Jennifer Dulos murder: Michelle Troconis in court, wants bail restrictions lifted
STAMFORD, Connecticut (WABC) -- Michelle Troconis, the woman charged in connection with the murder of mother of five Jennifer Dulos in Connecticut, made her first court appearance Friday since the death of ex-boyfriend Fotis Dulos, who died by suicide while accused of killing his estranged wife.
Troconis' attorney asked the judge to lift court imposed restrictions and also filed a petition to change the venue.
Troconis wanted her electronic monitoring ankle bracelet removed and her house arrest lifted as part of her bond release. Her lawyer argued she should be allowed to shop and go out for approved work trips.
The judge denied her request to leave the state and also the request to have the monitor removed, but Troconis will be allowed to shop for basic necessities and leave her house for approved work appointments.
The change of venue request is being reviewed.
Troconis wore headphones in court for the first time to listen to a translator, but she responded in English.
Prosecutors are looking into whether Troconis tried to contact Fotis Dulos through a third party, which would be a violation of her bail.
She is due back in court on March 3.
Fotis Dulos died last week after he was found unresponsive inside his car in the garage of his Farmington home, suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, after he failed to show up for a previously scheduled bond hearing.
He is accused of killing Jennifer Dulos, though he denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnapping charges.
Troconis and attorney Kent Mawhinney, who represented Fotis Dulos in a civil matter, were also arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
No suicide note was found in Fotis Dulos' home, but police did find a document in which Dulos reiterates his innocence and that of Troconis and Mawhinney. It's unclear when that was written.
Jennifer Dulos was last seen on May 24 driving a 2017 black Chevrolet Suburban shortly after dropping her kids off at school in New Canaan.
Her body has not been found, but Connecticut State Police said there has been no activity on any of her financial accounts since the day before she went missing, no activity on her cellphone, and no one has seen or heard from her.
Fotis and Jennifer Dulos were embroiled in a contentious divorce battle, and state police have alleged in court papers that Fotis Dulos was "lying in wait" for Jennifer Dulos at home and that a violent assault took place in the garage.
Previous court documents revealed that clothing and sponges soaked with Jennifer Dulos' blood were found in trash cans in Hartford, where surveillance cameras captured a male appearing to be Fotis Dulos wearing a baseball cap and disposing of garbage bags in more than 30 different receptacles along a four-mile stretch of Albany Avenue.
The children are currently being cared for by Jennifer Dulos' mother, who had been seeking full custody.
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