Ep 280: Michelle Troconis Trial (Part 1)
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On Friday, May 24th, 2019, a missing person complaint came into the New Canaan Police Department in New Canaan, Connecticut. Lauren Almeida, the nanny who worked for the Dulos family, was calling to report that her employer and friend, Jennifer Farber Dulos, was missing. We told the police that a mother of five was missing and that she was in a very contentious divorce.

Sergeant Aaron LaTourette was one of the first officers to respond to 69 Wells Lane, the home where Jennifer lived with her five children. The caller stated that Jennifer did not go to a doctor's appointment in New York City and that she was missing and that

Given the information that Kelly Coughlin, our dispatcher, got at that time, Matt Blank, Officer Matthew Blank, and myself responded to 69 Wells Lane to check that property to see if we could find Jennifer. What type of area is 69 Wells Lane? It's a residential area, and that street is a dead-end cul-de-sac. Do you recall around what time you went there? Approximately 7 p.m.

Sergeant LaTourette and Officer Blank went to the front door of the large home and rang the bell. No answer. They walked the perimeter to see if they could find anyone. The nanny, Lauren, had given them a garage coat, so they used that to enter. It was a three-car garage, and in the center was a black SUV. Officer Blank used his radio to call in the registration plate to see who owned it.

Sir, did you notice anything in the garage that drew your attention? Officer Blank and myself entered the garage. We walked to the left of that SUV, the driver's side of that vehicle. We walked to the front of that vehicle. I checked the doorknob from the garage, leading from the garage into the residence. The doorknob was unlocked. We waited in front of that vehicle at the door until the dispatcher got back that registration information to us.

While we waited, I looked at the vehicle and noticed that there was what appeared to be red blood on the front of that vehicle. Can you please describe what you saw? A red mark on the grille area of the vehicle. And again, it drew my attention because it didn't match the color of the grille, didn't match the color of the vehicle.

Was there any damage to the vehicle? No, we did not. We looked at the vehicle, did not observe any damage. Initially, Officer Blank and myself discussed it possibly could be a deer strike in the roadway. And again, there was no hair. There was no damage indicating any such collision with a deer. When they entered the house, they went through each and every room. There was a purse belonging to Jennifer in the kitchen.

Lauren had told investigators that the purse would normally not be at the home if Jennifer wasn't there. She would typically take that with her. On top of the purse was a light jacket. Inside one of the pockets was a notepad and a set of keys for a Chevy vehicle. Meanwhile, other officers had located a Chevy that Jennifer normally drove, abandoned by a community park.

Investigators went to the area to search the nearby trails for Jennifer, but didn't find her. Sergeant LaTourette returned to 69 Wells after canines conducted another search by the park. They turned up nothing. When he went into the garage again, he noticed something else.

When we entered the garage, we went on the right side of the vehicle, the black SUV, a Range Rover. On the right passenger side of the vehicle on the floor, I observed what appeared to be a footprint, reddish in color, could have been a footprint of blood. He noticed what appeared to be blood on the exterior of the garbage can in the garage, as well as drops on the concrete floor near the rear driver's side of the vehicle.

There were also a few smears that were pink or reddish in color, as though something had been cleaned up. Additional officers and detectives arrived, and the garage was determined to be a crime scene. Jennifer Dulos was missing, but to investigators, it was looking a whole lot like this would end up being a murder case, with or without a body.

Sure enough, eight months later, Jennifer's estranged husband, Fotis Doulos, was charged with murder. His girlfriend, Michelle Chaconis, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, hindering prosecution, and tampering with evidence. One of Fotis' friends, Kent Mahaney, was also charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

In today's episode, we'll be covering Michelle Triconis' trial, going through the testimony from witnesses who will help tell the story of what really happened to Jennifer Dulos, and if Michelle, Jennifer's estranged husband's girlfriend, played a part in it. This is Jillian in partnership with Law & Crime. You are listening to Court Junkie, episode 280, part one. ♪♪

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Sergeant Scott Romano is a now-retired police sergeant from the New Canaan Police Department in New Canaan, Connecticut. He testified that he responded to the area where Jennifer Dulos' car was found. He testified that he secured the vehicle overnight and made sure that no one came into contact with it.

There was nothing initially remarkable, although looking at the passenger side, which is the side that's against the wood line, it was, I noted at my initial walk around with a flashlight that it appeared that something had been wiped on the side of the vehicle. There were streaks in it and some marks that looked, although dirt may have been brushed off it without being washed first, there were scratches and some small amounts of what looked like from my experience to be a blood-like substance in different locations on the lower part of the vehicle.

After the car was towed, he went to the home at 69 Wells and did a preliminary walkthrough. He then canvassed the area, looking for cameras that may have picked up anything. He noted one neighbor had a camera. He was able to check the footage and saw Jennifer's vehicle leaving in the morning and then returning, and then leaving for a second time and not returning.

Another officer, Officer Kelly Coughlin, reviewed additional surveillance video from the Dulos Children's School campus, and Jennifer's vehicle could be seen driving through it earlier that morning at 8.03 a.m. She testified that school drop-off is usually between 7.45 and 8.30.

Lauren Almeida is 32 years old. She was the nanny for the Dulos family and the one who reported Jennifer missing to law enforcement. Who do you currently live with? I live with the Dulos kids. Lauren testified that the last time she saw her employer, Jennifer Dulos, was on May 24th, 2019.

She had been working with the Doulos family for years. She was their nanny starting in September 2012. She told the court that Fotis Doulos, the father, was originally from Greece. Jennifer, the mother, was from New York. And the couple had five children, which included two sets of twins. Lauren started out babysitting on Saturdays and Sundays. But over time, she started working more for the family. She was in her final year of school.

She said Fotis owned a construction business called Four Group. He was building luxury homes. His office was above their garage. She said Jennifer was a writer, but she didn't know much about that. They were both home most of the time she babysat. How would you describe the dynamic of the duo's marriage when you met them in 2012? Um...

I mean, I tried not to judge, but he was gone a lot. But I just figured that was just kind of what it was in their house. But overall, when I first started working for them, they seemed to get along just fine. And how did they act towards one another? In the beginning? In the beginning, they were nice towards each other. I mean, from what I saw, at least in the beginning. I'm sorry, Ms. Steph? From what I saw, at least in the beginning.

In May 2013, Lauren graduated college. She said she didn't have a job in place yet, and Jennifer offered her a full-time position with the kids. She became the main nanny, but there were still some other sitters who would come too. She worked Monday through Saturday for the full-time position, half days during the week and a full day on Saturday.

She described a typical workday. She would help feed the young ones or get activities going with them. She would give them baths and help with cleaning up after them. She testified that she went on vacation with the family multiple times, to St. Barts, Florida, Greece a few times, Virginia with Fotis, and Colorado. Sometimes Jennifer wouldn't go. She said Fotis would also travel a lot by himself.

Can you describe the dynamic between Mr. Dulos and his children? Yeah, I mean, when they were younger, they kind of just, I mean, they listened to whatever their dad said. They didn't get a lot of time with their dad, so their time was mostly on the weekend. And I was with them most of the time on the weekend. So they just, they did whatever Foda asked them to do. But yeah, that was like the main time that he spent with the kids. How often would Mr. Dulos travel without the family?

a lot where I don't know the exact days, but enough where it was, you could tell it was a little odd how often he was traveling. Lauren smiled when recalling the kids' relationship with their mom. Yeah, it was very silly, her relationship with the kids. They always wanted to be next to mommy, which is kind of what it was. And she would sing to them and laugh at them. And she never raised her voice. She was like so soft-spoken and never got angry. And

She was just like incredibly nurturing. As Lauren continued to work for the family, she and Jennifer developed a friendship. She said she confided in Jennifer a lot about her personal life and always trusted her. They had a really good relationship. She said she met Jennifer's parents, sister and cousins. She said Jennifer's mom is still alive and she smiled when talking about her.

