Lengthy brief filed in Michelle Troconis' appeal of convictions in Jennifer Dulos case
Troconis is currently serving a 14-and-a-half-year prison sentence.
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The attorney representing Michelle Troconis in her appeal filed a lengthy brief laying out why Troconis’ convictions in the disappearance and presumed murder of Jennifer Dulos should be overturned, according to the state judicial website.
In March 2024, a jury found Troconis guilty of conspiring with her former boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, for him to kill his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos, and helping him cover up the crime. Troconis was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, evidence tampering, conspiracy to commit evidence tampering and hindering prosecution. Right after the verdict came down, Troconis’ attorney and family said she’d appeal. Troconis filed to do so in August 2024, but the brief documenting all her arguments was not due until Monday. The online court system shows it was filed Nov. 10, but it hasn’t yet been uploaded to the site for public view. The brief does contain sealed documents, so a redacted version was also supposed to be submitted, per a filing by Troconis’ attorney last week. Due to the courts being closed Tuesday for Veterans Day, News 12 is still waiting to get a copy of it.
Last month, the judge signed off on Troconis’ attorney’s request to exceed the brief's word limit by 6,500 words for a total of 20,000 words. The state has until Dec. 10 to file its brief in response, but it's very possible that deadline will be extended.
The appeal is separate from Troconis’ habeas challenge to be released from prison and have her convictions vacated. That case, which is based on Troconis’ claims her constitutional rights were violated during the Jennifer Dulos investigation in 2019, is due to go to trial in January. The habeas petition, which was filed in September 2024, targets her initial attorney, Andrew Bowman, for alleged “deficient performance and/or incompetent counsel” and then-Stamford State's Attorney Richard Colangelo for allegedly failing to honor an agreement in exchange for Troconis’ cooperation.
Troconis is currently serving 14 1/2 years at York Correctional Institution. She’s the only suspect arrested in the case who’s incarcerated. Fotis Dulos, who police believe killed his estranged wife in her garage in New Canaan and then disposed of her body, died by suicide in January 2020. His friend and former attorney, Kent Mawhinney, was also charged with conspiring with conspiracy to commit murder, but Mawhinney pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of interfering with an officer and was sentenced to time served.
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