‘It Was Like Gone Girl’: Juror in Sensational Conspiracy Trial Is Dismissed After Comparing Disappearance of CT Mom to Bestseller

Prosecutors say Michelle Troconis had a hand in the 2019 disappearance and presumed death of Jennifer Farber Dulos. Ms Troconis’ trial, which began three weeks ago, has been buffeted with so many jury problems it may threaten the integrity of the trial.Jennifer disappeared on May 24, 2019, after dropping her five children off at school in the affluent Connecticut town of New Canaan. According to prosecutors, her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, attacked and killed her in the garage of her rental house before putting her body in the back of a borrowed red pickup truck and disposing of it at an unknown hiding place. Later that same day, Fotis allegedly drove his black truck around Albany Avenue in nearby Hartford, disposing of evidence during a series of stops at multiple dumpsters, accompanied by Ms. Troconis, his then-girlfriend, in the passenger seat.Fotis was the first person charged in connection with his wife’s disappearance, but the high-end contractor, originally from Greece, died by suicide in January 2020 on a day he was due back in court, where a judge had been expected to order him into pretrial detention. In his suicide note, Fotis said he would not spend another day in jail, that Michelle was innocent, and that his lawyer would explain the Albany Avenue trip. The lawyer never did.Remaining alive and, unlike Fotis, still available to be tried, was Ms. Troconis, a former TV host for ESPN South America and co-founder of horse riding therapy programs. She faces six charges including conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. But the Venezuelan mother of one is not the only person awaiting a jury’s verdict. Jennifer Farber Doulos disappeared in May of 2019 and was declared dead in October of 2023. Jennifer Farber DoulosFotis’ lawyer and longtime friend, Kent Mawhinney, has also been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, but he does not have a set trial date yet. Still, we may see him sooner rather than later amid speculation that he may testify against Ms. Troconis. Both Ms. Troconis and Mr. MaWhinney have been accused of helping to create an alibi for Fotis for the day of the alleged murder.As the prosecution slowly tries to present testimony that supports their version of events, the jury has a lot to consider. Most recently, the jury saw video footage allegedly showing Ms. Troconis on the Hartford “evidence disposal run” with Fotis, discarding a package of old license plates in a storm drain. Ms. Troconis, who has denied any wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty, says she didn’t know what was in the bags.Evidence collection and testing has also been at the center of much testimony. Recently, the jury heard testimony about what appeared to be Jennifer’s blood-stained clothes recovered from the trash cans Fotis and Ms. Troconis stopped at along Albany Avenue.“I did the glycophorin-a test and it was positive, so therefore I could say human blood was detected,” forensic expert Christine Roy said, describing her testing of a striped shirt that was pulled from the trash in Hartford.Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis were arrested and charged with Jennifer’s murder. Connecticut State PoliceMs. Roy also said a bra and a hard white material collected from that same location also tested positive for blood. Additionally, she noted that samples from the license plates pulled from the storm drain– believed to be license plates taken from the red Toyota Tacoma which Fotis is suspected of having used to dispose of Jennifer’s body– were sent for further testing, but the jury has yet to hear the results. Retired forensic science examiner Anita Vailonis also recently took to the stand to talk about testing evidence. She said that areas of Husky gloves, carpeting from the floor of a Toyota Tacoma, and a sponge all tested positive for blood, though she did add that a mat from the truck and one part of the gloves came back negative.“I did notice some reddish staining near the base of the small finger and ring finger,” Ms. Vailonis said of one of the Husky gloves. “I tested that area with a screening test, and it was a negative result. Therefore, it wasn’t blood.”Ms. Vailonis also spoke about finding five human hairs on various pieces of evidence. The hair and other samples have been sent for DNA testing, but results have yet to be presented to the jury. Michelle Troconis, ex-girlfriend of the late Fotis Dulos, is on trial for the murder of Fotis’ estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos, whose body has never been found. Courtroom feedAnother forensic science examiner named Kevin Parisi has also shared testimony about evidence connected to the case. He explained that fingerprints taken from tape removed from bags discarded in trash cans on Albany Avenue in Hartford matched Fotis’ fingerprints. Still, other fingerprints taken from that evidence were either inconclusive or didn’t have a match. It should also be noted that Ms. Troconis’ fingerprints have not yet been found on any evidence that’s been presented to the jury.Other considerations for the jury include testimony from Connecticut State Police Sgt. Michael Beauton Jr.. He claims Ms. Troconis gave Fotis a “stern look” and shook her head at him while they were in police custody the day the couple’s home in Farmington, Connecticut, was searched. In response, Fotis allegedly “made an even sterner look back toward her.” The jury has also seen video footage of the red truck that was allegedly borrowed to dispose of Jennifer and heard further testimony from the sergeant about questioning Pawel Gumienny, the former employee of Fotis who owned the red Tacoma.“[Gumienny] stated that after coming from New Canaan [where Fotis’ company had a home], he stopped down the road at a property also owned by Mr. Dulos – number 585 Deercliff and had indicated to me that he was removing vehicle seats from a Porsche that belonged to Fotis so that he could put them into his own [Gumienny’s] truck,” Sgt. Michael Beauton Jr. said on Tuesday.The jury has previously seen images of a damaged Porsche parked at the Deercliff Road property, and testimony from a detective revealed that the Porsche was registered to Jennifer. Prosecutors think Fotis used the red truck to go from his home in Farmington to New Canaan to kill Jennifer before returning that truck to Gumienny. After that, Fotis took the black Ford Raptor to dispose of evidence in Hartford. But as interesting as it’s been to watch how the prosecution and defense are presenting the case, it’s been equally as interesting to see the chaos going on behind the scenes when it comes to the jury.So far, two jurors and one alternate juror have been dismissed during the trial. Most recently, a juror was dismissed after an emergency forced them to leave the country. It’s unclear exactly what the emergency was, but the juror has officially been replaced by an alternate.Previously, an alternate juror was dismissed by the judge because prosecutors reportedly told the judge that there was a problematic interaction between state lawyers and the alternate juror. According to the prosecution, two alternate jurors were on an elevator with the judicial marshal when one allegedly said “we love you” to assistant state’s attorney Elizabeth Moran. After questioning that alternate juror, the judge dismissed them. On a separate occasion, Judge Kevin Randolph acquired an unsigned note from a juror that accused another juror of comparing the case to the novel and movie “Gone Girl.” This is a problematic reference to make as a juror since “Gone Girl” is about a manipulative woman who frames her husband for her own disappearance.The juror reportedly “discussed something about the case and it was all over social media,” Judge Randolph said of the note. “Said it was like ‘Gone Girl’ — a brief mention. Several other jurors said, ’Don’t discuss this.'”After questioning jurors about the comment, the judge decided to dismiss the juror who acknowledged making the comment.“Every (other) juror indicated that they would be able to afford the state and defense a fair and impartial trial,” Judge Randolph said after that dismissal.Only time will tell if that remains true with only two alternates and six jurors left to decide Ms. Troconis’ fate.

‘It Was Like Gone Girl’: Juror in Sensational Conspiracy Trial Is Dismissed After Comparing Disappearance of CT Mom to Bestseller

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