Troconis attorney files appeal to have conviction overturned alleging she was wrongfully convicted

Michelle Troconis during a hearing in Stamford Superior Court in 2024. (Tyler Sizemore/Hearst Connecticut Media/Pool)

The attorney representing Michelle Troconis in her appeal to overturn her conviction in the disappearance and death of Jennifer Farber Dulos has filed paperwork with the state Appellate Court alleging that her client was wrongfully convicted.

The brief, filed this week by Supervisory Assistant Public Defender Pamela S. Nagy, contends that there was insufficient evidence to convict Troconis on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution and additional conspiracy charges. Nagy also argues in the 1,015-page brief that multiple court rulings prevented Troconis from establishing her defense.

The brief contends that police conducted “unreasonable searches and seizures” when they searched the Farmington home where Troconis lived with Fotis Dulos, who was involved in contention divorce proceedings and a custody battle with Farber Dulos when she went missing on May 24, 2019. Nagy argues that several more errors contributed to Troconis’ conviction, including the ruling that allowed prosecutors to use “coerced” statements she made during interviews with police.

Troconis’ appeal has been pending since last June. Nagy’s filing provides the basis for the appeal to the state Appellate Court. In it, she argues that state prosecutors did not have any direct evidence connecting Troconis to Farber Dulos’ death, so they sought to use a “guilt by association” tactic and portrayed “her as a liar.”

“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,” Nagy writes. “The convictions are based solely on speculation and must be vacated.”

During her trial, prosecutors alleged that Troconis helped cover Dulos’ tracks while he went to Farber Dulos’ New Canaan home and waited for her to arrive before killing her and disposing of the body, which has not been found. Farber Dulos was declared legally dead in 2023.

Prosecutors said Troconis answered Dulos’ phone and used it to make it look as though he was still at their home in Farmington. They also said she lied to police when she initially said Dulos was at the home with her at the time of the disappearance.

“None of this proves Michelle knew of Dulos’ plan ahead of time or that she agreed with him and intended that he murder Farber (Dulos),” Nagy writes.

Nagy argues that Judge Kevin A. Randolph, who presided over the trial, prevented Troconis from mounting a proper defense when he ordered that a custody report related to the family proceedings between Dulos and Farber Dulos be sealed. The report, dated April 24, 2019, detailed a psychiatrist’s findings after interviewing the pair and their children.

Allowing information from the custody evaluation report would have “shown Michelle’s state of mind and why she had no reason to believe that Dulos harmed Farber (Dulos),” the brief alleges.

“The court stripped her of any chance for an acquittal and violated her rights to a fair trial, confrontation and to present a defense,” Nagy writes, contending that Randolph had no basis to exclude information from the report.

Nagy writes in her brief that police evicted Dulos and Troconis from their Farmington home for “at least” four days while they carried out a search and seizure warrant in late May and early June 2019. Nagy argues that police conducted multiple searches over several days without obtaining a new warrant and that they lacked probable cause to obtain a warrant in the first place. She contends that a motion to suppress evidence collected during the searches should have been granted.

According to the brief, Troconis’ statements made to police during interviews between June 2 and June 6, 2019, were the result of “coercive police conduct” and should not have been allowed at trial. Nagy alleges that an investigator threatened to charge Troconis with accessory to murder if she did not speak to them and they found Farber Dulos’ body.

During her second interview with police, an investigator allegedly told her that if she wanted to see her family, “this was her only chance not to be charged with murder,” Nagy writes, adding that police allegedly later admitted that they did not have probable cause at that time to pursue a murder charge.

Nagy also contends that investigators conceded to one another during one of the interviews that Troconis “could have legitimately been on the phone and not paying attention when Dulos disposed of the garbage bags” on Albany Avenue in Hartford. The bags were later recovered and found to contain items with Farber Dulos’ blood on them.

Nagy also argues that convicting Troconis on multiple conspiracy charges violates double jeopardy. She is seeking to have Troconis’ conviction overturned and a new trial. According to state records, Troconis is serving her sentence at York Correctional Institution in East Lyme while her appeal is pending.

Troconis was sentenced 141/2 years in prison in May 2024 following a trial that ended with a jury finding her guilty on all charges.

Dulos died at a New York hospital in January 2020 following what police said was a suicide attempt using carbon monoxide in the garage of his Farmington home.

By JUSTIN MUSZYNSKI | jmuszynski@courant.com | Hartford Courant

PUBLISHED: November 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM EST