Fotis Dulos Accused Of Violating House Arrest, Removing Items From Missing Wife's Memorial
STAMFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- The Connecticut man accused of killing his estranged wife is now under strict house arrest.
A judge told Fotis Dulos he made a "stupid" move, taking down a memorial to Jennifer Dulos, a missing mother of five, who is presumed dead, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported Thursday.
Fotis Dulos, who is charged with murdering his estranged wife, tampered with a memorial near his home and now he will pay. It's a setback for the developer, who is flat broke and sorely needs to sell one of his multi-million dollar spec homes.
"He's a real estate developer and the sale of one home will right a faltering financial ship for him," attorney Norm Pattis said.
WEB EXTRA: Read Fotis Dulos' Arrest Warrant (pdf.)
Pattis confirmed Fotis Dulos removed the memorial on Jan. 17.
A letter from the company monitoring Fotis Dulos' movements says it happened during an unauthorized stop that lasted three minutes.
Pattis showed Judge Gary White posts from a Facebook discussion group called "Where is Jennifer Dulos?" One poster said she hoped the memorial "haunted" Fotis Dulos.
"This isn't a memorial to Jennifer. It's a means of taunting Mr. Dulos. Mr. Dulos is presumed innocent," Pattis said.
WEB EXTRA: Timeline Of Jennifer Dulos Investigation
State's attorney Richard Colangelo had no trouble convincing Judge White to punish Fotis Dulos by yanking the work conditions from his bail. Now, Fotis Dulos can only leave home for doctor and lawyer appointments, or worship services.
Pattis admitted after court strict house arrest will hurt.
"So, yes, I am worried about it. This is a bad day for us," Pattis said.
And it could get worse. If Fotis Dulos commits another violation of the terms of his release, the judge said he would likely reset bond, doubling it from $6 million to $12 million.
The prosecution believes Fotis Dulos killed his estranged wife and hid her body, perhaps in a pre-prepared grave. The defense has said it is aiming for a trial in September.
Anyone with information about Jennifer's disappearance is asked to contact the New Canaan Police Department tip line at (203) 594-3544 or visit the website FindJenniferDulos.com.
