A Connecticut judge on Wednesday dismissed an alternate juror in the Michelle Troconis trial after she apparently told an assistant state attorney “I love you.”
The incident occurred during the lunch break during Wednesday's trial. Troconis is accused of conspiring to murder Jennifer Dulos, a Connecticut resident, mother of five, and estranged wife of Troconis' boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, in May 2019. .
Assistant State's Attorney Elizabeth Moran and Supervising State's Attorney Michelle Manning waited for the elevator to open, and when it did, the court sheriff and two alternate jurors assigned to the case appeared. appeared. Both attorneys turned around, at which point Juror No. 420 apparently said, “Thank you, Liz. We love you.”
“Upon learning that the comments were made by one of the jurors, the court conducted an investigation that called the juror to the courtroom and seated him in the jury box,” Judge Kevin Randolph said Wednesday afternoon. “The court asked the jury whether they had made such comments to both Moran and Manning.”
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Judge Kevin Randolph dismissed an alternate juror in the Michelle Troconis trial on Wednesday. (Umar Abbasi, Daily Mail/Pool)
The juror acknowledged that he made the comment, which could be interpreted as supporting the state's case, Randolph explained.
“The court advised the jury that the state's favorable view of the case meant that it would be difficult to proceed with seating him as a juror at this time, considering the fairness and impartiality of the jury. “I explained to the court that he will be questioned as expected,” Randolph said, adding that Juror No. 420 has been formally dismissed.
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Michel Troconis is on trial for allegedly covering up the 2019 murder of his boyfriend Fotis Dulos' ex-wife. (Umar Abbasi, Daily Mail/Pool)
Wednesday's lawsuit also includes testimony from Jennifer's nanny, Lauren Almeida. She was watching over Jennifer's four children when she disappeared after dropping her children off at school on May 24, 2019.
She had been married to Fotis for 13 years when she filed for divorce. Almeida knew about her divorce and Troconis' affair with Fotis in 2017, she said.
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Jennifer Dulos' 52-year-old estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, have been charged in connection with her 2019 death.
“We told the police that the mother of our five children was missing and in the middle of a very contentious divorce,” Almeida testified. “And I knew that [Fotis] I was scared because I had bought a gun. ”
Troconis was in a relationship with Fotis Dulos at the time of Jennifer's death and is charged with the crime. conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence, conspiracy to tamper with evidence and hinder prosecution. Dulos was pronounced dead earlier this month, but his body has not yet been found.
The Jennifer Dulos Case: Timeline of the Connecticut Mother's Disappearance and Death
Jennifer Dulos disappeared from her New Canaan home in May 2019 after dropping her children off at school. (New Canaan Police Department)
Mr. Fotis, Mr. Troconis and Mr. Fotis' civil attorney, Kent Mawhinney, were each charged with conspiracy to commit murder, and all three suspects denied any involvement in Mr. Dulos' death. Fotis was released on $6 million bail and Troconis was released on $2 million bail.
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Fotis died by suicide shortly after he was charged. He was hospitalized for several days due to carbon monoxide poisoning, after which he was pronounced dead.
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Troconis has pleaded not guilty in the case, insisting he had no idea what was going on when Fotis, who was sitting in the passenger seat, disposed of trash bags in the truck after Jennifer disappeared. She also claims she knows nothing about the written chronology of their activities that day, which police obtained as evidence.
