Ep 280: Michelle Troconis Trial (Part 2)
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On Friday, May 31st, 2019, Sergeant Michael Bowden was at Fort Jefferson Crossing, the home Fotis Doulos shared with his girlfriend, Michelle Chaconis. He was there to help execute a search warrant on the home after the investigation into the disappearance of Fotis' estranged wife, Jennifer Farber Doulos, had begun.

He knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. He attempted to contact Fotis on his cell phone, but wasn't getting a response there either. Then he noticed a white Jeep Cherokee coming down the road towards the house. He recognized it as a vehicle from a property he had checked out the week prior that was owned by 4Group, Fotis' construction company. Inside the Cherokee, he could see a white male with a crew-style haircut. At first, he believed it was Fotis.

The Cherokee didn't stop, however. It just kept driving past. But because the street wasn't a through street, there was only one way in and out, the car ended up coming back towards him the opposite direction. Sergeant Bowden walked into the street and signaled for the car to stop.

When he took the stand for a second time during Michelle Traconis' trial in January 2024, Sgt. Bowden testified that the driver was not Fotis. It was Pavel Goumeny, the project manager for 4Group, an employee of Fotis'. So I asked Mr. Goumeny where he was coming from, and he had indicated to me that he was coming from the property down in New Canaan that they were working on.

So, yeah, he said he was coming back from New Canaan. He said he asked Pavel if there was anything illegal in the vehicle, and Pavel said no, and that he could search it. He asked him to get out of the car, and as he was patting him down, he noticed Pavel's shirt was soaked in sweat. He asked him about it. So, as I stated earlier, Mr. Goumini had indicated to me that he was coming up from the New Canaan area.

Based on what I knew about the travel distance, that was at a minimum of an hour to two hours of drive time, depending on the traffic. And I had indicated to Mr. Guminia that I thought it's suspicious that his shirt was soaked in sweat, as it was due to the fact that he just told me he drove up from New Canaan, presumably inside of an air-conditioned vehicle. I didn't feel that his shirt would be so sweaty if he was in a car for that long in the air conditioning. How do you respond to that?

He then elaborated further on his comings and goings and stated that after coming from New Canaan, he stopped down the road at a property also owned by Mr. Dulos, number 585 Deercliff. And he had indicated to me that he was removing vehicle seats from a Porsche that belonged to Fotis so that he could put them into his own truck. And did you subsequently learn what Mr. Gumiani's truck was? No.

After that, yes, we learned that he owned, excuse me, a 2001 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck, color red. He said Pavel changed his mind and told him that he didn't feel comfortable letting the police search the Cherokee since it was Fotis' vehicle. Sergeant Foton testified that he looked through the windows, however. I noticed that there were, uh,

As for Pavel's demeanor, he said...

She appeared to me to be very nervous. I noticed that his breathing rate was elevated. He was breathing at a higher rate than you would expect someone to be just, you know, driving in a car. I also observed the carotid artery in his neck was pulsating, indicating that his heartbeat was beating pretty fast.

In part one, I went over the beginnings of the state's case against Michelle Triconis. Months after Jennifer Dulos disappeared, Michelle was arrested and charged with second-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence, and conspiracy to commit murder.

Fotis Doulos, Jennifer's estranged husband, was charged with her murder as well. But shortly after, he died by suicide, leaving Michelle to fend for herself in court, so to speak. In part two, we'll get into more testimony, not only from the prosecution, but from the defense, who will claim that the state may have proved that Fotis did indeed kill Jennifer, but that they did not prove that Michelle had anything to do with it.

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As Sergeant Bowden and other officers were talking to Pavel Gumini outside the home of Fotis Doulos and Michelle Chaconis, Sergeant Bowden asked Pavel to call Fotis and let him know that they wanted to speak with him and that they had warrants. Shortly thereafter, Fotis and Michelle showed up to the house in their black Chevy Suburban. Sergeant Bowden testified that later at the barracks, he saw Fotis and Michelle in a conference room with some other detectives.

During this interaction, were you able to see the defendant's facial expressions? Yes, I was. Approximately what time was this? I would estimate sometime between 9 and 10 p.m. Can you describe the defendant's demeanor and what she did in your presence? Yes, so she was seated in a chair. Her head was between her legs, head in hands, and just was rocking back and forth. Okay.

Did she do anything else in your presence? She did. What did she do? At some point, she looked over at Fotis with what I would describe a stern look, and she made eye contact with him. What kind of objective is characterization of someone's, what he calls, a look? It's appropriate opinion, Judge. Well, it's based on the perception of the witness overruled.

You may finish your answer, sir. So, yeah, so what I would describe as a stern look and was just shaking her head back and forth at him. I mean, you shake your head back and forth. Which direction is she shaking her head? The way you would shake your head to answer a question nonverbally, no.

Did you also have an opportunity to view Mr. Dulos' facial expressions? I did. Describe his demeanor and what he did in your presence. So when the two made eye contact, I would say he made an even sterner look back toward her. Approximately how long did this interaction take place? A few moments.

He said he noticed Fotis had a cell phone with him, and a decision was made to seize that cell phone too. He told the jury that Fotis had a second phone number belonging to him. The family's nanny, Lauren Almeida, had given them the heads up that Fotis told her he had bought it the day after Jennifer's disappearance, but that they knew he had it prior.

