What to Know
- Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five from suburban Connecticut, vanished in late May after dropping her children off at school
- Her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, attempted to take his own life at his Farmington home on Jan. 28 before a bond hearing
- Fotis Dulos was previously arrested on murder and other charges; his ex-girlfriend is charged with conspiracy
Fotis Dulos, accused of murdering his long-missing wife, a suburban Connecticut mother of five, attempted to take his own life ahead of an emergency bond-related hearing Tuesday. One of his attorneys told News 4 he had a pulse when he was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
Earlier footage from Dulos' Farmington home showed emergency crews performing CPR on a person lying in his driveway. Fire radio indicated an "expedited" emergency call for medics and an ambulance to his address shortly before noon Tuesday.
He was transported to UConn Health Center to be treated for carbon monoxide poisoning, where he was listed in critical condition, Farmington Police said in an afternoon press conference.
Later in the afternoon, Dulos was airlifted from Connecticut to a hyperbaric chamber at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, sources told NBC New York. He was removed from that hyperbaric chamber later in the evening, and his family was coming from Greece to visit him in the hospital.
In the afternoon press conference, Farmington Police revealed that officers responded to a welfare check Tuesday morning since Dulos was late for a court appearance. Responding officers saw through a window that Dulos was sitting in his car and had "obvious signs of medical distress," police said.
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Police declined to say if they found any indications, such as a note, that would suggest it was a suicide attempt, saying the investigation was "too early" to conclude that.
The emergency bond hearing Tuesday was called to address whether there was adequate security for his $6 million bond. There were no immediate details on who or what may have posed an issue with the collateral, but the hearing was scheduled for noon.
Dulos never showed up. His attorney, Norm Pattis, said his client's GPS device was tracked after he did not arrive in court, which is when police found him unresponsive in the garage at the home with his car's engine running.
"Not once did it occur to me that he was ever a threat for suicide," Pattis said, adding that he feels he let Dulos down after feeling "a sense of responsibility for his welfare."
Pattis, who said he had been in Washington, D.C., when he heard the news, called the medical emergency "stunning news" and bashed anyone who would not be upset at the incident.
"All the folks who harped on Mr. Dulos can take some grim satisfaction in today's event but my message to each and every one of them is shame on you," Pattis said. "If they made up their minds before seeing the evidence ... then shame on you."
While a spokesperson for the police department in New Canaan, where Jennifer Dulos lived and was thought to have been killed, referred questions regarding Fotis Dulos to Farmington cops, those in the Fairfield County town were shocked at the development — with many saying it convinces them more than ever that he may be guilty.
"Could be guilt. Maybe he had something to do with it. I don’t think you act like that if you don’t have a guilty conscience," Deshawn Richardson said. Another town resident said it "proves he doesn't has his conscience very clear. "
The 52-year-old father was arrested on murder and kidnapping charges Jan. 7 in connection with what authorities say was the killing of Jennifer Dulos, who hasn't been seen since she dropped her children off at school on May 24. Authorities cited circumstantial evidence, including DNA testing and surveillance camera footage, in arrest warrants. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance or death.
Dulos posted the $6 million bail on Jan. 9 and has been under house arrest since.
Police allege Fotis Dulos lay in wait at Jennifer Dulos' home in New Canaan for her to return after dropping the children off at school. Authorities say Fotis Dulos attacked the woman in her garage, leaving behind a bloody crime scene, and drove off with her body, which has not been found.
Dulos' former girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. She is also under the same house arrest and GPS monitoring conditions. She couldn't immediately be reached for comment either. Also facing that charge: Dulos' friend, attorney Kent Mawhinney. Police said they helped Fotis Dulos try to cover up the killing, including by creating bogus alibis.
Last week, Dulos waived his right to a probable cause hearing so he could ask for a speedy trial that may start as early as next fall. His attorneys were scheduled to be back in court for a bond hearing on Wednesday afternoon, where a bail bondsman had offered to re-post the $6 million bond. It was not known late Tuesday if the hearing would still take place.