Did there come a point in time when Jennifer began fighting and you think about her relationship with Mr. Wills? Yeah. Did Jennifer ever express to you her feelings on whether Mr. Wills was paying enough attention to her? Objection. Sustained. Did Jennifer ever express to you a desire to avoid arguing with Mr. Wills? Objection. Yeah.

Would you tell the jury what she said? She just felt like arguing with Fotis. Like he was harsh and she didn't like conflict. So she could never really like express how she really felt because it kind of just kind of looked over.

She said in September 2013, Fotis asked if she was interested in working for his construction company, and she decided to take him up on his offer. She would work half the time for 4Group and half the time would nanny for the kids. She testified that she saw Fotis as a role model and mentor, and also considered him a friend. She said 4Group was very small, with only a handful of employees, about five or six.

She was asked about a man named Pavel Gumieni. She said he was an employee of 4Group who was there when she started babysitting. He was a project manager but did everything. He would also assist Jennifer around the house with changing light bulbs and building things in the backyard. She said he would also pick them up from the airport after a trip.

And did there come a point in time when the dynamic between Jennifer and Mr. DeRose began to change from when you first met them? Yeah. Could you describe how the dynamic changed for the jury? The big dynamic change was in March of 2017, which is when Jennifer found out about his affair. And a few months after that, it totally changed.

She was asked about a trip the family took together in March 2017. They first went to Aspen because the kids had off school. She said the first week it was Jennifer, Fotis, his friend Mark, Lauren, and the kids. She said the kids would ski, but then they would do the hot cocoa stuff. Did there come a point in time during the trip where Mr. Dulos told the group he had taken the children to an adult club? Yeah.

Who was present for this conversation? Myself and Jennifer. How did Jennifer react upon hearing this? She like shocked because they were little and they were going to a day club. And so she was like, we were both kind of like disgusted, I guess is the word. And what was Mr. Doolis' demeanor like as he was relaying this information? He was excited that he like paid off the people to let his kids into this day club where, yeah.

He seemed really happy about it. After that week in Aspen, they then flew to Miami. Jennifer's mom, Gloria, met them there. The kids' main activity in Miami was water skiing. During that time, Jennifer talked to Lauren about her marriage. She told me she believed that Fotis was having an affair. Did she say why she believed that? She just said she had this feeling, he's been acting weird, and I didn't really believe her at first.

When you say you didn't really believe her, what do you mean by that? At that time, I had a good relationship with Fotis, and I believed him to be an honest guy. And I couldn't imagine him having an affair where there's five little kids involved. What did you say to Jennifer? I told her I don't think that's true. What was her demeanor like during this conversation? She was very anxious, like kind of tight. And she seemed upset.

She said Jennifer's mom was present for the conversation, too. She was asked if during this trip she met someone named Michelle Triconis. She said yes. She told the jury that she met Michelle in Miami at a private ski club. Fotis had a boat that he had purchased about six months to a year prior that he kept at the ski club. He traveled there often.

Lauren testified that Jennifer wouldn't go to the ski club. Her mom was visiting them while they were there, so they stayed at the hotel. She said Fotis introduced her to Michelle and Michelle's daughter, who was about 11. She said she believed at least the two oldest Dulos kids had met her prior to that. They were calling her Mitchie and hugging her like they already knew her. Prior to this trip, Fotis had traveled there with the two oldest boys.

Can you describe your interactions with the defendant at the ski club for the jury? Yeah, so Fotis introduced her as a friend and she was nice. She was with Fotis a lot, like they'd go on the boat to ski. But there was one time I had a conversation with her when we were underneath the little tent where you can kind of just hang out.

I remember the conversation. She was telling me she just got back from Colorado. She was looking at schools for her daughter to go to because her daughter was a very good snow skier. So she wanted her to, I think, get better or more opportunities there, I guess. But she was friendly. When you interacted with the defendant, what language did you speak to her in? English. Did she have any trouble communicating with you in English when you spoke with her? No. Okay.

She was asked if the Dulos kids interacted with Michelle's daughter, and she said yes. She said it was kind of known that the daughter was maybe one of the Dulos kids' girlfriends. He was 11, so in that sense, she said. She was asked if Jennifer was ever in Michelle's presence during that trip, and she said no. She said Jennifer's mom actually tripped by the hotel pool and injured her ankle, so Jennifer and her mom left to go home a few days early.

She said she was left there with Fotis and four of the kids. The youngest had gone with Jennifer and her mom. She said they went back to the ski club a few more times. Did there come a point in time when you were no longer staying in the W? Yeah. Can you tell the jury what happened?

There was one night where Fotis said that we had to stay in a different hotel. And so we drove to the Ritz Carlton. But it was only going to be me and the four kids. And so because he was going to stay with a friend and he didn't really go into specifics.

It was just kind of odd, but I just agreed. And so it was the four kids and myself and we stayed in one room together for that one night. And then we had to get up at like 5 a.m. to get an Uber to meet him at another ski club. And when you say all of you stayed in one room, how many beds were in this room? One bed. Where did everyone sleep?

We squished on the bed. I think I was with the Christian and Constantine in the bigger bed. And Theodore was probably sleeping. We had a cop and then maybe someone on the floor. When Jennifer was in Miami, were you all sharing a room like this? No. She said one day they all went to play laser tag. Bodas told her he wanted her to play with the kids. And so she did while he and Michelle sat there and talked by themselves.

Lauren and the kids returned back to Connecticut while Fotis extended his trip. She said they arrived home around midnight. The kids went to bed, and she talked with Jennifer. Did Jennifer discuss with you a belief she had about Mr. Fulos? Yes. What did she say to you? She told me he is having an affair, and I have proof.

What was her proof? I think through email and receipts, she found out that he went on a trip to Utah with Michelle and a friend of his and his girlfriend. What was her demeanor like as she said this? She was, I think she just was just like, I knew it. She began very soft spoken. So she seemed sad, but also just kind of like she was trying to figure out what to do.

Did she indicate to you whether or not she planned to confront the stewardess about the affair? Oh, yeah. She asked me before she told me that she was going to. And she asked me not to mention anything to him or to anyone. And did you eventually speak with Jennifer about her intentions regarding the future of their marriage? Not that night. No. She said Jennifer's intentions changed throughout time. Can you describe to the jury what you mean by that?

So I was in the house the next day and when Fotis arrived too. And so when I got to the house, she pulled me aside and told me that she spoke to Fotis and he admitted to the affair.

And that she was going to try and have this be as civil as possible. She opened up more saying that she was no longer in love with Fotis, but she wanted she had five kids. So they were going to try and work out what they could. And directing your attention now to April 2017, did Jennifer make any requests of you as to whether or not you would stay on as the nanny?

Yeah, over the next few weeks, things were changing. And so her plan changed. And she asked me to go with her when she was planning to move. And I agreed. She said at the time she was still employed with 4Group. When asked why she decided to leave with Jennifer, she said because Jennifer was her friend and that she trusted her and wanted to help her.