A couple days later, on Sunday, June 2nd, 2019, Sergeant Bowden and Detective Fitzsimons went to Pavel's house to interview him. Pavel consented to them seizing his phone after speaking with his attorney. Sergeant Bowden testified that he returned to Pavel's house later that day. They were instructed to seize the Jeep Cherokee that was there. They had come across evidence that it had been at the 80 Mountain Spring Road property the day Jennifer disappeared.

As testified about previously, 80 Mountain Spring Road was a large, high-end home owned by four group that was for sale. The house across the street had video cameras, and those cameras picked up footage from the day of Jennifer's disappearance. At approximately 5.35 a.m. on May the 24th, real time, actually it might have been

Well, I'd have to look at the video. Again, it's a 24-hour and 10-minute off. So sometime approximately 5.30 in the morning, when I see the video, I'll know the exact time. I observed what was consistent with a red pickup truck departing 80 Mountain Spring Road. It pulls out into the street, makes a left, heading toward what would be Route 4 at Farmington Avenue, I believe.

Gregory LeBeau, a retired Connecticut state trooper, testified about what he saw in the video surveillance footage he viewed along Route 15 and the rest areas. At some point in your review of the southbound Merritt Parkway rest area camera at Fairfield, did you find anything of evidentiary value? I found a...

red pickup that was consistent with a Toyota Tacoma. Did you review what you found or what time did you find that? 6.36 a.m. After finding that, what did you do? I took a screenshot of that. He testified that he saw the truck again, still heading south from footage at the New Canaan rest area at 7.03 a.m.

Then, at 11.12 a.m., he saw the Tacoma going northbound at the same rest stop. When zooming in on the truck, he saw a round object and said it was consistent with a bicycle in the back. There was an objection from the defense at this point, which was sustained. At 11.25 a.m., he saw the Tacoma traveling northbound at the Fairfield rest stop. He was asked why he took screenshots of the truck.

I was extremely interested in the objects in the back of the pickup truck. And states 87? Same question, sir. Why'd you take this shot? Same. I was interested to see if I could identify what was in the back of the red pickup truck. Screenshots of the truck from the footage were shown to the jury. The close-ups do appear to show a bicycle in the back.

LeBeau testified that the New Canaan Rest area is about 300 to 400 feet away from the park where Jennifer's vehicle was eventually found. Officer Kelly Coughlin was recalled to the stand as well, and she told the jury that she too analyzed surveillance footage. She saw a reddish Tacoma on Lapham Road at 7.40 a.m., also near where Jennifer's vehicle was later found.

Sergeant Kenneth Ventresca testified that after the discovery of the Tacoma on surveillance, he decided to check the businesses going north along Route 8 to see if there was more footage. He testified that is a route back to Farmington, where Fotis and Michelle lived at Ford Jefferson Crossing. He said he found a camera at Valley Transit District, which showed the Tacoma heading north, which coincided with the footage earlier from the Fairfield rest stop.

Then a similar vehicle was seen at 12.22 p.m., arriving at the Mountain Spring Road home. Then several hours later, at 5.27 p.m., it appeared again, driving away from the home, followed by a black Suburban with a luggage container on top. Detective Matt Riley processed the red Toyota Tacoma after it was seized in the case. Was it clean? Yes, I mean, it was...

It appeared to be very clean, you know, for a 18-year-old truck. I remember that the armors, the tires even looked like they had been washed and armor-rolled. He described the seats on the driver's side and front passenger side. They appeared to be from a Porsche, right?

And they weren't affixed or bolted in any way to the floor of the pickup. They were just kind of sitting there. The driver's seat was kind of propped up right on a small plastic bucket, something similar to...

something, kitty litter or sand or, you know, so that sort of size. The passenger side seat was just kind of just leaned back. Were either of those seats actually attached to the vehicle? No. Could you just lift them up and carry them off the car? Yes. In fact, that's what we did. Detective Riley testified that he searched 585 Deer Cliff Road, which was another home associated with Fotis and 4 Group, Fotis' company.

There was a Porsche inside the garage. Inside the Porsche, there were no front seats. They were missing. Photos of the Tacoma were shown to the jury. Detective Riley said he visually inspected it and found a blood-like stain on the driver's side door. A presumptive test for blood came back positive. He conducted a second search on the Tacoma on June 25th.

He said he noticed then that the license plates appeared to be clean and had two clean bolts each. He said no fingerprints were found when they were processed. Sydney Streeter was a parenting supervisor to Fotis Julos. She told the jury that Fotis was not allowed to be on Jennifer's property until his supervisor was there and that he always had to leave first. He was not allowed inside her residence at 69 Wells.

She said on May 22, 2019, two days prior to Jennifer's disappearance, she oversaw a meeting between the two. She said the visitation was supposed to start at 3.30. Did you see him arrive? Yes. What was he driving? A black Suburban. What was his initial interaction with the children like? Pretty friendly.

What did you observe about their interaction? What did they do? They noticed that Fotos had a new haircut. They joked about it and then they all went and jumped on him and rubbed his head. Did he bring anything with him? Yes. What did he bring with him? Food, candy, and cake. How long was the visit supposed to last? Three hours. And were you supposed to and required to be there for the entire three hours? Yes.

She said he also brought the kids chocolate Easter bunnies. When Jennifer said that she, too, liked chocolate, Fotis snapped off an ear from one of the bunnies and gave it to her. She said later that night, Fotis went to Grace Farms with some of the kids to play basketball, and then they came back to Jennifer's home for dinner. She testified that Jennifer was hardly present at the three-hour visitation and that Fotis never went inside the home.

