STAMFORD, Conn. — The jurors in the Michelle Troconis criminal trial got more details Wednesday on the red truck that went to and from New Canaan the morning Jennifer Dulos went missing.
Retired Conn. State Police Sgt. Matthew Reilly returned to the stand to testify on processing a red 2001 Toyota Tacoma. He had previously provided testimony on processing Jennifer's home and some other vehicles for evidence in the case.
While the Tacoma "had the dings and dents of an 18-year-old truck," Reilly said the truck "appeared to be very clean" inside and out.
"The tires even looked like they had been washed and Armor All'd," he said to the court.
Investigators found seats that appeared to be from a Porsche inside the truck, with the driver's seat propped up with a plastic bucket, Reilly testified. He added that the seats were not bolted down or attached to the truck.
Investigators conducted field tests on parts of the interior doors, and while some samples tested negative for possible blood, the samples were swabbed for lab testing.
Reilly also noticed that the license plates appeared clean and had two clean bolts each. No fingerprints were found when they were processed, he testified.
There were also two more car seats found in the truck bed, Reilly testified. It was not made clear to the court whether they were at any point used as the front seats of the Tacoma.
The court had heard testimony Tuesday from investigators who tracked a Tacoma going from Farmington to New Canaan on the morning of May 24, 2019, the day Jennifer went missing.
A Connecticut state forensic lab scientist also took the stand Wednesday on evidence he tested for fingerprints. Fotis’ fingerprints were found on a piece of black tape, while possible traces of his fingerprints were found on other pieces of tape and some black garbage bags, the scientist testified.
Neighbors who live near 4 Jefferson Crossing, where Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis lived, also testified Wednesday on providing home surveillance footage to Connecticut State Police investigators.
One clip shown to the court was of a black truck pulling into the driveway of 4 Jefferson Crossing around 8:12 p.m. on May 24, someone getting out of the driver’s seat, walking to the mailbox, and then back to the truck.
Previous testimony walked the court through the path of what appeared to be Fotis driving a black Ford Raptor, dumping trash along Albany Ave. in Hartford earlier that same evening, with Troconis in the passenger seat. The two went to a Starbucks on Albany Ave. in West Hartford after, according to testimony. Investigators found evidence, including what appeared to be Jennifer’s blood-stained clothes, in the trash cans Fotis stopped at, according to testimony.
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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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