She said she had been working for 4Group for a few years, but didn't have an interest in it anymore. She didn't see a future for herself there. She gave her notice for the end of May. In April and May 2017, the family still lived together, but Jennifer and Fotis were sleeping separately. Can you describe the dynamic between Mr. Goulas and Jennifer in April of 2017? It started to become very tense, very...

She was asked to describe an argument she witnessed between them.

I drove their family car often. It was a Suburban and I was driving through their garage. There's kind of this like little, I don't know, I guess like a bridge. There's a garage and a garage and then you drive through. So I was driving through and pulling into the garage. And as I was doing that in their backyard patio, I saw photos kind of chasing Jennifer with this piece of paper.

They saw me pull in and they both went inside. And so I had some of the kids in the car. I don't remember where we were coming back from, but we walked in through the garage to the mudroom, to the kitchen. And I just kind of like focus on the kids, getting them to where they needed to be. Don't tell me what Jennifer said to you about the interaction. I want you though to describe Jennifer's demeanor as you saw her being chased with a piece of paper. She looks scared and worried.

And can you describe Mr. Boulos as the meaner for the jury during that same interaction? He looked angry. She was asked if she ever heard Fotis make threats about the children, and she said yes. He would tell her that he would take the kids to Greece and not come back. Jennifer expressed her fear that that would happen a lot.

Jennifer decided to leave the home and asked Lauren to help her. They began slowly moving her things out, things that Fotis wouldn't notice were gone. They moved them to a house Jennifer's parents owned in New York, as well as her friend's house. Jennifer told her that she was afraid of what Fotis would do to her or the kids if she filed for divorce while they lived under the same roof.

According to Lauren, when Jennifer first found out about the affair, she was really calm and still wanted to try and make it work. But as the weeks passed, she was increasingly becoming more afraid and her anxiety was really bad. She lost weight and was scared. She expressed that a lot, Lauren said. Jennifer called her one day as she was moving things from the house. She said she had gotten into a car accident and needed someone to come pick her up.

She didn't want Fotis to know because she didn't want him to find out that she had been moving things into another house. Describe her demeanor when you picked her up. Like terrified, like shaking, like he's going to find out. She was really worried. In May 2017, Fotis' niece and boyfriend were visiting from Madrid. While they were there, Lauren witnessed another argument between Jennifer and Fotis.

So I was in one of the kids' rooms and we were just doing a puzzle together where all of a sudden, like we started to hear screaming and Jennifer ran through the bedroom door. I don't believe that she knew that we were in there, but she ran through the door. Otis was yelling. I'm not sure what he was yelling. And she closed the door behind her and pushed her body up against the door. And he was trying to get in. And I mean, her face was just, she was terrified. And she saw that myself and her daughter were there.

And to be honest, I kind of froze because I didn't know what to do. And then when he pushed the door more, he saw that his daughter and myself were in there and his demeanor totally changed. He went from yelling to like, Jennifer, I just want to talk like very soft spoken. It was so weird.

And so eventually he walked away because myself and her daughter were there. She told me she needed to get out of the house. And so she left me with the kids and she just got in the car. I think she just went down the street to really just like kind of catch her breath.

On June 19th, 2017, Jennifer planned for them to finally leave their house, which was in Port Jefferson. Fotis was not aware of the plan. The plan was she told him that we were all going to be visiting her father's grave and we were going to New York. We went to New York often because that's where Jennifer's parents were. And we left that afternoon, I believe, and

And we just got in the car and the plan was to stay at a hotel that we've never stayed in before. So we stayed at the Mandarin Oriental in the city. And Jennifer hired an armed bodyguard to be outside of her room because she was afraid. Because her plan was to file for divorce once we were in the city in the hotel. Did you ever hear from Mr. Dulos on June 19, 2017? Yes. Okay.

How did you hear from him? He called me a bunch that evening. Did you ever answer the phone? No, I didn't. Did he leave any voicemails? Yes. What did he say on the voicemail? He accused me of kidnapping their kids and that he was going to call the police, which he did. And how long did you stay at the hotel? I stayed for like half a week, but they stayed for a full week.

She said Jennifer then started renting a home in New Canaan, Connecticut. Eight days later, there was a pending family case involving custody between Jennifer and Fotis, and Lauren testified at the hearing. She said she saw Fotis prior in the hallway. He approached her and was yelling at her, again accusing her of kidnapping his kids. She said she walked away. He tried to approach her later, apologizing, and she walked away again.

Lauren testified that she continued to work for Jennifer as the kids' nanny. In the beginning, she was tasked with dropping the kids off at the old house so Fotis could see them.

On September 20th, 2017, while she was dropping them off, Fotis approached her and was angry. He yelled at her, again accusing her of kidnapping his kids. He told her the only reason why she was there for Jennifer is because Jennifer had paid off her school loans, which Lauren testified was a lie. He also yelled at her and told her that he would make sure she never saw his kids again.

This was in front of the kids, so she said it was very uncomfortable. After that, she told Jennifer she didn't want to drop the kids off anymore, that she didn't want to be around him. She was asked if Jennifer and Fotis ever officially finalized their divorce, and she said no. In May 2019, their divorce was ongoing.

By then, Fotis had supervised visitation with the kids. He visited with them every Wednesday for a few hours and had to have someone from the court there. In May 2019, Jennifer was renting the home at 69 Wells in New Canaan. Lauren said aside from some emails, she didn't speak to Fotis. On Tuesday, May 21st, 2019, a basketball hoop was installed in their driveway that morning.

Jennifer showed her the hoop, and in passing, she said the garage was a mess. Lauren said she decided to clean it that day. She said there was a cleaning bucket in the garage. She was asked if there were camping pillows in the garage too, and she said yes. She organized them and put them in the corner. On Wednesday, May 22nd, she was working. She arrived around 12. Fotis had visitation that day and would typically arrive at 4.30.

On this day, he came at four. She said it was unbelievably unusual and that Fotis was typically late for everything, even his visitations with the kids.

Did you see him arrive at the house? I didn't see him arrive at the house until Jennifer noticed him through the window because he pulled in up the driveway. And part of their agreement was that he had to wait at the bottom of the driveway for the supervisor to arrive. And then together they would drive up the driveway and get the kids for the supervisor's visit. So it was strange that he drove his car all the way up the driveway with nobody noticing.

So Jennifer saw that he came, came down and got me and said, she just said, I'm going to go talk to him and see what's going on. And he said he was confused. And so he just went back down the driveway and waited for the supervisor to arrive. Now, at some point, did you leave for Jeff? Excuse me. Did you leave 69 Wells Lane? Yeah. Why did you leave 69 Wells Lane? I didn't want to be around Fotis.

So what did you do? I went into town with one of the kids. I think we grabbed lunch. I believe she had, they did horseback riding. And so we were going into that right after. So we just grabbed something to eat and then I took her to where she needed to be. She was gone for about an hour and a half. She said she messaged Jennifer to make sure Fotis had left before she got there. He was still there. They continued to text back and forth and then Jennifer told her Fotis was gone.

Lauren went back to the house and was going to take one of the kids to lacrosse practice. Jennifer told her that Fotis was going to come back and have dinner there outside. Lauren said she and Jennifer locked all the doors because Jennifer didn't want him to come inside the house. After they locked the doors, Jennifer prepared all the food and utensils and took it out on the patio.

