Estranged Husband Breaks Silence As Lawyer Says Jennifer Dulos May Have Carried Out 'Revenge Suicide'
NEW CANAAN, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Fotis Dulos, the estranged husband of missing Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos, spoke publicly Wednesday for the first time since his arrest.
"I just want to tell my children that they're constantly on my mind, and that I love them and I miss them very much," he said outside family court.
His defense attorney, Norm Pattis, told reporters they believe this may have been a case of "revenge suicide."
Jennifer Dulos, a 50-year-old mother of five, disappeared on May 24 after dropping her children off at school in New Canaan.
Investigators said the same day surveillance video showed her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, throwing away garbage bags that contained items with Jennifer Dulos' blood on them.
WEB EXTRA: Timeline Of Investigation Into Jennifer Dulos's Disappearance
Fotis Dulos and Troconis were arrested earlier this month on charges of tampering with evidence and hindering the prosecution. Both pleaded not guilty and were released on bail.
The judge ordered Fotis Dulos to wear a GPS tracking device and surrender his passport. He reportedly violated the conditions of his release this week by inadvertently crossing state lines into New York while driving on a country road.
Jennifer and Fotis Dulos were in the midst of a divorce and custody battle when she went missing.
In court motions filed earlier this week, Pattis alleged Jennifer Dulos had the "imagination, means and motive to disappear," comparing a book she wrote years ago to "Gone Girl," in which a wife fakes her own disappearance and frames her husband as a prime suspect.
"We are continuing our investigation of Ms. Dulos' disappearance, and believe it to be entirely consistent with the evidence to conclude that she was not a victim of foul play at the hands of third parties. Efforts to distance Ms. Dulos from a Gone Girl-type scenario are well-meaning, to be sure. But the fact remains that Ms. Dulos remains accountably 'Gone,' and had the imagination, means and motive to disappear," Pattis said.
MORE: 'We Are Heartbroken': Connecticut Mother Jennifer Dulos Missing For 1 Month
A spokesperson for her family and friends rebuffed his theory, saying it "makes no sense."
"Trying to tie Jennifer's absence to a book she wrote more than 17 years ago makes no sense. Evidence shows that Jennifer was the victim of a violent attack in her New Canaan home. As of today, she has been missing for a month. This is not fiction or a movie. This is real life, as experienced every single day by Jennifer's five young children, her family, and her friends," spokesperson Carrie Luft said in a statement. "We are heartbroken. Jennifer is not here to protect her children, and these false and irresponsible allegations hurt the children now and into the future."
Wednesday's hearing focused on the Dulos children, who range in age from 8 to 13 and are living in Manhattan with their maternal grandmother, Gloria Farber, who wants legal custody.
The grandmother's attorney asked for Fotis Dulos and his counsel be held in contempt and for the court to impose sanctions, citing violations of judges' orders that the contents of certain documents not be revealed, CBS2's Dave Carlin reported.
The defense argued a confidential psychological report should be unsealed.
"You heard us say today in court comments that Jennifer made to Mr. Dulos that give us grave concerns for her safety and well being," Pattis said.
The New Canaan Police Department set up a website, FindJenniferDulos.com, where the public can submit tips.