Thursday is the 20th day of Michelle Troconis’ trial in Stamford.
She has been charged in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of Jennifer Dulos and has denied the charges of conspiracy to commit murder, evidence tampering and hindering prosecution.
Jennifer Dulos vanished from her home in New Canaan on May 24, 2019.
She and Fotis Dulos were going through a divorce and custody battle at the time and Troconis was dating Fotis when Jennifer disappeared.
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After some tense back-and-forth between prosecutors and the defense attorney on Wednesday, Pawel Gumienny, a key witness in the case, finished his testimony and faced cross-examination from the defense about his recollection of events around Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance.
Gumienny testified on Tuesday that Troconis had said, “That b**** should be buried next to the dog” and defense attorney Schoenhorn reiterated the statement on Wednesday.
Schoenhorn questioned Gumienny about his belief that the comments were made as a joke to “cheer” up Fotis Dulos because his dog was ill and needed to be euthanized.
Schoenhorn also sought clarification on another statement made following Jennifer’s disappearance, this one allegedly made to Gumienny while the two were working on firewood together and Troconis was expressing frustration regarding photos of herself and her daughter being posted in the media.
She commented she would “kill” Jennifer if she ever turned up.
The defense pointed out that both Troconis and Gumienny at that point, according to testimony, believed she was only missing.
“You thought she might turn up at that point, correct?” Schoenhorn asked. “Yes,” Gumienny replied.
Gumienny testified that at the start of the investigation into Jennifer’s disappearance that he believed she was only missing and Fotis wouldn’t do anything to hurt her.
Schoenhorn called into question Gumienny’s credibility, pushing him on his memory of events and interviews he did with investigators. He also pressed him on concerns he had about his immigration status in 2019 as the investigation progressed.
“Were you nervous about them bringing up your green card status?” Schoenhorn asked.
Gumienny indicated he was.
The jury also had the chance to view new time-stamped surveillance video of the comings and goings of Fotis Dulos, Troconis and Gumienny from 80 Mountain Spring Road in Farmington on the afternoon of Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance.
Outside of court, Gumienny’s attorney, Lindy Urso, answered questions about his client’s testimony and his client’s relief that the testimony is over.
“I think after the last two days, I think the whole thing is mixed because he hates the spotlight, he is a very private individual, but by the same token we’re here now and this is the beginning of the end of the circus for him so he can get back to his life," Urso said.
There was also an indication that the trial is almost on pace with where it was expected to be, though it’s unclear how many more witnesses the state has left to call.
But at this point, the court indicated that we are still expecting to wrap up around March 1.
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.