The next day, Lauren worked at the house again, and she recalled unloading paper towels into the pantry before she left for the night around 9 p.m. Jennifer told her she was going to take the Range Rover the following day to New York. The following morning, she received a text message from Jennifer's phone about the kids at 7.14 a.m.,

She said she didn't ordinarily work on Fridays, but she did on Friday, May 24th, so she could take the kids to New York to meet Jennifer at her mom's house after they got off school. Jennifer would then take them to dentist appointments they had. Lauren said she went to the home on 69 Wells around 11 a.m. She entered like she always did.

Did you notice anything unusual when you went to the garage? When I went into the garage, yes. The Range Rover was still there and the Suburban was gone when she told me she would be taking the Range Rover. Did you see any blood-like substances in the garage or on the floor? No. After you walked in the garage, where did you go?

So I enter through the mudroom and I usually put my stuff. She had these cubbies and I put my stuff in the cubby and then I go to the kitchen. So I went in the kitchen. When you got to the kitchen, did you notice anything unusual? A couple of things. Yes.

Tell the jury what you noticed. So first, her purse was on the floor. It was between the mudroom and the kitchen, like the doorway. It was a big, like structured purse. And I thought it was just a little odd because it was a really nice handbag and it was on the floor. But I didn't look in the bag. So I just kind of figured she took her phone and her wallet with her to New York.

And then when I entered the kitchen, she always had a tea in a certain cup with her and a granola bar. She ate it every morning. It was just part of her routine. And it was there. The tea was still full and the granola bar was still there. So I thought it was a little strange, but I just figured she was in a rush because I knew she had to get to the city. So I just cleaned the cup of tea and I put the granola bar away.

She noticed the paper towel roll was empty, so she went to the pantry to grab more. She then saw that there were only two rolls in there, and she had just stocked it the night prior with 12 rolls. She figured maybe the kids had spilled something and used a lot of paper towels. She then went to Subway to pick up sandwiches for the kids. She picked them up from school around 12.30. They had a half day that day.

They all came back to the house and ate the sandwiches Lauren had purchased for them. She was asked if she saw any blood-like substances around the house, and she said no. At 12.43, she texted Jennifer and said they were at home eating and asked if it was okay if they could take the iPad on their road trip. There was no response, so Lauren decided to take it anyway. Right before they left, Lauren texted her, "'Leaving now. ETA is 2.30.'"

Still no response. The plan was for Lauren to take the kids and drop them off at Jennifer's mom's house. Then Jennifer was going to meet them there and then take the kids to their dentist appointments they had in the city. But when she got to New York with the kids, Jennifer's mom wasn't there and neither was Jennifer. Lauren texted her, just got to Gloria's. It was 2.30 p.m. At 3.56 p.m., she still hadn't heard from Jennifer.

Lauren texted her, will we meet you at the dentist? She tried calling Jennifer, but she didn't answer. Lauren took the kids to the dentist, which she said was actually an orthodontist. Jennifer still wasn't there. How were you feeling at this time? Really bad. The second I called Jennifer, my stomach just sank because she never not answered her phone.

So I was really hopeful that she just got caught up with meetings and she was going to be there. And so when she didn't, she wasn't there. I just came in. I was shocked, but also like, okay, I have four kids in front of me and don't know what to do. So I just put them in to their appointments and I left, not left. I just walked outside and I started to call people that could have heard from Jennifer. Who did you call?

I called my mom who was trying to calm me down and tell me all these things that I needed to call the hospitals. Maybe she was in a car accident. And then I called her friends.

She said the kids finished their appointment. She got them in the cab and brought them back to their grandmother's house. She then got in a cab with the family iPad and was able to look at what appointments Jennifer had herself that day. She decided to contact one of her earlier appointments and ask if Jennifer had made it there. They said no. She called Jennifer's friends again and then went back to Gloria's. She and Jennifer's friend then decided to call the New Canaan police.

Did you ever receive any communications from Mr. Dulos that night? Yes. What type of communication? He called me in the evening. And did you answer the phone? No. Why not? I was afraid. She said she eventually spoke with him.

Can you describe that conversation for the jury? Yeah. So he called me and I called the police because I wasn't sure what to do. And they told me that he's not a suspect. So you should talk to him because I have his kids. And so I decided just to call him back because I didn't want to anticipate waiting for the phone call. And so I spoke to him and it was a very weird conversation. He asked how the kids were doing.

But like didn't talk about Jennifer or really what was going on. Just like saying, oh, this is really weird. And immediately went into that he had a supervised visitation that Saturday. I think because it was Memorial Day weekend. So he had a day. It was like a special thing. And that I needed to make sure that I left New York early enough that I got the kids to him to New Canaan for his supervised visit.

And he was just very adamant, like, Lauren, you have to make sure that they're there. They need me. You need to bring them to me, like, early. And then the conversation ended. She said they also exchanged text messages that night. Lauren texted him and told him she would keep him updated about what she heard about Jennifer. He thanked her and told her to call him first thing in the morning. Later that night, he texted her, still up. Any news?

She told him no, but that they were searching. She told him she got the kids to sleep. Thank you. Are they okay? He wrote. Are they worried? She responded. They're doing okay. They're worried, but I'm trying to just keep them updated as much as I can to keep them at ease. I'm happy they got to bed. He responded. Okay. I will see you guys tomorrow.

She was asked if he was referring to his scheduled visitation with the kids. Because of the Memorial Day weekend, it was scheduled for Saturday. She said he was. She was asked if she was planning on bringing the kids to him, and she said no. Why not? I was afraid, and I wanted to keep the kids with myself and Gloria.

Over the next couple days, Fotis continued to reach out and ask if there was any news. She would be short in her answers to him. She testified that at some point on that Sunday, Fotis' car pulled up the driveway at Jennifer's mom's apartment. And were the police called? Yes, they were. Which department responded? I think it was some precinct, but I don't remember. The New York Police Department? Yeah, it was the New York Police Department. Okay.

And did you speak with the police? No, I didn't. Well, in the original, I'm sorry, in the original phone call to the police? No, I'm referring to the NYPD. Oh, when they came to the house, I spoke to them. Okay, in Gloria's apartment? Yes. And did Mr. Dulos ever see the children in your presence that day? No. She said also that weekend, the new Canaan police came to the apartment to meet with her and show her photos. One was where she kept all the Dulos' camping stuff in the garage.

She noticed the white camping pillows were missing from a shelf. She had just organized them there a few days prior. In another photo of a different shelf, she noticed a cleaning bucket was missing. About a week later, she and the kids went to New Canaan for an event at the kids' school and then went to the police station to give their fingerprints and DNA. Have you continued to be the nanny for the Dulos children ever?

Since May 24th, 2019 to the present day? Yes. And I think you indicated yesterday that you still live with them? Yep. Are you their primary caregiver? Gloria is their primary caregiver. Their grandmother. Have you seen Jennifer Dulos since May 23rd, 2019? No.

No. Have you heard from Jennifer Dulos since those text messages that we saw earlier on May 24th, 2019? No. More testimony right after this quick break from our sponsors.

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New episodes release every Thursday. Just search for Money Crimes. That's M-O-N-E-Y-C-R-I-M-E-S. Detective Thomas Patton with the New Canaan Police was the lead investigator in the Jennifer Dulos case. He testified that they had a potential person of interest right away, Otis Dulos, ever since the initial officers took the missing persons complaint.