Now, I'm only going to stop here real quick and add this point in because this is a very info-heavy two-part episode. So I want to make sure that you don't miss the implication of this testimony. In part one, testimony was presented that Fotis' DNA was found inside Jennifer's home on a faucet mixed with Jennifer's blood and on two door handles. But here, this witness is saying that Fotis was never allowed inside.

As this trial continued, there was a lot more testimony about DNA and the results from various items that were tested for blood. I'm going to try and summarize that for you now before we continue with more testimony that the prosecution presented that more so focused on Michelle.

As you might recall from Part 1, there were numerous items that were retrieved from multiple trash cans after Fotis and Michelle were seen on surveillance video in Fotis' black Ford Raptor, discarding the items on the night of May 24, 2019.

All items were sent to the lab for testing, but only three were tested to confirm the presence of blood. A shirt, a bra, and part of a poncho. And all were confirmed to have contained human blood that belonged to Jennifer. There were four human hairs that were also collected from various items that were retrieved from the trash bins.

One was from a sponge, another was from a towel, another from a clear plastic bag, and another from the knot of a black plastic bag. Fotis could not be eliminated as the source for the hair from the towel, and Pavel Gumeny could not be eliminated as the source of the hair found on the sponge. Other results were inconclusive. There was also a fifth hair recovered from the red Toyota Tacoma.

Testimony from Kristen Maydell revealed that one of the garbage bags that was recovered from the trash bins likely contained DNA from Jennifer, Fotis, and Michelle.

Maydell testified that Jennifer and Fotis were each 100 billion times more likely to be contributors, and Michelle was 780,000 times more likely to be a contributor than if it were unknown individuals. She said a later analysis did reduce Michelle's likelihood down to 250,000, but she said it was still enough to pass the inconclusive threshold.

She said Fotis' DNA was likely found on a swab of a blood-like stain in his Chevy Suburban, as well as on the inside of a black leather glove that was taken from the trash. Other tests were inconclusive. ♪

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Once again, that's washingtonpost.com backslash court to subscribe for just 50 cents per week for your first year. Pavel Gumeny testified that he was a carpenter who used to work at four groups starting back in 2016. He told the jury that they worked at a Fotis' home at 4 Jefferson Crossing above the garage. He said Jennifer Dulos was a good person, delicate, nice, and friendly.

He testified that Fotis announced one day at a team meeting that he and Jennifer were separating. Sometime after, Jennifer moved out. He said she asked him a few times to help her move some stuff out and he did, without Fotis knowing. He said he did that because he liked her and wanted to help. He eventually had to tell her that he couldn't help her anymore because he was afraid Fotis would fire him if he found out.

He said shortly prior to the separation, Jennifer bumped into something with her Range Rover, and she asked him if he could get some paint and touch up the bumper so Fotis wouldn't see it. He referred her to a mechanic who could fix it. Then he gave her a ride from the mechanic to her home in his red Toyota Tacoma. That was the only time he could recall her ever having been in his vehicle.

He couldn't recall exactly when he met Michelle Triconis, but said it was sometime after Jennifer moved out. He met her one day when she walked into the office with Fotis. He was asked if Fotis ever talked to him about cameras at Jennifer's house in New Canaan. He said yes. About a month or two prior to Jennifer's disappearance, he was upstairs at the four-group office with Fotis and another contractor named Dan.

Mr. Dulles pulled out his phone and started showing Dan Zeisler pictures of Jennifer home, which I believe was motion detectors, and started asking him if those are cameras. And what did Mr. Zeisler say? I don't remember. I think he said they are not. And did you participate in the conversation at all? What did you say? I said I don't think so. I don't think those are cameras.

Did you say anything else to Mr. Jules? Yes, I researched it. I recently saw a commercial of like a small square cameras inch by inch. I believe they were called top camera. And I showed him that and I said, you know, she can accord you with anything. Just don't do anything stupid when you go there. And when you say don't do anything stupid when you go there, what were you referring to when you said when you go there? I don't know. Like whenever he was worried about.

He testified that Fotis had two dogs and that one of them became very ill. He said he ended up taking the dog to the vet. About a day or two later, he asked Fotis how the dog was doing. Michel was also present for the conversation. He said that Beckham is ill and he's going to have to put him to sleep and, um,

She said something like, can you believe that Jennifer won't even let the kids come over and say goodbye to the dog before we put him to sleep. Did you respond to that comment? I don't remember. And you indicated that the defendant was present. Did she say anything at that point? Yes. Tell the jury what the defendant said. She said she should be buried right next to this dog. And when you say she, what exactly did she say? Can I use bad words?

He said he believes Michelle was trying to cheer Fotis up when she said that. He testified that in Easter 2019, Fotis told him that Jennifer wouldn't allow the kids to come over because Michelle and her family were there.

He told the court that he would typically take possession of one of the vehicles owned by 4Group on a Monday and then use that vehicle all week. He would then leave his vehicle at the 4Group office at 4 Jefferson. He testified that he liked to drive the Jeep Cherokee and that Fotis liked him to drive it too because it was good on gas. There were times he would take the Ford Raptor, however, if he needed to move bigger items.

He said he would leave his key to his Tacoma in a drawer in the kitchen or at his desk up in the office. In May 2019, he said his truck had numerous problems. It had trouble starting, was leaking oil, and his check engine light was on. Did Mr. Dulos ever drive your Tacoma? Yes, he did. How do you know? I would find like Starbucks coffee cups in it.

And I was telling him not to drive it because the car was having mechanical problems and I was concerned that he's going to get an accident or something. On your insurance? Yes. He said even though he told Fotis not to drive his truck, Fotis wouldn't listen and would drive it anyway. In May 2019, four group had a project in New Canaan. They were demolishing a house and building a new one off Sturbridge Hill Road.

