Michelle Troconis convicted in Jennifer Farber Dulos case

STAMFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — A judge sentenced Michelle Troconis to 20 years in prison, suspended after 14 1/2 years, for her role in the death and disappearance of Connecticut mother Jennifer Farber Dulos.

Troconis faces up to 45 years in prison and up to $45,000 in fines. Troconis was convicted in March of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence, two counts of tampering with physical evidence and one count of hindering prosecution in the second degree .

“What Michelle Troconis decides to do today, tomorrow and the next day is up to her,” Judge Kevin Randolph said. “From what the court heard, she has a lot to offer. The court has no control over what its decisions will be. His life belongs to him.

In a written statement, Farber Dulos' family wrote that while the sentence brings “some relief,” the pain of his loss remains.

Before sentencing, Randolph dropped one of his charges of conspiracy to tamper with physical evidence, which could have led to an additional five years in prison.

She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, suspended after 14.5 years, for conspiracy to commit murder. The sentence will be followed by five years of probation. The maximum prison sentence for this charge was 20 years.

She was sentenced to five years in prison, suspended after four years, for her four other charges. These sentences will run concurrently.

His lawyer, Jon Schoenhorn, said outside court that he planned to appeal the sentence, challenging the decision not to move the trial out of Stamford, allowing what he called “junk science” into the trial and other “irregularities”.

He said she questioned whether she would receive a fair trial and urged her to have faith in the justice system.

“I can no longer say that she didn’t have good reason to think that this wasn’t a fair process,” he said.

He and his family maintained outside court that she was innocent.

Troconis, 49, was Fotis Dulos' girlfriend when he allegedly killed his wife in May 2019. He was charged with murder in January 2020 and killed himself a few weeks later. Farber Dulos' body was never found.

“Your Honor, I am deeply saddened by this tragedy that has affected so many lives,” Troconis told the court before the sentencing. “I discovered things before and during the trial about a man, Fotis Dulos, who I thought I knew and loved. I deeply regret having a relationship with Fotis Dulos and bringing my daughter, my family and myself into our lives, into his life.

Troconis was accused of conspiring with Dulos to kill Farber Dulos and of being with Dulos when he threw evidence, including a bloody bra and shirt, into trash cans around Hartford. She also answered a planned phone call from a friend in Greece in an attempt to create an alibi and helped bring a vehicle involved in the murder to a car wash.

Before the sentencing, all five Dulos children made emotional statements asking for a 45-year sentence.

“The defendant's actions mean I will never be able to tell my mother how sorry I am for not being a better son when she needed me,” said her eldest son, Petros, 18. “I will never be able to tell mom how proud I am of her courage and above all how much I love her. This fact haunts me every day.

Her daughter, Noelle, said Troconis comforted her when she was afraid to get off a bunk bed during a ski trip. Now, Noelle says, she is afraid to trust others and fears losing more people in her life.

“Because of that day, I constantly feel like something worse is going to happen to the people I love, and that this could be my last moments with them at any time,” she said.

Schoenhorn said 64 letters were submitted to the court on Troconis' behalf and 44 people were present in court to support her. Troconis was visibly emotional as her family provided impact statements.

“I beg you to listen, I need my mother in my life, not just as a parent, but as a source of strength and understanding,” her daughter said.

Remarks from family and friends highlighted how she worked with people with disabilities, how she cooked in a soup kitchen and how she once organized a human chain to save her sister before she was swept away by a waterfall. Schoenhorn said she cooperated with police and went with them to search the woods, showing where she would go with Dulos and drew maps to aid the investigation.

“The court cannot convict Michelle for what Fotis Dulos or others did,” Schoenhorn said.

Schoenhorn objected to the idea that Troconis worked to break up the marriage and replace Farber Dulos. He said Troconis moved to Connecticut because Dulos claimed his divorce was amicable.

His sister, Daniela Troconis, said Dulos presented himself as “a good man and worthy of my sister.”

“We all feel like we’ve been lied to,” she said. “We all feel betrayed.”

Troconis' pastor, Rev. Christopher Solimene of Avon Congregational Church, said he trusted Troconis with his life.

“I can honestly say before God and the world that Michelle Troconis is a woman not only of substantial character, but of almost singular ethics and goodness,” he said.

Michelle Manning, assistant district attorney for the Stamford/Norwalk Judicial District, told the court that Troconis wanted to replace Farber Dulos. Manning said Troconis joined the neighborhood's homeowners association and was with the children when Dulos visited — even though she wasn't allowed there.

“The defendant thought she could build her life on Jennifer's death,” Manning said.

There is one more trial remaining in this case. Dulos' former attorney, Kent Mawhinney, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. A date for his trial has not been set.