He said he spoke with Fotis the following morning. Another officer had spoken to him that night. He asked Fotis if he would come down to the station to speak with him, and he agreed. But later, when Fotis came to the station, he brought his attorney, who informed them that Fotis wouldn't be sitting for an interview at that time. Detective Patton testified that a search warrant for Fotis' phone was in the process of being drafted, and so investigators seized it from him.

Christine Maydell is a member of the state forensic lab team and who analyzed DNA results in this case. According to her testimony, Jennifer's DNA was found in multiple suspected bloodstains that had been discovered in her garage, in her kitchen, in her Range Rover, and in her Chevy Suburban.

DNA that was consistent with Fotis was found on a doorknob between the house and the garage, as well as on her kitchen sink faucet. Michelle Triconis' DNA was not found and was mostly ruled out, except for a few reports that came back as inconclusive. Kenneth Ventresca, a sergeant with the Connecticut State Police, testified that he assisted the New Canaan Police Department with their investigation.

After investigators were able to pull location data from Fotis' phone, he went to the locations to see what he could learn. He testified that on the day of Jennifer's disappearance, Fotis' phone remained in the Farmington area most of the day. But around 7 p.m., the phone moved.

Why did you take note of the fact or the information that you had received that Fotostudios' handset was in the area of Albany Avenue around 7 p.m. on 524? Well, first and foremost, there's a missing person, and we're 48 hours into this. We haven't located her, so there's an exigency component on that. Secondly, Albany Avenue, Hartford area, it's a rather high-crime area, the city of Hartford. But regardless...

Regarding those handset locations, we are going to go canvas the area. We're going to look for any videos or any witnesses in the area and see what his business is there in that area. We don't know of any real estate properties he's already owned. We know that 80 Mountain Spring was a house for sale. We know that he lived on Fort Jefferson Crossing. So we don't know what business he had doing in Hartford.

In addition to looking at the location data, he said he also collected surveillance videos from areas near the properties Fotis' company, 4Group, had worked on. He testified that Fotis had at least three vehicles he operated, a Suburban, a Ford Raptor, and a white Jeep Grand Cherokee. Detective Fitzsimons testified more about surveillance video investigators obtained from areas of interest in the case.

He said that on May 29th, 2019, he obtained a copy of surveillance video from a restaurant on Albany Avenue in Hartford. The footage was from May 24th, hours after Jennifer had disappeared. At around 7.40 p.m., a black Ford Raptor pulls up to the side of the road and a man can be seen getting out and throwing something into a garbage can.

According to testimony from investigators, multiple videos were obtained of Fotis' black Ford Raptor pulling up next to various garbage cans on multiple streets. Did someone who matched the general description of Mr. Dulos have any objects in his hand? And can you describe what objects you viewed? Yes, so several. I observed the individual take what appeared to be

contractor style black garbage bags from the rear of his vehicle. What I would describe to be a square or rectangular black rubber mat consistent with being like a floor liner or something like that.

In one video, a man gets out while a woman leans out of the passenger side door and appears to touch the ground. It appears to be a white female. Looks like wearing a short-sleeved shirt. And it's kind of hard to tell, but maybe her hair is in a ponytail. And I can see at least one of her feet on the sidewalk, and her right hand appears to be reaching down toward the brick or pavement.

Was this the only time that you observed a female with this particular male individual in the surveillance footage? On this footage, yes. In another video of the man discarding items, Sergeant Michael Bowden saw something else that interested him.

The fact that I observed that individual throw those things out in the trash receptacle but choose to discard whatever the other object was down the storm drain was interesting to me. And I wanted to try to recover whatever that was. And so I inquired with the C4 folks.

ABOUT WHO MAINTAINED THE STORM DRAIN AND WHO WE WOULD USE TO ASSIST US IN RECOVERING THAT ITEM. AND THE ANSWER I WAS GIVEN WAS, THE METROPOLITAN DISTRICT CONTROL OR THE WATER AUTHORITY ESSENTIALLY FOR THE GREATER HARFORD AREA.

They sent out a pump truck to us out on the street. Let me ask you another question. Sure. Did you head to this area of Albany Avenue? Yes. Approximately how long did it take you to arrive? I don't remember. Was it within the hour, would you say? Yes.

Sergeant Bowden testified that they recovered a white envelope from a storm drain. Inside were two license plates. He ran them, and at first they came back to nothing. No record found. And so after you received notification that no such plates existed, did you notice anything about the sequence of the letters and numbers themselves? Well, yeah, we noticed that they were a bit odd. Um,

Typically, plates that were issued out like that would start with three numbers and then end with three letters. And obviously here you have a letter mixed in with the numbers. So that was odd to us and to Detective Fitzsimons' credit.

He said they realized the characters on the plate had been edited. He was able to discern what the actual letters and numbers were and did another search in their database.

They came back canceled on a 2007 Chevy Suburban that was registered to Fotis Dulos. Investigators were able to retrieve some items that had been discarded, although not all of them, like that rolled up mat they saw the man throwing away. According to testimony, here's what they did recover. A white t-shirt with a blood-like substance on it.

four zip ties, two of which were cut and had heavy traces of a reddish substance, a red-stained bra, and a long-sleeved vineyard vines shirt, both cut down the middle.

Two ponchos covered in apparent blood spatter. A scraper or box cutter that had the broken remnants of a razor blade inside. A sponge. Two sets of black gloves, all of which had specks of a blood-like substance. A set of keys. A white towel covered in a blood-like substance. The handle of a mop with red specks on it.

paper towel and cloth fragments containing a blood-like substance, and a screwdriver with apparent blood on its shaft. According to video surveillance from a Starbucks that Fotis and Michelle had eventually gone to that night, the Ford Raptor first drove past at 7.27 p.m., heading towards Hartford. At 7.54 p.m., the truck came back.

Investigators testified that Fotis made at least three different stops during that half hour, dumping out items in trash cans before heading back into the Starbucks parking lot. Detective Matthew Riley told the jury about searching all the homes associated with Fotis Dulos.

At the home located at 4 Jefferson Crossing, where Fotis lived with Michelle, three photocopies of documents containing timelines of someone's day were found inside a black computer bag. The first timeline mentioned sending emails to Jennifer and Michelle, a trip to Starbucks at 7 p.m. where they got two frappuccinos, and a text to Lauren at 11 p.m.

The second timeline included someone taking a shower with Fotis at around 6.40 a.m., along with the description of an outfit. The third document looked like a call log with a list of incoming, outgoing, and canceled calls, along with the durations of each.

A fourth document looked to be an original of the first document. On the back, it was dated May 25, 2019, and included a meeting with an officer from the New Canaan Police Department and what vehicles Mitchie, Fotis, and Pavel drove. Detective Riley also told the jury that presumptive blood tests from the black Ford Raptor came back negative.

John Kimball was the lead investigator with the Connecticut State Police. During the course of the investigation, was a person of interest developed as potentially being involved in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos? Yes. Who was that? Fotis Dulos, her estranged husband. And did you and fellow law enforcement personnel begin to, for lack of a better term, research Mr. Dulos? Yes, we did. He told the jury about four properties that were associated with Fotis.

4 Jefferson Crossing, where Fotis lived with Michelle and her young daughter, 80 Mountain Spring Road, which Fotis' company 4Group was selling, some land on Old Mountain Road, and 585 Deer Cliff. He testified that on June 1, 2019, they got the test results from the clothing that was found in the trash cans.

