Michelle Troconis trial: Jury sees evidence retrieved from trash believed to have been used to hide Jennifer Dulos' death
STAMFORD, Conn. -- The eighth day of the trial of Michelle Troconis centered on never-before-seen evidence of the murder of Jennifer Dulos.
Troconis is accused of helping Fotis Dulos hide the evidence, and conspiring in the death of his estranged wife.
On Tuesday, the jury saw sobering proof of the death of Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five who was embroiled in a bitter divorce in May of 2019.
Hours after she vanished, surveillance cameras captured her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, dumping bags of trash in Hartford.
Connecticut State Police Sgt. Kevin Duggan told the jury about a glove, one of many pieces of evidence recovered in the trash. Also found was a T-shirt.
"So, there's specks of blood-like substance on the palm," Duggan said. "So there was a white T-shirt with what appeared to be a blood-like substance on the T-shirt. We found that suspicious."
The jury was shown multiple recovered items the prosecution believes were used to clean up the crime scene, clothing they believe Jennifer Dulos was wearing when she was killed, and zip ties they believe were used to restrain her.
"Nothing that was in those bags shown will be shown to have had anything to do with Michelle Troconis, or that she knew what was in any of those bags," defense attorney Jon Schoenborn said.
The defense acknowledges Troconis was in the pickup with Fotis Dulos. She is seen reaching out at one point and wiping her hand on the ground.
Schoenhorn said Troconis was mostly on her phone with no idea what Fotis Dulos was up to.
"She looks up, she says 'What are we doing here?' They were supposed to be going to Starbucks," Schoenhorn said.
As for wiping her hand on the ground, Troconis claims she was trying to get rid of a sticky piece of chewing gum. So far, the jury has seen some evidence Troconis may have helped cover up the crime, but really no evidence she conspired with Fotis Dulos in advance.
READ MORE: Juror in Michelle Troconis trial dismissed for comparing case to "Gone Girl"
The bloody evidence made for a very difficult day for Jennifer Dulos' friends in the courtroom. Carrie Luft, a spokesperson for her loved ones, issued this statement:
For Jennifer's family and loved ones, seeing the physical evidence on Tuesday was brutal but also crucial. Witnessing Jennifer's blood-soaked clothing, knowing that was the shirt, the bra, she wore on the last day of her life, made us imagine, again, what she must have endured on May 24, 2019. We hope that seeing this evidence in three dimensions can put an end to any suggestion that Jennifer is "missing." She died a tragic death, and her loss is felt beyond what words can express. We are grateful to the prosecution and the investigators for their meticulous collection and presentation of evidence in this case. Above all, we trust in justice, and we hope that this trial will help provide answers to, and accountability for, what was done to Jennifer that day.
Prosecutors believe Fotis Dulos killed Jennifer Dulos and hid her body, which has never been found.
He died by suicide four years ago this month.
