Michelle Troconis' conviction in Jennifer Dulos case lacked evidence, 1,000-page appeal brief says

Michelle Troconis, second from left, stands with her attorneys, Jon Schoenhorn and Audrey Felsen, as she speaks before Judge Kevin Randoph prior to her sentencing at state Superior Court in Stamford May 31, 2024. Ned Gerard / Hearst Connecticut Media

STAMFORD — The state failed to prove there was a conspiracy to kill Jennifer Dulos, according to a 1,000-page brief filed this week in Michelle Troconis' appeal of her conviction in the case.

Troconis is serving a 14-and-a-half year sentence after being convicted of several charges including conspiracy to commit murder in the presumed death of Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five who was embroiled in an acrimonious divorce and custody battle with Troconis' boyfriend, Fotis Dulos.

Troconis is appealing the conviction to the state Supreme Court, and also has sought to overturn the conviction and sentence in a habeas case based on ineffective counsel filed in a different court.

The brief describes a scene when Troconis was arrested for the first time, in front of her young daughter, after returning from a state police strip search about a week after Jennifer Dulos was reported missing.

"She was in her pajamas," the brief said. "The police told her to change into street clothes in the bathroom but not to close the door. Her child was crying. When she left the bathroom she was handcuffed with her hands behind her back."

The brief also describes a scene when Troconis, her mother, and her daughter were being followed by police who "even attended a movie and sat near the defendant and her family."

The attorney for Troconis claimed in the 1,000-page appellate brief that "there was no evidence" that she agreed with Fotis Dulos to kill his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos, who disappeared on May 24, 2019, and hasn't been seen since.

"Actions she took after the disappearance do not mean she knew ahead of time what (Fotis) Dulos planned even if it could be inferred she lied to police to cover for him," said the brief written by Supervisory Assistant Public Defender Pamela Nagy, who is representing Troconis in the appeal.

Nagy said that, "at best," the only evidence of a prearrangement "was that she answered his phone." "To infer an agreement to kill Farber (Jennifer Farber Dulos) from that evidence, even if that established (Fotis) Dulos’ alibi, is simply unreasonable," Nagy said in the brief. "There are far too many unknowns to draw that conclusion from this evidence. In addition, the evidence strongly suggests that (Fotis) Dulos kept Michelle in the dark about many things, including picnicking at Farber’s house earlier that week. (Fotis) Dulos told several people that the custody proceedings were going well and he would soon get custody. There was no evidence that Michelle knew anything different."

Troconis' appellate attorney also contends that the state failed to prove beyond a

reasonable doubt the elements of all the crimes she was convicted of and that a four day search of her home was "unreasonable."

Jennifer Dulos, 50, vanished amid a contentious two-year divorce and custody dispute with Fotis Dulos, who quickly became a prime suspect in her disappearance. Troconis was living with Fotis Dulos in Farmington at the time.

Fotis Dulos died by suicide in January 2020 while facing murder and other charges in the case. A probate judge declared Jennifer Dulos legally dead in 2023. Attorney Kent Mawhinney, a friend of Fotis Dulos, also was charged but pleaded guilty to interfering with police in June and was not given any prison time.

During her trial in early 2024, the state showed jurors videos of Michelle Troconis speaking with police and the clothing soaked in what appeared to be blood that was believed to have been worn by Jennifer Dulos on the day she disappeared. A Vineyard Vines top and a bra had been slit up the middle. The state's forensic lab concluded that the items were stained with the DNA of Jennifer Dulos.

In their guilty verdicts, the jury convicted Troconis of trying to create an alibi for Fotis Dulos the morning his estranged wife disappeared and helping to clean a pickup truck police believe was used in the crime.

Staff writers Ethan Fry and Liz Hardaway contributed to this story.

Nov 11, 2025

Lisa Backus

STAFF WRITER

Lisa Backus is a local, state and national award winning crime reporter who covers breaking news and criminal justice policy for Hearst Connecticut Media Group. When she's not working she can be found hanging out with her animal companions Spot and Morgan and her six grandchildren.