Arrest warrants for both Fotis and Michelle were executed immediately afterwards. In the early morning hours of June 2nd, Michelle was brought to the police department. Both she and Fotis were under arrest at this point for tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution. The following day at 2.32 p.m., Michelle agreed to an interview, along with her attorney, Andrew Bowman.

Kimball was asked if Michelle asked for an interpreter. He said no. He was asked if he was concerned about Michelle's safety. I learned that the interaction between Fotis Doulos and Michelle Traconis on the evening of May 31st was concerning because Fotis Doulos was overly concerned with Michelle Traconis' statements and conduct.

And was exhibiting behavior that was concerning. One thing was he was staring at her. And I don't know if it was an intimidation factor or if he was trying to mess her in some way. But his physical behavior was concerning towards the defendant, Shoshakamas.

He said he viewed her as a potential witness at that point because they had that video of her with Fotis when he was depositing trash that came back as being related to Jennifer. The recorded interview was played for the jury. In it, Kimball tells Michelle that the house on Wells is a crime scene and that they believe Jennifer isn't just missing, but is dead. He tells her she is currently under arrest for tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.

He says those are crimes they believe happened after the initial crime.

I want to note here that some of this audio is a little difficult to hear, so I'm playing some clips, and then I did my best to summarize everything I thought was important and that I could make out. So we want to talk to you about what your knowledge is about the crime, what happened to Jennifer. We want to find Jennifer for her family. She has five children. All right? And right now, they need to know what happened to their mother. You have...

Detective Kimball tells her that they know Fotis has a very strong personality and might have the tendency to control people.

He says they believe there's a possibility that it might be happening to her. He tells her that's why they have physically separated them and that she's safe with the officers. Keep in mind, we've looked into you as well. We know you're a good mom. We know you're a good mom. And you can look so wonderful on the floor you can offer us at the end of this. Because I know it's been tough for you in the media. And that's your time to shine.

They ask her to tell them about May 24th. She starts by saying that her daughter called for her at 12.59 a.m., saying that she was scared of the thunder. So Michelle went to her daughter's room and slept with her in her bed. When she woke up, she returned to her and Fotis' bedroom, where she says he woke up too. She then went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and get into the shower. She says Fotis then jumped into the shower with her.

In court, the prosecutor paused the video to ask Detective Kimball a question. You indicated that you had interviewed the defendant on three separate occasions. Is that correct? That's correct. Did the defendant always maintain her account during those three separate interviews that she showered with Fotis Duos on the morning of May 24th, 2019? She did not.

The recorded interview continues with Michelle describing her morning routine. She details the breakfast she made for her daughter and says she then took her to school in her Jeep Cherokee. She says when she got home, she put her purse in the kitchen. She could hear Fotis talking to his friend Kent Mahinny in his home office. The prosecutor again stopped the video. You indicated that you interviewed the defendant three separate times.

Did the defendant always maintain her account that Fotis Dulos was in the office? She did not. In the video, Michelle tells the detectives that she left the house and went to a warehouse to return a purse to someone who had left it the night before. She says she then went to the supermarket, stop and shop. When asked which location, she says she isn't sure, but she has receipts from it, probably still in her purse.

She describes seeing a robot there and taking a picture with it and then sending it to a bunch of people. She says she returned home with the groceries and put everything away. She estimates it was about 10.30. She has asked if Fotis was there, and she says she didn't see him, but the suburban was there.

She clarifies that they have a Raptor, a Suburban, and a Cherokee, and says Fotis uses the Suburban just when he drives with the kids. He drives the Cherokee when transporting construction items. She says she opened her computer and sent an email.

She recalls being up in her daughter's room when Fotis called to her from downstairs and said, hey, let's have lunch. They ate lunch together around noon. She finished eating and went back to using her computer. The officers go over the timeline so far with her. She estimates the time she and Fotis ate lunch was at one or two. When asked to clarify, she says, between that time.

She recalls Fotis calling her. She says their house is big, so he calls her on the phone at times. He told her they needed to go to the house on Mountain Spring Road to clean it. She says she brought a vacuum, a thing to sweep, paper towels, and garbage bags. She says she traveled alone in the Cherokee and drove to the Mountain Springs home. She says it was probably between 2.30 and 3. Fotis drove the Suburban there.

When asked if they left at the same time, she says, yeah, probably. She then estimates it was probably around 2.15 or 2.30 when she arrived. Fotis was already there. She saw the Suburban back by the garage. She says he was wearing a light shirt and blue jeans. He always wears the same two pairs of jeans, she says. She notes he had recently purchased a pair of black jeans, which was weird to her.

She describes unloading the cleaning items in the kitchen, then going to the second floor bathroom. At around 3, she describes taking the Suburban back to Fort Jefferson to drop off the vacuum and pick up a broom. She says she had thought she had to pick up her daughter at 3.30, but then remembered she had an after-school program. She then returns to A.D. Mountain Spring. She estimates it was a seven-minute drive.

One of the detectives tells her that Fotis' phone was at 80 Mountain Spring between 1.37 and 3.38 p.m. during the time she had said he was still at Fort Jefferson. She pauses for a moment and then says that when he had called her about the cleaning supplies, he actually was already at 80 Mountain Spring.

Okay, I just want to go back and please don't... The way you explained it previously was that he called you from inside the house you were at, but now you're saying he was actually... Well, that's not part of it. I don't know. Okay. He called me, saying bring cleaning stuff. So he wanted you to bring cleaning stuff and... To clean the house. So now your understanding was he was already at Indy Mountain when he called you?

She says when she returned to the house that second time, Fotis was outside talking on the phone by where the cars are. She is asked what she wore that day, and she says it's her routine to wear exercise clothes in the morning. She says she was wearing a black shirt and camouflage pants.

She says she left again at 5.17. She was heading to a store that she says may close at 5.30. According to her interview, she turned around when, after she called the store, they said they would be open the following day. She tells the detectives it was about 5.20 when she got back to Fort Jefferson. Fotis was outside the garage with Pavel, one of his employees.

She says that at 6.30 or 7, Fotis said, let's go to Starbucks. He drove them in the Ford Raptor to West Hartford. She describes driving around and turning around. She says it didn't make sense to her. She had never been in that area before. She says she saw him grab a garbage bag from the back and throw it into a dumpster. The officers ask her how long they did that for, and she says about 20 minutes.

Detective Kimball says he's going to stop her there, and then he turns to her attorney and tells him that there were 30 stops made during that trip. In court, the prosecutor stopped the video. Just going to pause the video at 154118. Detective Kimball, you just indicated that there were over 30 stops. Were you referring to the Raptor? I was, yes. Was that information accurate? It was not.

um

Are you familiar? Well, firstly, detective, in your experience, have you taken any interrogation courses? Yes. All right. And are you familiar with something known as a ruse? Yes. All right. What is a ruse? Ruse is presenting false information to a subject. Intentionally? Intentionally. All right. Was this an intentional ruse? It was not. No. Okay. Why did you indicate that there have been 30 stops at the Raptor? The 30 stop information was the information I had been given at the time. It turned out later to be inaccurate.

When the video resumed again, Detective Kimball shows Michelle full-size screenshots from the surveillance video that had captured Fotis by the garbage can outside the Raptor. Michelle can be seen leaning out of the car in one of them. Michelle tells them she was wiping chewing gum off of her finger. The detective asks her if it seemed strange to her that they were stopping 30 times.

