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Michelle Troconis gets public defender for upcoming appeal in Jennifer Dulos case

On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Gary White granted Troconis’ motion for the appointment and waived all fees related to her appeal.

Marissa Alter

Jul 16, 2024, 11:46 PM

Updated 147 days ago

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 Michelle Troconis gets public defender for upcoming appeal in Jennifer Dulos case
Michelle Troconis will now be represented by a public defender as she seeks to appeal her conviction in the 2019 disappearance and death of Jennifer Dulos. On Tuesday, Superior Court Judge Gary White granted Troconis’ motion for the appointment and waived all fees related to her appeal.
Troconis is serving a 14 ½ year sentence at York Correctional Institution after a jury found she plotted with her then boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, to kill his estranged wife, then helped him cover up the crime. On March 1, she was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with physical evidence, conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence and hindering prosecution. At the time, her attorney Jon Schoenhorn said Troconis would appeal the verdict.
In preparation for that, Troconis applied for a public defender in June, stating she cannot afford an attorney due to her incarceration. The application included a financial affidavit explaining her monetary situation, but that document is not public. The public defender's office had to review the affidavit and look into her claims to see if she qualified for the office’s services. Having done so, Troconis appeared in court Tuesday afternoon beside Jared Milbrandt, head public defender in the Stamford/Norwalk Judicial District, for a hearing that lasted 30 seconds.
“Just asking that the application be granted today, Your Honor, and the Legal Services Unit in Hartford be appointed, please,” Milbrandt said.
Assistant State’s Attorney Sean McGuinness had nothing to add, and White granted the appointment.
Troconis is also appealing Judge Kevin Randolph’s decision at her sentencing hearing denying her an appellate bond. In June, Schoenhorn petitioned the appellate court to get Troconis released while her appeal is pending. In the filing, he states that Troconis is not a flight risk or a danger to the community and has complied with all release conditions since her first arrest in 2019.
The state will also have an appeal in this case. Court documents show prosecutors filed notice they’re appealing Randolph's ruling at Troconis’ sentencing to vacate one of her two counts of conspiracy to commit evidence tampering. In a post-verdict motion and hearing, Schoenhorn argued that the two counts of conspiracy violated double jeopardy laws, which prohibit anyone from being prosecuted twice for the same crime. Each count pertained to a separate alleged tampering event in different towns on different days. But Schoenhorn said the prosecution claimed the conspiracy in both was the same—to destroy evidence of Jennifer Dulos' presumed murder. Randolph ruled in the defense's favor and vacated one of the counts, meaning Troconis was sentenced on five felony charges rather than six.
Troconis is also facing a contempt charge in Stamford Superior Court for an incident at her trial, which was streamed live. She’s accused of displaying a court-sealed document on her laptop for the gallery and those watching the live stream to see. She’s back in court in that case Sept. 16.
Troconis was the first defendant in the Jennifer Dulos case to stand trial. Prosecutors turned their efforts to her after Fotis Dulos died by suicide while charged with Jennifer Dulos’ murder. Kent Mawhinney, a friend and former attorney for Fotis Dulos, is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder and is awaiting a trial date.