What to Know
- There is new suspicion in the case of the missing Connecticut mother that the husband’s girlfriend may have flipped
- Michelle Troconis told police she and Fotis Dulos were in West Hartford on May 24, the day that mother of five Jennifer Dulos disappeared
- Earlier this week, Troconis recanted her alibi that her and Fotis Dulos were together at home the morning Jennifer disappeared
There is new suspicion in the case of the missing Connecticut mother that the husband’s girlfriend may have flipped, and is no longer supporting Fotis Dulos’ defense.
Michelle Troconis was arrested on Thursday on evidence tampering charges. In the new arrest warrant this week, Troconis told police she and Fotis Dulos were in West Hartford on May 24, the day that mother of five Jennifer Dulos disappeared. She also told investigators that several handwritten notes found in Fotis Dulos’ office that outlined his activities on May 24 and 25 included inaccurate information, describing events that never happened.
Earlier this week, Troconis recanted her alibi that her and Fotis Dulos were together at home the morning Jennifer disappeared.
However, Fotis Dulos’ lawyer Norm Pettis told News 4 on Friday that Troconis is now lying, but will tell the truth once she is put under oath on the stand once a trial comes.
Pattis did not shy away from criticizing Troconis, calling her a “lying lover.”
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“She was his lover. She said one thing one day, and when it suited her she changed her tune,” Pattis told NBC New York. “We want to know why.”
An interview with Fotis Dulos is set to air on “Dateline” next week. During the interview, which was conducted before the most recent arrests in the case and the highly incriminating arrest warrant, Dulos said he does believe that Jennifer is still alive.
Fotis Dulos and Troconis both face the same charges of hindering prosecution and evidence tampering, but while his bond was set at $500,000, her bond was significantly lower at $100,000.
Dulos is set to be arraigned next week, and will plead not guilty.
The court documents also include multiple surveillance photos of a red Toyota Tacoma, which Fotis had access to, in New Canaan on the morning Jennifer disappeared. According to the warrant, the vehicle is owned by one of Fotis’ employees, who regularly leaves the vehicle at Fotis’ Farmington home and takes another vehicle for his work.
That employee told police that when he returned from work on May 24 to pick up his truck he couldn’t initially find the keys. He said the following week, Fotis took the car to be interior detailed and washed without his knowledge.
The employee went on to tell police that Fotis kept pushing him to replace the seats in the truck. When he questioned his employer, Fotis said he was concerned Jennifer’s hair may be in the car because he hugged her when he saw her on Mother’s Day.
The employee was cleared as a suspect.
During an interview with Troconis on August 13, detectives asked her why she thought Dulos had the Tacoma washed. Troconis answered "Well obviously - all the evidence says because - you showed me the picture of the blood in the door - it's because the body of Jennifer at some point was in there," according to the arrest affidavit.
In the court documents, investigators state they believe Fotis laid in wait for Jennifer at her home on May 24, committed "the crime" and cleaned it up, then returned to Farmington.
When police searched the Toyota, they found a “bloodlike substance” that was a DNA match to Jennifer, according to the court documents.
Fotis has only been charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.
Jennifer and Fotis’ five children have been staying with Jennifer’s mother, who was granted temporary custody by the court.
Police urge everyone with information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance to contact them. In addition to the tip line, 203-594-3544, tips and information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance can be sent to FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov and submitted anonymously at www.FindJenniferDulos.com.