He testified that he isn't sure about the date, but at some point, Fotis called him and asked him if he was coming down to the office and if he could move his Tacoma to 80 Mountain Spring Road. He said he wasn't sure why he was asked to do that and that Fotis had never asked him to do that before. It was about a five-minute drive between Fort Jefferson and 80 Mountain Spring. Together, he and Fotis dropped off the Tacoma there and then drove back to the office at Fort Jefferson.

He was asked if Fotis told him where he would be on May 24, 2019. He said yes. He told me not to stop by the office.

on my way to New Canaan between seven and nine o'clock because he's gonna have a meeting with his divorce lawyer. And would Mr. Dulos occasionally meet with attorneys at Fort Jefferson Crossing? Yes. And were you present at times when an attorney would come to visit with Mr. Dulos? He would always tell me to go get lunch, go check on 80 Mountain Spring Road. He did not want me to be present.

Was this the first time, however, that Mr. Julos gave you advance notice that the attorney would be coming to the office? I believe so, yes. He told the jury that he wouldn't typically go into the office every morning, just every Monday. He was asked if Fotis owned any bicycles, and he said yes. Fotis told him that he had a childhood bicycle that was brown or black. He kept it in the garage on a heavy-duty hook on the wall.

He was asked if in May 2019, the original Tacoma seats were in his Tacoma, and he said no. He believes the seats were Ford Focus seats. He said when he bought the car, he had purchased it from a mechanic. The seats were dirty and ripped, and so he decided to change them.

On the morning of May 24th, 2019, he said he was at his house. He had the Ford Raptor. He had been driving it for almost two weeks. He said it was the Friday before a long weekend, and so his memory from that day might not be the best. When he left his house that morning, he went straight to the job site in New Canaan on Sturbridge Hill Road. He was there from about 10 a.m. to 2.30. He said he did not see Fotis while he was there.

At some point, he sent Fotis a text message with an invoice, but he couldn't recall the exact conversation. Fotis asked him what time he was going to be back at the office, and he said around 4.30 or end of the day. He said he believes he arrived around 4.40 back to the office. He parked the Raptor but didn't see anyone else or any other vehicles. It appeared as though no one was there.

He called Fotis to see where he was. He said they had an understanding that Pavel was going to take his Tacoma back that evening. Fotis didn't answer. Pavel went into the kitchen to where he usually left his Tacoma keys to see if they were there, but they weren't. He saw a black iPhone on the charger. He thought Fotis may have forgotten his phone. He then went upstairs to the office to see if the Tacoma keys were up there, and he couldn't find them.

He said he left in the Raptor and took it to 585 Deercliff, one of their other properties that was just about a minute away. He said he wanted to grab a ramp so that he could load his dirt bike onto the Tacoma when he got it back. From there, he went to 80 Mountain Spring Road and saw his Tacoma. Fotis and Michelle were there too. How did Mr. Doolis react when he saw you? The way I can say it, I look forward.

Like surprised for a second or two. How did the defendant react when she saw you? About the same way. Did you get out of your vehicle? Yes, I did. Not your vehicle, out of the Raptor, I guess. And did you say anything to Mr. DeLose? Yeah, I made a comment about his hair. And when you say you made a comment about his hair, describe his hair for the jury. He was closely shaped. In 2019, how were you wearing your hair? Exactly the same way.

So what did you say to Mr. Dulos about his hair? I told him, what are you doing? You shave your head? You're wearing dirty work clothes. You're trying to be as handsome as me? And how did Mr. Dulos respond? I think he just smiled. He said he asked what they were doing there, and Fotis told him that Michelle was cleaning the windows and he was cleaning some stuff outside.

As he continued to interact with them, they both started acting normally. He and Fotis walked around the front of the house and then the back. Pavel was showing him the grass there that he had done some work on prior. Pavel said he asked if Fotis could meet him back at the office and then drive with him back to 80 Mountain Springs so that he could drive his Tacoma home that night.

He said Fotis agreed, and Michelle said she had to go meet with someone about locks or carpets. He got into the Raptor. When he put the truck in reverse, he saw the key to his truck sticking out of the Tacoma passenger door. He figured he would get it in a couple minutes when he came back. He met Fotis at Fort Jefferson.

He said when he got there, Fotis was doing something with his phone in the kitchen or mudroom. They then got into the Raptor and went back to 80 Mountain Spring Road so Pavel could get his truck. When they got there, he saw the Tacoma, but the keys were no longer in the door. He asked Fotis where the keys were, and Fotis told him that Michelle has them.

Fotis asked him if he just wanted to keep the Raptor for the weekend, and Pavel said he didn't want to do that. He said he wanted to put his dirt bike in the Tacoma and didn't think it would fit in the Raptor. Did you know that the defendant was going to be taking your keys? No. Did you tell her while you were all present at 80 Mountain Street Road that she had permission to take your keys? No. Did she ever tell you that she was going to take your keys? No. Did Mr. Dulos ever tell you that she was going to take your keys? No.

He said Fotis called Michelle, and at some point, she returned with his keys. He couldn't recall what vehicle she was driving. After he got his keys, Fotis drove the Raptor, he took his Tacoma, and he doesn't know what Michelle was driving. He said he doesn't recall anything being out of place in his vehicle. He was asked if he saw anything that looked like blood, and he said no.

