Husband of missing Connecticut mom Jennifer Dulos asks judge to dismiss charges
NEW CANAAN, Connecticut (WABC) -- The estranged husband of a Connecticut mother of five who has been missing more than four months appeared in court Friday, asking the judge to dismiss the charges against him in connection to her disappearance.
Lawyers for Fotis Dulos argued that the hindering prosecution charge cannot stick because there is no "felony" to which it is attached.
Jennifer Dulos, 50, was last seen on Friday, May 24, driving a 2017 black Chevrolet Suburban shortly after dropping her kids off at school in New Canaan.
Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend, 44-year-old Michelle Troconis, are charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and hindering prosecution, and both have pleaded not guilty.
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 judge made no ruling on the motions, saying that the arguments will take time to review, and the issue will be revisited during a November 6 hearing.
The state also asked the judge to address Fotis Dulos' recent statements to a Greek publication about his wife's disappearance, saying it was a clear violation of a previously issued gag order. The judge issued a warning and said the gag order is upheld until any court rules otherwise.
Fotis Dulos' attorney Norman Pattis was not present, but his associate, Kevin Smith, motioned a zipped-lip gesture to reporters. Fotis Dulos only commented that he missed and loves his children.
Troconis also appeared in court in Stamford on Friday and entered a not guilty plea to her latest charge of evidence tampering.
The children are currently being cared for by Jennifer Dulos' mother, who is seeking custody.
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