In a case that has gripped and appalled the New England region and beyond, former ESPN host Michelle Troconis was convicted Friday of helping her now-deceased boyfriend kill his estranged wife almost five years ago.
According to CBS News, a jury found Troconis guilty in the murder of Jennifer Dulos, the mother of five who was entangled in a bitter divorce and custody dispute with Fotis Dulos, a Turkish-born American businessman.
CBS News reported that Troconis was convicted on all counts, including conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with physical evidence and hindering prosecution.
Her sentencing is set for May 31, and her bond is set at $6 million, according to NBC News.
NEW: Former ESPN host Michelle Troconis breaks down in tears after being found guilty of conspiring to kill Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos.
Troconis was convicted of six counts including conspiracy to commit murder.
Troconis plotted with Fotis Dulos, who killed himself… pic.twitter.com/YO55nem1WZ
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 2, 2024
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At 49, the 50-year sentence Troconis faces is practically a life sentence.
In a statement, the family of Jennifer Dulos called the verdict “a crucial attribution of accountability, not a victory.”
“There can be no victory when five children are growing up without their mother,” the statement said.
Statement from family and friends of Jennifer Farber Dulos after Michelle Troconis is guilty on all counts. pic.twitter.com/9H3fsqPuX9
— 🇺🇸 Pismo 🇺🇸 (@Pismo_B) March 2, 2024
Troconis’ lawyer plans to appeal.
“I truly just don’t see how the jury could have reached this verdict,” attorney John Schoenhorn said, according to CBS. “We’re going to challenge whether or not the trial had errors that should be reconsidered. And if not reconsidered in this court, then we’ll go to the appellate or Supreme Court.”
Troconis’ family denounced the outcome as a “tremendous injustice,” according to CBS, maintaining her innocence and vowing to continue fighting to prove it.
Jennifer Dulos vanished the morning of May 24, 2019, after dropping off her five children at school.
Investigators found evidence of blood in multiple locations on her vehicle parked at her New Canaan, Connecticut, home.
Authorities detailed Fotis Dulos’ movements on the day Jennifer went missing, including his alleged attack on her in their garage and subsequent efforts to dispose of her body.
Despite exhaustive searches, Jennifer Dulos was presumed dead. Her body was never found.
CNN reported that despite her body never being discovered, a Connecticut judge declared Jennifer Dulos dead in October 2023, concluding she likely endured “traumatic, blunt-force injuries.”
Should Troconis spend the rest of her life in prison?
Yes: 94% (517 Votes)
No: 6% (35 Votes)
Evidence against Troconis included her presence in a vehicle with Fotis as he disposed of garbage bags containing items linked to Jennifer through DNA evidence. This involvement became a focal point of the prosecution’s case against her. Fotis’s friend and attorney, Kent Mawhinney, also faces allegations of involvement in the conspiracy to murder Jennifer.
He has pleaded innocent. (In a statement after the Troconis verdict, Mawhinney reiterated his claim of innocence, according to WTIC-TV in Hartford.)
The arrest warrant for Troconis also accused her of providing inconsistent statements to police regarding Fotis’ whereabouts on the day of the murder, further implicating her in the conspiracy.
Fotis, who was deeply in debt, became the prime suspect in Jennifer’s murder.
In January 2020, Fotis, 52, apparently attempted suicide from carbon poisoning. He was revived but pronounced dead two days later.
Troconis’ is a dual citizen of the United States and Venezuela, according to CBS. Her work for ESPN was based in South America, according to Sports Illustrated.