He testified that he then went back to 585 Deer Cliff. Fotis followed him. Pavel said he was going to leave his Tacoma at 585 and then get a ride back to Fort Jefferson with Fotis. He would then drive his dirt bike to 585 and load it onto his Tacoma. He said he had trouble starting his dirt bike and played around with it for a bit. Fotis gave him the battery booster and was next to him.

He was asked what Fotis' demeanor was like that day, and he said it was normal, calm. Now, Mr. Gumini, I want to talk to you now about an agreement that you have with the state's attorney's office. Yes. Are you familiar with that agreement? Which one? The grant of immunity. Yes. Now, Mr. Gumini, in 2019, did you retain the services of an attorney? Yes. And what's the name of your attorney? Wendy Russo.

And in 2019, Mr. Urso had a conversation with then-State's Attorney Colangelo. Is that correct? Yes. And former State's Attorney Colangelo indicated that you may not be charged with the crime of hindering prosecution if you agreed to cooperate with the investigation, prosecution of others in connection with the disappearance of Jennifer Farber-Dulos on May 24, 2019. Is that correct? I believe that was verbal agreement at that time, yes. Wow.

And more recently, specifically on December 4th, 2023, the current state's attorney, Mr. Forensic, put that agreement in writing. Is that correct? Yes. The questioning continued. Pavel was asked what he did on the evening of May 24th. He said he doesn't recall. The following day, on that Saturday, he said it was his wife's birthday party.

He received a phone call from Fotis sometime in the afternoon. Fotis told him that he doesn't have his phone and to call him on a different one. He was asked if Fotis said anything to him about Jennifer at that point, and he said no. On Sunday, Fotis called him in the afternoon from the phone number he had given him the night before. They told me that Jennifer is missing. They said...

I don't recall exactly that conversation. He said that he wishes that she's going to show up, that would show that she's not capable of overseeing the kids. And he was asking me when I'm going to be back to work. Were you surprised when he asked you that? I'm going to object to that, Your Honor. I'll rephrase. I'll rephrase.

Was Monday supposed to be a scheduled off day for Ford Group? Yes. And was that in recognition of the Memorial Day holiday? Yes. So given that you had a scheduled off day, what did you say to Mr. Julius about when you'd be returning to work? Tuesday. On Tuesday, May 28th, he returned to work. He went to the office at Ford Jefferson. When he got there, he went to the kitchen to talk to Fotis about what car he would be driving that week. Fotis and Michelle were there.

What did Mr. Dulos say to you? Dulos told me that Jennifer is still missing. And I believe Michel said that it could be the lawyers. They're playing games. And so after the defendant said it could be the lawyers playing games, did Mr. Dulos say anything else? He asked me where I was on Friday. How did you respond to that? I told him...

That I was in Ukraine. Were you surprised that he was asking you that, though? Yeah. What else did he say? He asked me if there was any contractors with me, and I told him that I think yes, but I'm not sure. And did he say anything about writing down your whereabouts? I'm going to check leading and hearsay. Well, sustained on leading. What else did Mr. Dulo say to you? He asked me if I was calling him that morning.

I'm sorry? He was asking me if I was calling him that morning. Calling him from your phone? Yes. And after he asked you this, what did he do? I said, I don't remember. Let me look on my phone. And I pulled my phone out and I started looking at it. And he asked me if he can see it. And what happened next? So I handed him my phone and he started looking through my calling history, I guess. Okay.

Approximately how long did he have your phone? I want to say a few minutes, five minutes. And how far away was he from you when he had your phone? About six feet. What's the defendant doing as Mr. Dulos has your phone? She was standing right next to me. Did Mr. Dulos ever bring up writing a timeline? Yes. Tell the jury about that portion of the conversation. He told me that police...

took his phone that he spoke with his attorney and he told him to write down timeline and he told me to look through my phone and write down where I was, who was throughout the day. What did you say when he told you to write down where you were throughout the day? I was surprised. I thought, what am I going to do if

He testified that after he told Fotis that he wouldn't be writing a timeline, Michelle said that she wasn't going to do it either. He said Fotis went back and forth with Michelle about what vehicle Pavel should take, and then said he could take the Cherokee. Pavel said he gave Fotis the keys to his Tacoma again.

You testified earlier that the defendant had taken your keys from Haney Mountain Spring Road on May 24, 2019. Is that correct? Yes. Did the subject of the defendant having your keys come up during this conversation on May 28? Yes, he did. Can you explain to the jury how it came up? Dulles was asking me, how do I come back from New Canaan and how do we...

met and all that on that day and I told him that Once I get to to 80 mountain spring road to pick up my truck there was no key for it and He told me Not to mention that not to mention that Michelle had a key. So you brought up the fact that he wasn't in the coma and mr. He was told you not to mention that Michelle advocate. Yes, I

Prior to leaving in the Cherokee, he went back to his Tacoma to grab his tools. And then when I look back behind the seats, I discover a red bucket with blue, I think it was hoodie or jacket. Where exactly was the bucket? Behind one of the seats. Behind one of the seats? Yes. Do you recall which seat? I don't. Had you seen this bucket before? No. And what color was the bucket? Red. Okay.

Can you describe the bucket for the jury in terms of its size? It was smaller than a five-gallon bucket with a little nose in it, like a cleaning bucket that makes it easier to pour water into a smaller container. What, if anything, did you do with the bucket? I took the bucket and I went upstairs through the office. I didn't see Dolos there, so I left it in the laundry room.

