Following Michelle Troconis’ seven-week trial in Stamford, close friend and spokesperson for the friends and family of Jennifer Dulos, Carrie Luft, opened up about the trial, evidence and Jennifer in an exclusive interview.
“It was an almost indescribable experience, as you can tell from my lapsing into silence,” Luft said about the trial. “I mean, for me, I think I was experiencing this disbelief in that I don't know that I believed that that day would ever come, and like the solemnity and seriousness and ritual of the court and the legal process, and of the jury presenting their decisions, it was it was profound.”
Luft noted the sheer amount of evidence, saying the trial will have an impact on her, as well as Jennifer's friends and family, for a long time.
“I may have already used the adjective epic, but it was, it was epic. It it was fascinating to have the body of evidence illuminated piece by piece meticulously and systematically over the entirety of the prosecution's presentation," Luft said.
Luft also said that some of the evidence was incredibly difficult to look at. She and a small group had been privy to some photos of evidence collected along Albany Avenue in Hartford, but she said to see it in real life was hard.
“And that was incredibly affecting. You know, like I said, it made seeing her clothing just left, no question as to what had happened to Jennifer and seeing her clothing and knowing that that's what she wore, that's what she wore on the morning that she dropped her kids off at school, and that we've never seen her again. And it was it was brutal to witness,” Luft said.
Luft went on to say it was essential for jurors to understand the horrific acts done against Jennifer.
It was necessary to make clear that this woman would never have voluntarily left her children, but certainly did not, in any sense of the word, voluntarily disappear. That she was murdered in her garage.
Carrie Luft
As she has throughout the process, she also thanked investigators, jurors, the judge and state prosecutors following the massive case they had worked on over years.
“I know that Jennifer was always at the forefront of their minds, as you know, as they tried this case, as they walked each of the witnesses through testimony and as they presented the evidence, they were doing it on behalf of Jennifer and on behalf of her family and her kids," Luft said.
She also hopes the attention will continue to stimulate appropriate leads for investigators to follow up on.
“I guess I believe that there are some people who may have been involved in this situation who do know more than they've ever let on, and I hope that that comes to light," Luft said.
She was also asked about the five Dulos children, and while she couldn’t offer much because of the private nature of their lives, she could offer a small bit.
The priority is leading their lives, keeping the memories of their mom alive and the love for her alive and everything that she taught them and instilled in them.
Carrie Luft
When asked about Gloria, Jennifer's mother, and her willingness to take the stand as state prosecutors' last witness, Luft offered a bit about courage.
“For Gloria, she was incredibly brave to get up there on the stand, but I think she decided that it was right and necessary," she said.
As the trial ended, Luft also noted she would like people at home to recognize the victim in the case, Jennifer, as the person she was.
"She was all about love. She loved her children so immensely. She always wanted to be a mom,” Luft said. "She was not just some photo online. She was a real, incredible, vivid, hilarious, wonderful person. And I think that's part of what gets lost, understandably, in the trial. The victim ends up being this sort of emptiness or an absence around which everything in the legal process is taking place."
She said somewhere down the line, one way she has considered as a positive way to remember Jennifer would be to give her writings, new life.
“You know, she was incredibly accomplished. She's a great writer, a really powerful, wonderful, hilarious thinker. So, you know, I think down the road, it would be wonderful if some of her work could be given more life,” Luft said.
But in the immediate future, she said Jennifer would never want anyone to go through what she endured. And Luft said she expects Jennifer would have championed causes like domestic or intimate partner violence, to prevent situations like Jennifer's.
“It's important to note that this case has received a disproportionate amount of coverage, and I realize I'm contributing to that by speaking to you right now. But there are so many people whose stories are not being told, whose stories, when they go missing, don't get covered, you know, in that crucial window of time when it might be possible to find them if they are still alive and, you know, tragically, for those people who are murdered by their partners, that their stories are not being told, I think that needs to change,” Luft said.
She said those causes and considerations will continue to be present as family and friends remember Jennifer.
And as they move closer to marking five years since her murder, Luft anticipates Jennifer's family and friends will mark the date.
“You know, I think there is something to be said for marking dates. Five years is a really long time, especially in the lives of kids,” Luft said.
