Woman Convicted of Murder Conspiracy in Case of Jennifer Dulos

A woman was convicted Friday of conspiring to murder missing mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos, who vanished from a wealthy Connecticut enclave in 2019 and was never found.

Prosecutors said Michelle Troconis, 49, helped her then-boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, in his plot to kill his estranged wife and cover it up.

In addition to the conspiracy to commit murder charge, which carries a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, the jury convicted Troconis of hindering the prosecution and evidence tampering.

Authorities believe Fotis Dulos killed Jennifer Dulos as they battled each other in divorce and child custody proceedings.

The tragic story of Jennifer Dulos

Fifty-year-old Dulos disappeared in May of 2019 in New Canaan after she dropped her children off at school. Investigators found her car near a park not far from her home, but she has not been seen or heard from since.

Although her body has never been found, officials believe Jennifer Dulos is dead, as police found evidence of a violent attack at her home.

Fotis Dulos and Troconis were arrested in June of 2019 and charged with tampering with or fabricating evidence after investigators discovered that the pair had transported—and later disposed of—plastic bags containing items with Jennifer Dulos’ blood on them.

They pleaded not guilty at the time.

The Greek native was arrested on murder and kidnapping charges in January of 2020 and again pleaded not guilty.

While awaiting trial on the charge of murdering his wife, Greek-born Dulos attempted suicide and died two days later in January of 2020. His death has tragically furthered the mystery surrounding his estranged wife’s death and complicated the possibility of her remains ever being found.

The case drew widespread attention and was the subject of a made-for-TV movie, Lifetime’s Gone Mom.

Jennifer Dulos was a member of a wealthy New York City family whose father, the late Hilliard Farber, founded his own brokerage firm. She also was a niece by marriage of fashion designer Liz Claiborne.

Troconis, a dual American and Venezuelan citizen, has described herself as a co-founder of horse riding therapy programs in different parts of the world. She once had her own TV production company in Argentina and hosted a snow-sports show for ESPN South America.

Another defendant in the case, Kent Mawhinney, a friend of Fotis Dulos and his one-time lawyer in a civil case, is awaiting trial on a murder conspiracy charge. He has pleaded not guilty.