And then I believe I saw him on my way back when I gave him back the key to my Tacoma. And I told him that I left the bucket in the laundry room. Did he say anything about the bucket? I said, like, thank you. I don't recall it. He said he went back to work in New Canaan. He was asked if there was a point that week where he helped Michelle move firewood, and he said yes. But he doesn't recall exactly what day that was. Where were you moving firewood from?

He has a woodshed on the right back corner of his property. And did the topic of Jennifer Dulos' disappearance come up? Yes. Who brought it up? Michelle. Do you recall what the defendant said to you about Jennifer Dulos' disappearance? Yes. Michelle was upset that her and her daughter's pictures were posted.

buy the news online um and she said uh i'm gonna kill that fucking bitch when she's gonna turn up and uh i said don't say that and she said um she said she's gonna be suing the news she's writing down who posted what what pictures and i believe at that time doulos woke out of um um

Dining room door and then he was asking us it became awkward. He asking us for you guys doing and Michelle said Nothing, we just talking like This is how the conversation and mr. Komeny You've recently disclosed that conversation. Is that correct? Yes Why did you decide to recently? Tell my office about that conversation. I

You know, those things I didn't think people say to those kind of things and they don't mean it. And I just wanted to minimize my involvement in all this. He was asked if there was a time that week where he and Fotis had a conversation about his Tacoma and he said yes.

He said he had a vape charger in his truck that he wanted to grab. He went to Fort Jefferson sometime in the afternoon, but Fotis wasn't there. He called him. So I call him and I ask him, where's, like, Fotis, you have my truck? And he says, yes, I'm coming back from the car wash. And I told him, you washed my truck? He says, yes. I said to him, thank you, did you get a fixed tooth? I made a joke out of it. He says, no, just wash it.

When Fotis arrived, he parked the Tacoma in the driveway. Pavel said the exterior was clean. And when Mr. Julos parked the Tacoma, what happened next? He opened the door and started playing with the side handle on the seat. And he told me, what's up with this? This doesn't work. And

the seeds are not original. He told me they look ghetto, you should get rid of them, you should change them. And I told him, yeah, I know, it's, you know, the truck has other problems, I got to get to it. It's leaking oil and things like that. I'll get to it. But he told me, no, no, you should change the seeds, you should fix the truck, sell it or lower the price.

and sell this truck. I'll give you a good deal on the Jeep. And I told him, I don't want your Jeep. I need something that's all-wheel drive for snow plowing. You indicated lower the price on your vehicle. Were you trying to sell your vehicle? I had that in mind for like a year to upgrade it to get a better truck, but I didn't post it anywhere. Okay.

He said Fotis gave him his key and he put it in his pocket, even though he continued to drive the Jeep. He was asked if Fotis had ever washed his truck before, and he said no. Pavel testified that also that week, Fotis called him and asked him to come to Fort Jefferson and take his Tacoma home or park it in the garage. He said the news crews were there and he didn't have a key.

Pavel and his wife went over there. Now, by this point, you knew that Jennifer Dulos was missing, correct? Yes. Were you nervous at all about the fact that Mr. Dulos had washed your truck? I'm not into this next conversation. He said he wasn't suspicious at that point because he had known Fotis for a very long time. He said he trusted him that he was a good guy.

But on Thursday, May 30th, 2019, he had another conversation with Fotis about the Tacoma's seats when they were both at Ford Jefferson. I believe he started with telling me if I wanted to go down the road to the Chevy dealer and see if I can buy a small Chevy. And I told him that I don't like Chevys. I like Tacoma. And he told me

He asked me, where can I buy seats? Junkyard. And I told him, yeah, I think I can get them in Junkyard. He told me, go to Junkyard, get Tacoma seats or some other seats, pay cash, and I will reimburse you for it. And he told me, if I call you or if we talk about it on the phone, let's not call it seats, let's call it hardware.

When Mr. Julos indicated that he wanted to refer to the seats as hardware, how did you react? I didn't know what to say. I was shocked. I just, I didn't say anything.

He said after that conversation, he began growing suspicious of Fotis, but he didn't want to lose his job. He had a wife and two kids, and this was his main income. He said there was a guy who had quit recently, and Fotis had gone after him pretty hard with the non-compete agreement.

The following day, on May 31st, 2019, Fotis called him and asked if he was going to get the hardware, meaning the new seats. He said it was the first time Fotis had used that term on the phone. He said he was nervous about it. He ended up going to three different places, but not purchasing any seats. He then went back to the office and confronted Fotis. I just couldn't hold it anymore, and I just went off on him. I told him, um...

What's up with my truck? Why did you clean it? And he smiled at me and says, because you were never going to do it. And I told him, seriously, why did you clean my truck? And he says, don't worry about it. There's nothing going on. I went to Jennifer's house for Mother's Day. I gave her a hug. I pulled the cap.

And then I came back and I was having to send clothes and I was driving a truck. There might be hair in it or something. I just want to clean everything. The police might come in. They find something. They're going to destroy my name, destroy the company name. No one's going to ever want to build it with me. And I said, why do you want me to change the seats? What's up with the seats? And he said, yeah.

Like, can we not talk about it? Can you just do it? He testified that Fotis had become scared and angry. Pavel said he told him the only thing he could think of was to take the seats out of the Porsche that was located in the garage at the property on Deercliff Road. Fotis told him to go do that. Pavel went to Deercliff and attempted to take the Porsche seats out, but had trouble. He went back to Fort Jefferson and told Fotis, but Fotis insisted that he do it.

