Michelle Troconis appeals conviction in Jennifer Dulos case

HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) - Michelle Troconis has filed an appeal of her conviction in connection with the disappearance and presumed murder of Jennifer Farber Dulos, arguing there was insufficient evidence to support the charges and that her constitutional rights were violated during the trial.

Troconis was convicted in March of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to tamper with evidence, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, suspended after 14.5 years, with five years of probation.

In the 86-page appellate brief filed with the Connecticut Appellate Court, Troconis’s attorney Pamela Nagy argues the convictions should be vacated because the state failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Troconis knew of Fotis Dulos’s alleged plan to kill his estranged wife or that she conspired with him.

The appeal raises seven main arguments, including claims that there was insufficient evidence for all convictions and that the trial court prevented Troconis from establishing her defense by excluding evidence about a custody evaluation report.

“The state presented an immense amount of evidence focused almost entirely on Dulos’ role in the disappearance, but it failed to prove that Michelle knew of Dulos’ activities, shared his intent, conspired with him, or intentionally helped him in any manner,” the brief states.

The defense argues that Troconis’s actions after Jennifer Dulos’s disappearance do not prove she knew ahead of time what Fotis Dulos planned, even if it could be inferred she lied to police to cover for him.

The brief also alleges multiple constitutional violations, including claims that police conducted unreasonable searches of the Farmington home where Troconis lived with Fotis Dulos. The defense argues police seized the home for four days and conducted a second search without obtaining a new warrant.

Troconis’s attorneys also claim the trial court improperly excluded evidence about a custody evaluation report that would have shown Troconis’s state of mind and why she had no reason to believe Dulos had harmed his estranged wife.

The brief argues the court allowed the state to present evidence about the custody matter to support its theory of motive while preventing the defense from introducing evidence from the same proceedings that would undermine that theory.

Jennifer Farber Dulos disappeared on May 24, 2019, after dropping her children off at school in New Canaan. She was involved in a contentious divorce and custody battle with Fotis Dulos at the time of her disappearance.

Fotis Dulos died by suicide in January 2020 while facing charges in connection with his estranged wife’s disappearance. Jennifer Dulos’s body has never been found.

The state’s case against Troconis centered largely on surveillance video showing her in a truck with Fotis Dulos as he discarded garbage bags containing items with Jennifer Dulos’s DNA along Albany Avenue in Hartford on the evening of May 24, 2019.

By Zoe Strothers

Published: Nov. 12, 2025 at 3:23 PM EST

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