A juror in the Michelle Troconis trial needed to leave the country today to attend to an emergency and the court has chosen a member of the alternate jury pool to replace the juror, the judge announced as the trial was beginning on Monday morning.
Two jurors had already been dismissed earlier in the trial.
And one juror was dismissed after the panelist likened the case to the novel and movie “Gone Girl.”
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Judge Kevin Randolph received an unsigned note from a juror in the trial of Michelle Troconis morning, accusing another member of the panel of making the comment in the presence of other jurors.
The trial now has two alternates remaining, along with six regular jurors.
Monday is the 12th day of Michelle Troconis’ trial and John Kimball, the lead investigator in the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, is expected to be back on the stand for more testimony and cross-examination.
Jennifer Dulos was last seen on May 24, 2019, after dropping her children off at school in New Canaan.
Police believe Jennifer’s estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, killed her in the garage of her home in New Canaan after she dropped their children off at school and then cleaned up the crime scene.
Troconis, 49, is accused of helping Fotis Dulos cover up the killing of his wife, whose body has never been found.
She has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution and has pleaded not guilty and denied any involvement.
Fotis Dulos, a luxury home builder originally from Greece, died by suicide in January 2020 after being charged with his wife’s murder. He denied any involvement in his wife’s disappearance.
The interview that was shown in court on Friday showed investigators push Troconis on discrepancies in the timeline that she gave in the first interview.
The interview lasted three hours and took place in Westport at the office of attorney Andrew Bowman, who was Troconis’ attorney at the time.
Almost immediately in the second interview, investigators pressed Troconis on discrepancies in her account of what happened on the day Jennifer disappeared from the first interview just days prior.
“I have a daughter and I don’t want to be in a jail,” Michelle Troconis said through tears.
They also questioned her initial claim that Fotis was in his office in the morning.
“What if I told you we know he wasn’t at the home at the time?" John Kimball asked.
Troconis also attempted to assist law enforcement by providing a drawn map of the area around Fotis’ properties that the two frequented or that Troconis knew Fotis knew well.
She also noted her anger with Fotis following her arrest and learning of what allegedly happened to Jennifer.
“He pulled you into the clean-up?" Detective Corey Clabby asked in the interview.
“I know and I hate him because of that,” Troconis said.
Prosecutors also continued pausing the video at various points to point out discrepancies with the coming third interview and with the written timeline they had obtained.
Troconis’ sister, Claudia, spoke outside court on Friday, maintaining Michelle’s innocence and putting the blame instead on investigators for her mistreatment and for pressing charges.
“We are finally seeing how my sister attempted to cooperate not once, not twice, but three times with the police, saying everything, trying to assist them the best that she could in this case and yet she was charged,” Claudia Troconis said.
Kimball is expected to be back for more testimony and cross-examination on Monday. A third interview is also expected to be played, but it is unclear when.
How to watch the trial
Our daily special, airing weekdays at 9 a.m. on the NBC Connecticut free streaming channel is available on Roku, Samsung TV plus, Freevee, and a number of other platforms. Here is more on how to watch.
Watch full episodes of "Inside the Trial of Michelle Troconis"
Watch the full episodes of "Inside the Trial of Michelle Troconis" here.