He said Fotis told him that he had to get rid of the seats so no one will ever find them. Mr. Kamini, did you ever directly ask Mr. Koulos whether or not he had killed his wife? No. Why not? I didn't. It wasn't fitting in my head that he would have been capable of doing such a thing. And I just didn't want to lose my job.

He went back to Deercliff and was able to remove the seats. He put them in the Jeep and then drove back to Fort Jefferson. As he was pulling up, that's when he saw the police officers. He was asked why he didn't stop, and he said he didn't want to bother anyone, so he just kept driving. He described being stopped by the officers.

He was asked if when he went home later that night, he switched the seats in the Tacoma with the Porsche seats, and he said yes. But he didn't finish the job and stopped doing it. He said he put the seats he had taken out next to his truck in the garage. He said he wanted to keep them in case the police asked him for them. Were you concerned at this point that those seats may have been used in a crime? I have my doubts, but I still... I still...

Couldn't fit in my head that Dulos would go and do something to Jennifer. He doesn't recall the date, but said sometime later, Fotis sent him his lawyer's phone number. He told me, I send you some phone numbers in case you get approached by police or something, don't talk to them. Call the lawyer, have them talk to the lawyer. And I told him everything.

I can just talk to them and I can just tell them what I was like, why do I need a lawyer? And he told me that, no, no, you don't understand. You're on your green card here. You don't want to talk to police. They're going to put you in the corner. They're going to ask you questions. They're going to lie to you. They're going to threaten you. They're going to ask you and deport you out of here. You don't want to do that. Just have them talk to the lawyer.

He was asked if when he gave police his phone to download, if he knew that there were deleted items on there. He said the police told him that, but he doesn't know what the deleted items were. He was asked if when police came to his house, he told detectives about the car seats he had, and he said no. He didn't want to talk to them without his lawyer present. He was worried about his green card and about being charged with something.

He said he asked them to set up a meeting with his attorney, and then he could give them more information. Detective Michael Clark analyzed Fotis Dulos' cell phone. He said there was a gap in usage from the morning of Jennifer's disappearance until the afternoon. He told the jury that there were several incoming text messages from 7.18 a.m. through 10.12 a.m., but that none were opened and viewed until 1.33 p.m.,

During this time, he said the phone was at the Ford Jefferson Crossing house. It moved around the house and the camera was accessed, but no texts or phone calls were answered, aside from one call. At 8.26 a.m., a call came in from one of Fotis' friends in Greece.

According to testimony, this call was arranged the night before. A prior text message between the two men showed Fotis telling the friend to call him at that time. Also according to testimony, Michelle had told officers in her third interview with them that she had actually answered this phone call, not Fotis.

Later in the day, there was a flurry of activity, with the phone tracking from Ford Jefferson Crossing to 80 Mountain Spring Road to Albany Avenue, where those trash cans were located. The Ford Raptor's GPS also corroborated that activity.

Surveillance video from a car wash was displayed for the jury, showing that on May 29th, Fotis dropped off a red Toyota Tacoma. He paid in cash, left no name, and listed the wrong model Toyota on the form. He left Michelle's phone number as the contact. More surveillance video from Jennifer's neighborhood from around the time of her disappearance was also played for the jury.

In the footage, someone rides by on a bicycle in the direction of Jennifer's house. Then, a few hours later, what appears to be a black SUV, similar to Jennifer's, comes from the other direction, headed to where her car was ultimately found. In other surveillance footage from near Fort Jefferson Crossing, you could see smoke intermittently coming from the home's chimney.

Gloria Farber, Jennifer's mom, was the state's final witness. Jennifer's five children reportedly followed her into the courtroom and were there with her for the first time during the trial. Gloria testified that Jennifer had never missed any of her children's birthdays or name days, and that neither she nor Jennifer's children had seen or heard from her since May 24, 2019.

After the state rested their case, Michelle's attorneys moved for her to be acquitted of all charges, saying that while the state had proven that Fotis had caused the death of Jennifer Dulos, they didn't prove that Michelle had done anything. Their motion was denied. Robert Haynes owns a water ski club that Fotis Dulos was a member of for more than 20 years.

He testified for the defense that he learned that Jennifer had abruptly left Fotis and that Fotis was very upset that he wasn't able to see his kids. He said shortly before Jennifer went missing, Fotis told him that he was going to get his kids back into skiing and that he was going to get shared custody, which would allow him to spend weekends with them.

On the night before Jennifer's disappearance, he and his wife went to Fotis' house for a dinner party. Another couple was also there with them. He said Fotis had short hair, which he had seen him with before, so he didn't think that was odd. He recalled how his water ski club was raided after Jennifer went missing, saying that police came with dogs and a boat to search for her body. He said it was awful and one of the most painful times of his life.

He said on May 27th, 2019, Michelle was at the ski club pretty much all day and that Fotis came later in the afternoon. When asked about Michelle's demeanor, he said she was obviously agitated and upset when she told him that police had been at her house. He said Fotis told him that Jennifer had run away earlier in her life and that she was doing it again.

Haynes also testified that Fotis told him numerous times, I did not do this. Stephen Reich was a real estate agent who worked with Fotis and socialized with him. He said Fotis talked to him multiple times about his custody case, most recently from April until May 2019. He said Fotis was positive at that time.

He was also at the dinner party at Fotis' house the night before Jennifer's disappearance. He was asked what topics came up that night. What topics? We talked about real estate. We talked about politics. I mean, just a bunch of different topics. I don't remember exactly what was said throughout the evening, but it was just a normal evening. He talked about his children. Yeah. He loves his children. He misses his children.