She asks if that's counting red lights and traffic stops. She says it sounds strange, but she wasn't looking. She was on her phone with her friend. Knowing what I know about Phobos doesn't seem like an area that I would expect him to be driving around. No, I've never driven there. Okay. Do you agree with that? I don't even know. You thought it was strange that he was in that area?

Yes, but because we've done it at other times to throw garbage. Right, but in an area you called creepy. I mean, is that where... Well, because I've never been in that area. Like, my furthest I went... So there have been other times where you've been with photos where you stopped at multiple garbage receptacles and thrown trash in them? Yeah, but a long time ago. Not in that area. Yeah.

She says when they got to Starbucks, she ordered a tea, a chocolate croissant, and a sandwich. The detectives switch gears and ask her about Fotis and Jennifer's relationship. She says she never met Jennifer and that the only time she had ever seen her was a year ago. Detective Kimball shows her the photo of Fotis and her again from when Fotis is throwing something in the trash and she is leaning outside the vehicle.

He asks her again what she is wiping off the ground. She again says her gum. What are you cleaning the ground for? Because I put my gum and I threw it and it was sticky. A photo comes and takes something from you and he throws it in the super. What was that? We see it on the video. But he doesn't take anything. No, he does. We see it now.

Can we have a movie retrieval? So I'm just going to tell you right now, starting from the morning, there's some stuff that we know that you're not being honest about. Okay. So let's cooperation. Okay. And you know, some of the stuff we talked about before we started for Trusted, some stuff that was located at the scene.

So, some of this stuff you're telling us about Fotis, you know, I don't believe to be true. Detective Kimball tells her that after Fotis went to the garbage can, later they see on surveillance video a man approaching the garbage can and pulling something out. The object appeared to have a red stain on it. What does that look like to you? Detective Klabbe asks. Michelle says she doesn't know, and he says that what they recovered had blood on it. Jennifer's blood.

That's a pillow from the garage that's missing, Detective Clabby tells her. He says she needs to start being honest with them. Again, the prosecutor pauses the video. Detective Clabby indicated that that was a pillow from Jennifer's garage. Did you ever verify that? We did not. That was never recovered, correct? Correct. And similarly, that Jennifer's blood was on it, that was also...

Never verified, correct? That is correct. Would this be an example of a ruse, detective? It would be, yes. When the video resumes, the detectives have a warning for Michelle. Being honest with us, we're not going to be warning anyone about what her focus was in the morning, okay? Okay. Your life of focus is over. Your life of focus is over.

Okay, but what do you want to know about the warden?

They ask her what period of time Fotis was not home. The detective tells her that they know he wasn't home in the morning. He asks her how long in advance she knew that her daughter would be at school until late that day. They also ask her if she remembers Fotis throwing anything into a sewer, and she says there was a FedEx envelope she handed to him, but that she didn't know what was inside.

They tell her that there were doctored plates inside for a 2007 vehicle that Fotis used to own. They tell her that what happened to Jennifer didn't just happen. It was planned and calculated. And Fotis is a planned and calculated man, is he not? One detective asks. She agrees. They tell her that they know Fotis killed Jennifer. She covers her face in her hands.

They ask her if there is anywhere that she can think of where Fotis might have taken her. She says he has multiple properties, and they tell her they know about those. They ask about properties under development, but she says she doesn't know. She then describes something that was very weird. She says that in two years, Fotis and Jennifer had never spoken to each other. They would go through other people, or if they had emailed each other, they would copy their lawyers.

She says it surprised her that this changed and they started talking on the phone and texting. Michelle says she was upset about this. She then says Jennifer was taking pills and had multiple personality disorder, according to documents she saw. She says she actually went to a psychologist to learn about it for the custody case.

The detective asks her where Jennifer's body is, and she says she doesn't know. They ask her if any new construction occurred at 80 Mountain Springs in the last week, and she says no, not that she's aware of. They then ask her about the timeline of May 24th again. She says she saw Fotis that morning when her alarm went off, and again at 8.15 in his office. She says she saw him again at 1 or 2.

They ask her about zip ties, and she says they have them for their water skis. Yes. Yes.

Yeah, because it's parked next to the garage, I mean, next to the space. And you didn't see focus for another hour? No. Okay. That's why in my mind, I thought this is there, because the car is there. But you didn't see the Raptor, or you did see the Raptor? No, no, no, the Raptor wasn't there. Well, unless it was in the car. Okay, all right, I just want to ask, when you got back to the house at noon,

You saw the Suburban, correct? You did not see the Raptor? I didn't. They ask when she got in the Raptor later that day to go to Starbucks if she noticed the garbage bags, and she says no. They ask if she smelled anything, and she says no. She says she couldn't tell if the bags were large or heavy when she saw Fotis pick them up. At around 8.30 that night, she saw a police car pull up to their home.

Fotis went to the door. She says she panicked because she has seen too many terrible movies. After they left, Fotis told her that Jennifer was missing. She says she asked, did she die? Is she okay? Did she take the kids? And Fotis told her he doesn't know, that he has to call Lauren, their nanny. Lauren didn't pick up. At that time, she had to go pick up her daughter from school, and Fotis said he would go with her.

She says he drove and they picked up her daughter at 9.15. Fotis started making calls to people. She says at some point, the police started calling her. The detectives ask her if Fotis was upset. She says he was concerned about the children. They go back to questioning her about when she and Fotis were at the house at 80 Mountain Spring cleaning. In court, the prosecutor again stopped the video. Detective Kimball, um...

We just watched you in the video. You're attempting to clarify when the defendant went to Haiti Mountain. Is that correct? Yes. I just want to ask you, did there come a point in time where you were able to review residential surveillance footage near Haiti Mountain Spring Road? Yes. What address were you able to review it from? 77 Mountain Spring Road, directly across from Haiti. Was that before or after this interview? After.

As the video continues, the detectives show Michelle what appears to be location data from Fotis' phone and how he was at 80 Mountain Spring earlier than she had said. They show her a map of 80 Mountain Spring and ask her why Fotis would be walking around by the trees. We find it strange that he's walking over there. She says, me too, and that he never walks over there. I'm going to kind of go back to...

If you were Phonis and you had to get rid of a body, or if you had to get rid of a body which was no longer one piece, where would you go? Me? Or where do you think Phonis went? I'm not saying you. Where would Phonis have gone to take either Jennifer or parts of Jennifer?

I mean, you're asking me something. I am, unfortunately. I unfortunately believe that's where we're at. That's the situation. It's terribly sad.

Who says we're not moving there? I'm asking you because you know folks. I don't know them at all. I do know them. I mean, I would never talk to them like that. That's not what I'm saying. Well, I don't know if you have any information that he guesses. Guesses are based on what you know about him. If you don't, that's fine. We're looking for Jennifer. And we'll be, unfortunately, Jennifer will be...

When the detective tells Michelle they believe Jennifer may have been in the back of the truck, she lets out a gasp and buries her head in her hands again. The officers tell her they're going to take a break, and she is then alone with her attorney.

Once the officers leave, she tries to talk to her attorney, but he tells her they can't talk because the camera is still active. The officers come back and the interview resumes. They tell her they are fair people and that they don't want her to go down for something Fotis did. They say she's very detailed about some things but skips over other things.

They ask her to tell them more about cleaning at 80 Mountain Spring. She says it wasn't unusual for Fotis to ask her to clean it, that she's done it before. There was going to be an open house the following day. They ask about storage units. She says Fotis has two but got rid of one. The one she saw was packed with furniture. She maintains that she doesn't know what was in the bags when she was driving around with Fotis. She says she thought it was construction stuff.

