Michelle Troconis Files New Appeal In Jennifer Dulos Case

STAMFORD, CT — Michelle Troconis, accused of conspiracy to commit murder in the Jennifer Farber Dulos case, has filed a new court appeal to modify the conditions of her release on bail.

Her attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, filed the appeal in the state Appellate Court on Monday, seeking relief to Superior Court Judge John Blawie's recent decision "to require continued house arrest and 24-hour GPS monitoring, without a legal or factual basis." Following Blawie's decision last month, Schoenhorn vowed he was going to file the appeal.

"After hearing argument on defendant’s motions, the court continued the matter without ruling for two weeks, to consider the defendant’s arguments and issue a decision," Schoenhorn wrote in the motion. "To date, no order from the court has been forthcoming, and the defendant seeks review now because of the continued burden on the defendant’s rights to reasonable conditions of release and effective assistance of counsel."

Troconis is free after posting bond on bail of $2.1 million in connection with the case. Blawie ruled last month that she does not have report to a parole officer, but he kept in place the house arrest and GPS monitor, which Troconis wears around one of her ankles.

The 45-year-old is one of two suspects accused of assisting the late Fotis Dulos in the murder of his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos, who disappeared on May 24, 2019. Jennifer Dulos' body has not been found, and Fotis Dulos, who was Troconis' boyfriend, died by suicide in January.

Troconis has pleaded not guilty in the case, and the coronavirus pandemic has caused hearings to be rescheduled.

Schoenhorn argues the terms of his client's release are unfair, in part because Troconis has been forced to wear the GPS monitoring device for more than a year, and her house arrest impedes her ability to prepare for trial.

Blawie said he intended to issue a ruling on those conditions by the middle of September, but he had not done so as of Schoenhorn's filing.

Chief State's Attorney Richard Colangelo opposes any modifications to Troconis' release, in part because he believes she could be a possible flight risk. At an August hearing, Colangelo argued that she only moved to Connecticut to be with Fotis Dulos, and now he is dead.

"Michelle Troconis remains innocent of any crime," Schoenhorn wrote. "No facts ever justified the nonfinancial conditions challenged here – including GPS monitoring in place since her arrest in 2019. Now with the addition of 24-hour house arrest requiring prior approval for all departures from home, in place since January of 2020, without a single violation, both conditions are unreasonable and unconstitutional."

The Dulos case:

• New Details On How Jennifer Dulos May Have Died: Warrant
• Jennifer Dulos Case: New Updates As Mystery Remains Unsolved
• New DNA Evidence Disclosed In Jennifer Dulos Disappearance
• New Documentary Explores Jennifer Dulos Murder Mystery
• Law Enforcement Convinced Someone Knows Where Jennifer Dulos Is
• Jennifer Dulos Update: 'No New Evidence' At Avon House, CSP Says
• Michelle Troconis Issues First Statement In Jennifer Dulos Case