Michelle Troconis' Family Issues New Statement In Jennifer Dulos Case

NEW CANAAN, CT — The family of Michelle Troconis, who was sentenced last month to 14 and a half years in prison in the disappearance and death of Jennifer Farber Dulos, issued a statement this week decrying the "significant injustice" of Michelle's conviction and incarceration.

"Tragically, Michelle is bearing the consequences of actions perpetrated by Fotis Dulos, who ultimately took his own life to avoid prosecution for his alleged crimes," wrote Troconis' family in the statement obtained by Patch.

Troconis is currently serving her sentence at the York Correctional Institution in East Lyme, and through her attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, she is appealing the case.

Unless if she is released early, Troconis is not scheduled to leave prison until 2038.

"Michelle Troconis is an innocent woman wrongfully incarcerated for crimes she did not commit," her family wrote. "This is a profound miscarriage of justice, and we will never stop fighting to exonerate her."

Troconis was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, and related charges, earlier this year, after being accused of assisting her former boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, in the plot to murder his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos in 2019.

Jennifer's body has not been found, and a probate judge officially declared her dead in late-2023.

Troconis and her family have steadfastly proclaimed her innocence since her arrest in 2019. Fotis Dulos was arrested on charges of kidnapping and murder in the case, but he never stood trial, because he took his own life in January 2020.

The Duloses were in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody fight over their five children at the time of Jennifer's disappearance and death.

At the sentencing, the five Dulos children — Petros, Theodore, Christiane, Constantine and Noelle — spoke emotionally of how they believe Troconis was involved in the murder, and how she betrayed them.

Below is the full statement from the Troconis family on behalf of Michelle:

Michelle Troconis is an innocent woman who has been unjustly sentenced to prison for crimes she did not commit. This situation represents a significant injustice. Tragically, Michelle is bearing the consequences of actions perpetrated by Fotis Dulos, who ultimately took his own life to avoid prosecution for his alleged crimes.

Michelle was a victim of Fotis Dulos, a manipulative, controlling, and deceitful individual who fabricated a false reality for his gain. Fotis presented himself as a successful businessman undergoing an amicable divorce. He deceived Michelle into leaving her beautiful life and moving to Connecticut by falsely claiming that Jennifer Dulos supported his new relationship with Michelle. Fotis targeted Michelle, a successful, independent, kind, and caring single mother.

Michelle never wanted to replace Jennifer or live her life. She never claimed to want the responsibility of being the mother to six children. She was happy with her life as a single mother to her daughter. By March 2019, she was planning to move out of Connecticut at the end of the school year to leave Fotis peacefully and continue her life independently.

Until the trial, Michelle did not fully understand the controlling and manipulative nature of Fotis, partly because they did not live together full-9me. Over the two years they were involved, Michelle lived with Fotis for approximately 14 months, often traveling with her daughter out of state for extended periods due to her daughter's athletic commitments. Fotis deceived not only Michelle but also lawyers and highly qualified mental health professionals, convincing everyone that he was a "good guy." These professionals, despite their extensive training, failed to recognize his true nature and that he could be capable of committing such a crime. It is therefore unreasonable to expect Michelle to have seen Fotis Dulos for who he was when even experts could not. It took years of marriage for Jennifer to grasp the danger Fotis posed fully and to fear him.

Michelle believed in the police when they spoke to her. She believed her former counsel when she had the cons9tu9onal right to remain silent. She believed in Fotis. She also assisted police in their search for Jennifer and offered to continue aiding their efforts. These are not the actions of a guilty person but rather those of an innocent individual who placed her faith in the American justice system, only to be failed by it.

Michelle Troconis is an innocent woman wrongfully incarcerated for crimes she did not commit. This is a profound miscarriage of justice, and we will never stop fighting to exonerate her.

- The Troconis Family

The Dulos case:

• Jennifer Dulos Case: Jury Deliberations Begin In Troconis Trial
• Jennifer Farber Dulos' Family: Seeing Bloody Evidence Was 'Brutal'
• Jennifer Dulos Case: Jury Hears Authorities Feared For Troconis' Life
• Jennifer Dulos Case: New Updates As Mystery Remains Unsolved
• New DNA Evidence Disclosed In Jennifer Dulos Disappearance
• New Documentary Explores Jennifer Dulos Murder Mystery
• Troconis Wants Evidence Thrown Out In Dulos Disappearance Case
• Mystery Continues 3 Years After Jennifer Farber Dulos' Disappearance
• New Details On How Jennifer Dulos May Have Died: Warrant
• Jennifer Dulos Case: Examination Of Forensic Evidence Continues
• Fotis Dulos Pressed Witness To Destroy Evidence: Court Testimony
• Jennifer Dulos Case: Troconis To Face Contempt Charge In Trial
• Jurors Dismissed, Blood Evidence Presented In 1st Week Of Dulos Trial
• Jennifer Dulos Case: Troconis Does Not Testify; Defense Rests: Report
• Jennifer Farber Dulos: 4 Years Since Her Disappearance
• Family Releases Statement On Jennifer Farber Dulos' 51st Birthday