Michelle Troconis to appear in court on contempt of court charges – NBC New York

Michelle Troconis appeared in court in Stamford on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing on contempt of court charges filed during her trial in the disappearance and murder of Jennifer Dulos.

Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five living in New Canaan, disappeared on May 24, 2019, in the midst of a bitter divorce and custody battle with her then-estranged husband, Fotis Dulos. He was presumed dead and his body was never found.

Michelle Troconis was dating Fotis Dulos when Jennifer disappeared.

In June 2019, Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis charged tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and hindering prosecution in the first degree.

On January 7, 2020, State police charged Fotis Dulos with felony murder, murder and kidnapping and Troconis with conspiracy to commit murder. Both denied the charges.

Three weeks later, Fotis died after attempting suicide, according to police.

Troconis’ trial began in January of this year and the jury found him guilty on March 1.

He is now serving a 14-and-a-half-year prison sentence after a jury found him guilty. conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with physical evidence, hindering prosecution and additional charges.

During his trial in February, he was charged with contempt of court for allegedly showing a sealed custody report related to Dulos’ contentious divorce on his laptop.

At the hearing Wednesday, lawyers and the judge announced that Troconis faces two counts of defamation, one for possessing a custody report and the other for distributing it.

Troconis denied the accusations of defamation.

His attorney also was granted a motion to subpoena the videographer who was in court for his hearing and recorded what the state said was the custody report on Troconis’ laptop. His lawyer wants the cameraman to testify at the hearing on defamation charges.

As of now, the hearing is scheduled for March 11, 2025.

In addition to Wednesday’s hearings, Troconis also filed a petition for habeas corpus, alleging his lead attorney, Andrew Bowman, made numerous legal errors, including failing to explain the pros and cons of speaking to police about Jennifer’s disappearance. Trying to understand the events surrounding Jennifer’s disappearance on May 24, 2019, and her relationship with Fotis at the time.

Troconis also alleges that Bowman told her that then-Chief State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo threatened that if she did not talk to police, she would be charged with accessory to murder and that she would never see her child again, among other allegations.

In a brief phone conversation in September, Attorney Bowman said he could not discuss the substance of the habeas claims because that would violate attorney client privilege.

“I absolutely deny the allegations made in the habeas petition,” he said.

No decision has been made on this matter yet.

Troconis spoke about the case in a letter to NBC Connecticut’s Shannon Miller in July while he was at York Correctional Institution.

The four-page letter partially details how Troconis claims Fotis Dulos cheated on her and others who are part of the ongoing divorce and custody case. It also touches on the issue at the heart of the criminal contempt case: the sealed custody study report involving Fotis and his estranged wife, which investigators say Troconis illegally viewed on his laptop during the criminal trial.

You can read more about this here.

The Troconis family continues to protect Michelle’s innocence.