What was his air or his attitude about things with his children? He was of the belief that things were getting better as far as the potential custody of his children. Stephen's fiance, Beth, agreed with his assessment about that night. How would you describe the tenor of that evening? Positive, jovial, relaxed.

She said as they were driving there, they actually passed Fotis, who told them he was going to run an errand and would be right back. When they asked whether anyone was following him, she said she recalled a vehicle following him but wasn't sure who it was or what the car looked like. She said Fotis left the dinner party again a bit later, saying he needed to go to the store for more meat. She told the jury that there was a toast that evening.

We learned that evening that, or I should speak for myself. I heard that evening that Fotis had been at Jennifer's home in New Canaan with the children and that experience and their interpersonal reactions to each other was very amicable and

which we were very glad to hear. And he had also stated that the custodial evaluation. Objection, Your Honor. Well, any testimony about what Curtis Lulo said about the custodial report on the investigation is not admissible. What was the toast?

I don't know any words that were particularly said, but the general sentiment that I recall was a feeling of excitement that there was going to be positive resolution for them both during what I knew to be a very difficult custody battle, which despite if you're

which side you're on. It's very, very difficult for either parent and very difficult for the children. And the sentiment was that maybe this was going to end and there would be more peace. Michael Rose is an attorney who represented Fotis during his custody battle with Jennifer. He said when he first took the case, Fotis wasn't allowed to see the kids at all. But that changed sometime in March 2019, where Fotis had structured visitation.

He recalled meeting with Fotis in April 2019 and reviewing a custody report. He said Fotis was very happy and pleased with what the report said. He said Fotis was relieved and more optimistic than he had seen him in a while.

He testified that he had a conversation with Michelle in May 2019, and he asked her how she was holding up during the divorce process. He told her that there was light at the end of the tunnel and that Michelle seemed relieved and like she wanted to hear that. Cheryl Breer is a hairstylist who said Michelle was one of her regular customers. She testified that she colored Michelle's hair on May 25th, 2019, a day after Jennifer's disappearance.

When asked what Michelle's demeanor was like on that day, she said Michelle was happy as she always was. Clara Duperrin was a friend of Michelle's who testified about their friendship and how she had been over to Fotis and Michelle's house multiple times. She said there would often be a fire in their fireplace, not just to heat the house, but to relax. She said they had a fire even if it was still warm outside. The defense also called Elizabeth Loftus to the stand.

Professor Loftus is a professor and experimental psychologist who specializes in human memory and the cognitive processing of information. She testified that she studies how memories are formed during upsetting, arousing, traumatic events. She said sometimes people can develop false beliefs or false memories.

She reviewed the videos and transcripts of Michelle's interviews with the police.

She said that after something happens, people can be exposed to new information, either through the media, through conversations, or through interrogations, which can contaminate or distort or transform someone's memory. She also said certain police interviewing techniques, such as mixing new information and misinformation, can disturb the memory recall of the people who are being interviewed.

There are many, many experiments where witnesses have been given by somebody interrogating them knowingly false information. I can't say I have a lot of examples of police actually doing that, but.

you know, in their interrogation. But if it has happened or if it does happen, then we know from the science that it could contaminate somebody's memory and lead them to want to adopt the misinformation or maybe make a change in their memory to accommodate the misinformation. Does the role of the questioner play, or let me rephrase that, is the position of

Of the questioner, does that play a role in whether or not false information or false memories can be implanted? Well, the answer is yes. But let me explain. So a witness has seen some event or had an experience is now being exposed to misinformation.

And as I've testified, that misinformation has the potential to contaminate or distort memory. There are several studies that show that the source of that misinformation matters, that people are more likely to accept misinformation if it comes from a source that they think is knowledgeable or they think is not trying to deliberately mislead them.

I mean, there's even one study with children that shows that children will accept misinformation more from an adult than they will from another child. So these are experimental examples or scientific examples of how we know that the source of the misinformation does matter.

One of the things that you said in your report is that post-event suggestion can be particularly powerful when it is an authority figure who is engaged in the activity. Just explain what you mean by that. Well, again, I would relate that to an authority figure who a witness might presume is knowledgeable. And then we know from the study that people, when they think you're knowledgeable, they

you're more likely to be influenced by that misinformation. Would your opinion include police officers as being authority? Well, I would think I would think they would be because many people have a lot of respect for police officers. The defense had wanted to introduce a letter Fotis Dulos had written prior to his death.

In it, he maintains his innocence, as well as the innocence of Michelle and his friend Brent Mahoney, who's also awaiting trial in this case. He said he refused to spend even an hour in jail over something he had nothing to do with. The judge, however, ruled that the defense could not introduce the note. Fotis' death certificate was introduced, which listed his date of death as January 30th, 2020. ♪

Michelle Triconis was found guilty of all charges against her. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She's expected to serve 14 and a half. At her sentencing, Jennifer's mom spoke about how they had searched tirelessly for Jennifer. And one of Jennifer's daughters also spoke to the court in tears. Jennifer Farber-Doulos is still missing to this day.

About a month prior to this recording, Michelle appeared back in court, this time to face a charge of being in contempt of court. According to the warrant, during the trial, Michelle had displayed sealed child custody reports in very large font on her computer screen for the reporters and people in the courtroom to see. A friend of Jennifer's had noticed this and reported it to the court.

Michelle has pleaded not guilty. And that's all for this episode. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this case. You can let us know by joining the conversation on Instagram at Court Junkie, by letting us know on Twitter at Court Junkie Pod, or by emailing us at podcast at courtjunkie.com.

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