize what Jennifer must have endured on May 24, 2019. It made us reimagine ourselves,” Luft said.
“We hope that seeing this evidence in three dimensions will put an end to any suggestion that Jennifer is 'missing.'
“She died tragically and her loss is felt indescribably. We thank the prosecutors and investigators for their careful collection and presentation of evidence in this case.
“Above all, we believe in justice and hope this trial will help uncover answers and accountability for what happened to Jennifer that day.”
Troconis denies all charges leveled against her, including conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. The trial continues.