STAMFORD, Conn. — The prosecution has rested its case in the criminal trial of Michelle Troconis, who is facing charges in connection to the disappearance of New Canaan mom of five, Jennifer Dulos.
Dulos' mother, Gloria Farber, was the last witness from the state to take the stand Wednesday. She didn't show much emotion when testified that her daughter was supposed to meet her at the New York City apartment, but she never arrived. Farber had never seen or heard from her daughter since her disappearance, she testified.
“She was always there for them," Farber testified about her daughter.
Farber has had custody of her five grandchildren since Jennifer's disappearance, who at the time ranged in age from 8 to 13.
Now that the prosecution has rested its case, the defense started calling witnesses to the stand Wednesday, including those who closely knew Dulos' estranged husband Fotis Dulos, and interacted with her before the divorce and/or had interacted with Troconis.
Robert “Hutch” Haines is the owner of the water-skiing pond in Avon that Fotis and Troconis used to frequent. He had known Fotis for decades from skiing competitions and met Troconis at a tournament in Florida before she moved in with Fotis.
Stephen Reich, a real estate agent who previously worked for Fotis’ construction company, Foregroup, also testified. He told the jury he first met Jennifer and Fotis when they were neighbors in Canton.
Haines, Reich, and Reich’s partner, Beth, were all in attendance at an informal dinner party the night before Jennifer disappeared. The witnesses did not notice - for the most part - anything “odd” that night, according to testimony.
“In hindsight, what sticks out to me is the dichotomy of the positivity of that evening, and what subsequently occurred," Beth Reich testified. "And again, with the benefit of hindsight five years later, and continuing to process that concept, that dichotomy becomes more pronounced.”
All three witnesses were also asked about any comments Fotis made regarding his custody battle with Jennifer.
Members of the Farmington Police Department were called to the stand in the defense’s attempt to show Fotis is “not available” by presenting an alleged “suicide note” seized on the day Fotis attempted suicide in his Farmington home in January 2020. He died a few days later in a hospital in The Bronx.
The judge put a halt to that angle of testimony.
“Court sees no reason for testimony if the state is going to accept that there is a death certificate…it’s self-authenticating,” said Judge Kevin Randolph.
The defense subsequently showed Fotis’ death certificate to the court in lieu of testimony.
The defense is expected to continue its case through either Friday or Monday.
After closing arguments, a contempt hearing will occur after the court was notified that Troconis' laptop was displaying a sealed document in an open court. If there is a finding from the contempt hearing, any sanctions will be imposed after a verdict is given, the judge determined Wednesday.
Since the trial started in January, the jury presented evidence collected from multiple homes and vehicles and viewed surveillance footage obtained from neighbors and highway rest stops. The jury also completed viewing videos of three interrogations investigators conducted with Troconis.
Testimony from the witnesses the prosecution called to the stand included investigators who responded to the initial missing person's report on behalf of Jennifer on May 24, 2019, forensic scientists who tested the evidence collected for blood and DNA, and a former employee of Fotis.
Troconis was seen in the passenger seat of a Ford Raptor, in which Fotis Dulos, Jennifer's estranged husband and Troconis' one-time boyfriend, was seen dumping evidence into trash bins along Albany Ave. in Hartford the evening Jennifer went missing.
Troconis accompanied Fotis to the car wash, where he had the Toyota Tacoma he drove to and from Jennifer's New Canaan home detailed, according to court testimony.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
TROCONIS TRIAL: Troconis' third police interrogation video presented to jury
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Jennifer Farber Dulos, New Canaan mother of five, was last seen on May 24, 2019, dropping her children off at school. She was reported missing that evening, and an investigation was started.
Troconis is the one-time girlfriend of Jennifer’s estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, who was charged with Jennifer’s murder before he took his life in January 2020.
Troconis faces six charges:
- Conspiracy to commit murder
- Conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence – In connection to May 24, 2019
- Tampering with physical evidence – In connection to May 24, 2019
- Conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence – In connection to May 29, 2019
- Tamping with physical evidence – In connection to May 29, 2019
- Hindering prosecution
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