He asks her if Fotis ever talked to her about how to handle it when police approach her.

The prosecutor stopped the video to show Detective Kimball some exhibits.

Detective Kimball, this interview was on June 2nd, 2019. Is that correct? That's correct. And did you subsequently become aware that the defendant's residence for Jefferson Crossing had been searched on June 3rd, 2019? Yes. The exhibits the prosecutor handed over to him were the timelines that were found during that search. The prosecutor handed him another exhibit. What is exhibit 75, sir?

Exhibit 75 is a single notebook page of a timeline. Two-sided. Were you aware of this document when you interviewed the defendant on June 2, 2019? I was not, no. The video resumed. The detectives asked Michelle about an evil look they noticed Fotis giving her when police went to go talk to them the night before. She says she doesn't remember. What that shows us is

He was concerned about what you were going to say or do. Okay. Because of stuff that we think that you know. Okay. That's what we're getting at. Okay. You came here and you were under arrest or when you were in custody having your prints taken down, you came here the last night. You were shamed. You were shamed. You were in tears. You were upset. You were hunched over. Really nothing that you told us today?

It's an indication of why would you be so upset if it was only what you told us today? Why am I upset? Because I'm upset about the whole situation. I'm like, why? I mean, why is it me that is having this when I haven't learned anything? They tell her they don't think that she had anything to do with killing Jennifer, but that they believe she knows something that could help them find her.

They say that Jennifer's car was moved from her house and that the driver's seat was covered with blood. They ask where someone would go to clean it. A couple people were involved in this, one detective says. They tell her their Suburban was moved by someone who had blood on them and that the Suburban was seen on video in New Canaan.

They ask her about her dropping the Suburban off to get it detailed inside and out. They say the dealer told them that she said it was at the request of her boyfriend and asked them to do a very good job. She tells the detectives that Fotis knows the owner and that he is very picky with his car. They again ask her if she has any idea where Jennifer could be. She says no, that she will go with them wherever to help, but that she doesn't know.

They show her a photo of a key ring that was seized out of one of the trash cans. She says it doesn't look familiar to her. They then ask her if she has any questions for them. She brings up a reddish pickup truck that Pavel, one of Fotis' employees, has. She says that's a car that is usually around their house.

I'm just going to pause it at 172946. I want to talk to you about that last exchange. Had you asked the defendant up until this point about Pavel and a vehicle that he owned? No. Who is Pavel? Pavel Guillaume, I believe the pronunciation of his last name, was the four-group project manager who was working with Votus Studios at the time.

And he's essentially an employee, was an employee of the Ford Group. And during the course of this interview on June 2nd, 2019, did the defendant ever tell you that Havel's, Gummiani's Toyota was located at 80 Mountain Spring Road on May 24th, 2019? No. At some point, you indicated that you interviewed her on separate occasions. Did she indicate to you that his vehicle was at 80 Mountain Spring Road? Yes, she did.

The video continued. The detectives ask Michelle about Mark, a friend of Fotis's who gave him a lot of money. They ask if she knew why Fotis would call him. She says no. Her attorney asks the detectives about potential additional charges and says he doesn't think she should be charged as an accessory. He says he has spent a lot of time with Michelle recently and that there's a lot she relies on her phone for as far as memory is concerned.

He says she might be wrong or inaccurate, but that he doesn't see her lying. The detectives tell her that they are genuinely worried about her safety. They say that if Fotis decides to leave the country, he might decide that she's a loose end he needs to tie up because she has knowledge and they don't want that to happen. Her attorney tells them this is a lot for her to realize someone she loves could do this and involve her.

They tell her, we all want to find Jennifer. There's only one person who does not. The interview ends. Michelle hugs her attorney, crying. Michelle Triconis gave two more interviews to law enforcement. Interviews where they say she changed her story from her initial interview.

In her second sit-down with detectives, for example, they ask her again if she's sure that she saw Fotis on the morning of May 24th. She at first says yes. Then Detective Kimball tells her that they know he wasn't there. Are you sure that Fotis was there that night?

Did you see him that morning? I think it's something that helps us. It does. That's huge.

So it's not like that. That's what I was looking for. Remember, it was for certain. It was there the other day. Well, because we take our own separate day. So I get paranoid because it's not like you're talking about what I do. Like, if I'm on Monday, I was trying to do the time, and I'm going to think, like, what happened on Monday?

She says she saw Fotis' friend Kent Mahoney at their house that morning and that Fotis had told her prior that he was going to meet with Kent that morning. She saw Kent, but not Fotis. The detectives also ask her in this interview if she shaved Fotis' head, and she says yes, she shaved it two weeks prior. Detective Kimball tells her, no, she must have shaved it more recently or else there would have been stubble.

She agreed that was the first time he had asked her to do that, though she says it was for water ski season. One of the detectives asked her if the shaved head was like how Fotis' employee Pavel's shaved head was, and she couldn't be sure. The detectives also tell Michelle that when they conducted their search warrant, they noticed there was a section of shoes in her closet that was missing. Michelle says she didn't know that and didn't know why that would be.

Detective Kimball asks her towards the beginning of the interview what she thinks happened to Jennifer, and she brings up the possibility of her being in hiding. She says Fotis told her in the past that before they were married, Jennifer fought with her parents and then disappeared and moved away. She says Jennifer lived elsewhere for three years and changed her name. Michelle says she still receives magazines at their house in that name.

Michelle also tells detectives in this interview that she now has doubts that she saw the Suburban at the house on the 24th. She says she thought she had seen it in her head, but now she isn't sure. Regarding those timelines police found at their home, she says Fotis told her to write everything down so she wouldn't forget it. She says she didn't understand why, because what she did that day was already in her head.

She says she didn't think Fotis did anything. In her mind, if Jennifer was dead, she believed that she may have died by suicide. She says she believed Jennifer was bipolar and depressed. The detectives ask her what she thinks now. She says Fotis killed her. Michelle meets with investigators for a third time a couple months later, in August 2019.

This time, she seems more confident that with all the evidence and everything, of course, Fotis is involved. She maintains that she didn't see anything or know of anything. He made me do things, then yes, she says. It was really part of his plan, and I failed because I was helping him out. She says he set her up because he used her.

Also in this third interview, Michelle says Fotis gave her a brown paper towel while at 80 Mountain Spring Road. She says she believed it came from his employee Pavel's Toyota Tacoma. She says she put it in a black garbage bag.

She tells investigators another seemingly new detail. She says that in the days following Jennifer's disappearance, Fotis called and asked her to drop him off and pick him up at the car wash. She says Fotis told her that Pavel wanted to sell his car.

So in August 2019, it appears obvious that investigators were building their case against Fotis Doulos and anyone else who helped him make Jennifer disappear. And in January 2020, they charged Fotis with her murder. But just weeks later, Fotis attempted suicide and was taken to the hospital, where two days after that, he died.

leaving Michelle Triconis and Kent Mahoney to face charges on their own in Jennifer's disappearance and death. In part two, we will continue going over Michelle's trial, which includes some interesting testimony from Fotis' employee Pavel Gumiyeni, who was granted qualified immunity in the case.

His testimony may shed more light on what exactly happened to Jennifer Farber Dulos. Tell the jury what the defendant said. She said she should be buried right next to this dog. That's in part two. And that's all for this episode. Thanks again for listening. Until next time.