FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Stamford, CT) – Paul J. Ferencek, State’s Attorney for the Stamford/Norwalk Judicial District, announced that the Honorable Kevin A. Randolph today sentenced Michelle Troconis, age 49, formerly of Farmington, to a total effective sentence of 20 years in prison suspended after 14 ½ served, for conspiring to murder Jennifer Farber Dulos in May 2019 and then covering up the crime.
A jury in Stamford Superior Court on March 1, 2024 found Troconis guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Murder in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-54a, two counts of Conspiracy to Commit Tampering with Physical Evidence in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53-155, two counts of Tampering with Physical Evidence in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-155, and Hindering Prosecution in the Second Degree in violation of Connecticut General Statutes § 53a-166.
At today’s hearing, prior to holding sentencing arguments, Judge Randolph vacated one of the Conspiracy to Commit Tampering with Physical Evidence convictions on double jeopardy grounds. Troconis faced 45 years in prison on the remaining five convictions.
According to evidence introduced at trial, the defendant conspired with her former boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, to murder Jennifer Farber Dulos, age 50, of New Canaan, while Dulos and Farber Dulos were in the middle of a contentious divorce and custody battle.
Farber Dulos was reported missing on May 24, 2019. Evidence showed that on that same day, clothing and other items with Farber Dulos’ blood were found in trash bins in the same area in Hartford that surveillance cameras located Dulos and Troconis. Police also found two Connecticut license plates that had been altered to cover up a canceled plate number that had previously been attached to a vehicle that Dulos owned.
Evidence at trial also showed Troconis tampered with evidence in the case, including cleaning up a vehicle police believed was used in the crime and burning evidence in the fireplace of Dulos’ Farmington home. In addition, trial testimony showed Troconis manipulated Dulos’ cellphone shortly before Farber Dulos was murdered so Dulos could create an alibi.
“Today’s proceeding marks a milestone in the long-term effort of law enforcement to bring Michelle Troconis to justice," State’s Attorney Ferencek said. “A unanimous jury of six persons found beyond a reasonable doubt that Ms. Troconis conspired with Fotis Dulos to murder his estranged wife, Jennifer Farber Dulos, who at the time of her death, was raising five young children. The jury also found Troconis was complicit in covering up the crime,” State’s Attorney Ferencek said.
At today’s hearing, the State requested the maximum 45-year prison sentence for the defendant.
“After listening to the victim-impact statements, especially from Jennifer’s children, we had hoped for a more stringent sentence, yet we accept Judge Randolph’s decision and respect it,” State’s Attorney Ferencek said. “Although Jennifer’s family and friends will probably never experience full closure from the trauma Troconis has thrust upon them, hopefully today’s sentence will afford them at least some sense that justice has been achieved.”
State’s Attorney Ferencek praised the prosecutors who represented the State of Connecticut at trial, Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Manning and Assistant State's Attorney Seán McGuinness, and those who assisted with the case, Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth K. Moran, and Inspector David Edwards.
“The investigation into Jennifer’s murder was painstaking and intense,” State’s Attorney Ferencek said. “As such, the State’s Attorney’s Office takes this opportunity to thank the Western District Major Crime Squad of the Connecticut State Police, the New Canaan Police Department, the Hartford Capital City Command Center, the Connecticut Forensic Science Laboratory and all other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies which assisted in this endeavor.”
State’s Attorney Ferencek also extended his gratitude to the family and close friends of Jennifer Farber Dulos for their patience during the five years it took for the case to come to trial.
“Most importantly, we thank Jennifer’s five brave children who came to court today to speak about their mother and to face the woman who conspired to murder her,” State’s Attorney Ferencek said. “Our hearts go out to you, especially, and as we have said in the past, we will never stop looking for your mother.”