'It's Personal,' Says Fotis Dulos' Attorney About Continuing Case

STAMFORD, CT — During an interview Tuesday with WPLR's Chaz & AJ, attorney Norm Pattis, who represents the late Fotis Dulos in the Jennifer Farber Dulos murder case, said despite Fotis' recent death, the case nowhere near over.

"Not by a long shot, it's personal," Pattis told the popular radio DJs.

Fotis Dulos died last week, two days after he tried to commit suicide in the garage of his Farmington home. His family believes he did not kill Jennifer Dulos, and armed with that Pattis will try the unprecedented move of continuing the murder case despite the suspect being dead. Jennifer Dulos vanished on May 24 of last year, and her body has never been found.

Pattis said that while he has had other clients commit suicide, he is saddened by Fotis Dulos' death, in part because it was due to society abandoned its "ideals."

"He was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion," Pattis told Chaz & AJ, alluding to what he believed is the unfairness of the case. "Every inference was thrown against him."

Pattis said that there is information yet to come out that will surprise a lot of people, though he admitted that his motion to replace Dulos as a defendant with his estate might not succeed. But his family asked him to do as much as he can to clear Fotis' name.

Authorities were seen at Fotis Dulos' Farmington home on Thursday, reports WFSB-TV, where his family from Greece has been staying.

The Middletown Press writes that police were called to the home after members of Fotis' family tried to take certain pieces of furniture. Motions have been filed in probate court in connection with Fotis Dulos' estate, according to media reports, but the family is not allowed to take items until after probate has been settled.

"Mr. Dulos has a reputational interest that survives his death in the form of his legacy, and we're going to ask that the criminal case proceed so that he can seek vindication," Pattis said.

To gain vindication, Pattis hinted at possible surprises that could come out, such as publishing certain information that he did not disclose.

"There's more to say, there's a lot more to say, and at the appropriate time we'll say it," Pattis said. "But we're still under a gag order.

"There's a larger story to tell, and we're eager to tell it."

Listen to the Chaz & AJ show; the next court hearing in the case is scheduled for Feb. 13.

In a related development, Michelle Troconis, Fotis Dulos' ex-girlfriend who was charged with conspiracy to commit murder, has hired a new attorney, writes the Hartford Courant.

She hired Hartford attorney Jon Schoenhorn, who is seeking to have the case moved from Stamford Superior Court to Hartford Superior Court. Troconis, who had been represented by Westport attorney Andrew Bowman, is next scheduled to appear in Stamford court on Friday.

The underlying crime, the murder of New Canaan resident Jennifer Dulos, is in the Stamford jurisdiction, but Schoenhorn argues that the elements of the conspiracy case are alleged to have taken place in Farmington and Hartford.