Connecticut
Troconis jury sees smoke footage day Farber Dulos disappeared, hears about interview discrepancies
After addressing concerns that Michelle Troconis was allegedly reading court-sealed documents during her criminal trial in Stamford, the 23rd day of her trial continued Friday with testimony from a state police detective who interviewed Troconis three times in 2019.
In that final interview in 2019 — which the jury saw a recording of Friday — detectives point out inconsistencies in Troconis’ earlier statements to police and urge her to be honest.
Retired Connecticut Police Department Det. John Kimball returned to the stand Friday and first walked the jury through surveillance footage that showed a Jeep Cherokee and Chevrolet Suburban, which Troconis and her then-boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, were allegedly driving, going back and forth between their home at 4 Jefferson Crossing in Farmington and a property Dulos’ company owned at 80 Mountain Spring Road in Farmington on May 24. 2019, the day Jennifer Farber Dulos disappeared.
Judge in Troconis trial issues warning, delays contempt hearing over sealed custody report
In questioning Kimball about that footage, state prosecutor Sean McGuinness zeroed in on smoke that could be seen coming from a chimney at the home where Troconis was living with Dulos when his estranged wife went missing.
The jury had seen some of this video before, but this was the first time the chimney and smoke had been pointed out.
McGuinness asked Kimball if, in the three interviews Troconis did with investigators, she ever mentioned starting a fire that day — the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.
He said no.
According to weather reports, temperatures were in the high 60s to low 70s at about 7 p.m. that day.
“I don’t know too many people having a fire on a day like this,” McGuinness said.
Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media/Pool
Former Connecticut State Police Detective John Kimball returned to the stand Friday and first walked the jury through surveillance footage that showed a Jeep Cherokee and Chevrolet Suburban, which Troconis and her then-boyfriend, Fotis Dulos were allegedly driving on the day Jennifer Farber Dulos disappeared. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media/Pool)
Outside the courthouse Friday afternoon, Troconis’ defense attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, said that if the defense argues after the state rests its case, there “will be testimony that having fires is something she did regularly.”
Schoenhorn mentioned that Pawel Gumienny, an employee of Dulos’, testified earlier in the trial that he was helping Troconis bring up firewood to the house after Farber Dulos went missing and went on to say that the video of the fire was speculative.
Investigators did not search the home at 4 Jefferson Crossing until May 31.
“Whatever it is, whatever they are trying to claim from a couple of puffs of white smoke at various times on a very windy day again it is pure speculation just like a darkened figure riding a bicycle on Memorial Day weekend in the town of New Canaan,” Schoenhorn said, referencing surveillance video of a person in dark clothing riding a bike the morning of May 24.
Investigators allege that Dulos rode a bike to Farber Dulos’ home at 69 Welles Ave. in New Canaan, where he attacked her.
Kimball testified that smoke was seen coming out of the chimney on the east end of the house between 6:44 p.m. and 7:02 p.m., just before city surveillance cameras captured the couple driving along Albany Avenue in Hartford, where investigators allege Dulos was dumping evidence related to Farber Dulos’ disappearance.
Investigators tracked Dulos’ cell phone data to Albany Avenue, where surveillance video from Hartford’s city cameras shows Dulos driving his Ford F-150 Raptor and making stops to dump items into trash bins and a storm drain while Troconis drove in the passenger seat between 7:30 p.m. and 7:50 p.m.
Investigators combed through those trash bins and suctioned out the contents of the storm drain, finding altered license plates and blood-soaked clothes they believe Farber Dulos was wearing when she died. They also found zip ties, a box cutter, garbage bags, and other items, all with stains from a blood-like substance.
Troconis is charged with conspiring with Dulos to kill Farber Dulos, the mother of his five children with whom he was in the midst of a divorce and custody battle, and helping to cover up the crimes.
On June 2 and June 6, 2019, investigators interviewed Troconis about Farber Dulos’ disappearance. First at the New Canaan Police Department, then in her attorney’s office.
Lead detective testifies about discrepancies in Troconis’ timeline on day of Farber Dulos’ disappearance
The jury has seen video recordings of those two interviews, and on Friday saw part of her third interview, in which she admitted she hadn’t been entirely truthful during the first two.
“This is our third conversation and that’s two more conversations than most people have,” Kimball said at the start of the third and final interview on Aug. 13.
“We need you to be 100 percent honest,” said Connecticut State Police Det. Corey Clabby.
The detectives said that they wanted to give Troconis the chance to tell the truth and clarify some things.
“This really is an opportunity,” Kimball said.
He then asked Troconis: “Are you ready to admit that you weren’t 100% honest in the first two interviews?”
Troconis paused briefly, then said “Yes.”
In her earlier interviews, Troconis told investigators that on the morning Farber Dulos disappeared, she showered with Dulos. McGuinness asked Kimball about this while he was on the stand Friday. Kimball said that during the interview on June 2, 2019, Troconis indicated that “Fotis Dulos was there with her when she woke up, he entered the shower with her,” he said. And that she later saw him in his office.
But in August, she told investigators she did not see him until that afternoon.
“When you turned your alarm off in your bedroom, was Fotis there?” Clabby asked.
“No,” she replied.
“He was not there?” he clarified.
“No,” she said
“You didn’t take a shower with him?”
“No,” Troconis answered.
Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media/Pool
Former Connecticut State Police Detective John Kimball watches video of his questioning of Michelle Troconis as he testifies on Friday at Stamford Superior Court. (Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media/Pool)
In the video, Troconis went on to say she did not see him at all that morning.
“I didn’t see him in the room, in the shower, or the room, I didn’t,” she said. “I did not see him in the morning in the house.”
She said during the interview that maybe she had just assumed he was home.
“Back then I always thought he was in the house but thinking I never saw him, I never heard his voice. So obviously he wasn’t … probably he wasn’t in the house.”
Kimball on Friday also testified that on June 6, 2019, Troconis said she had not seen Dulos’ phone that morning. She thought Dulos had it with him, she’d said. But in the third interview, that changed.
“The defendant just indicated that she saw Mr. Dulos’ phone in the Fore Group office, correct?” Kimball asked after pausing the video of the interview.
“That’s correct,” Kimball said.
Later in the interview, Clabby pressed Troconis about the phone being left at home.
He asked her if she thought it was odd that Dulos left his phone at home “the day his wife goes missing” and urged her to tell the truth.
“There’s no way you just didn’t know,” he said.
Detectives then told Troconis that she was facing multiple years in prison.
“Help yourself and tell us what you know, because we all believe you know a lot more.”
During the part of the video the jury saw Friday, detectives also pointed out other inconsistencies in Troconis’ account of May 24.
In her June 2019 interviews, Kimball said Troconis never mentioned answering a call to Dulos’ phone that morning. But in the August 2019 interview, she described answering a call from Dulos’ friend in Greece — a call that investigators learned was prearranged at the urging of Kent Mawhinney, Dulos’ lawyer who is also charged as a co-conspirator in Farber Dulos’ death.
They also asked Troconis at length about whether she briefly had the keys to Gumienny’s Toyota Tacoma that afternoon. That truck has dominated a good portion of testimony in her trial, as investigators allege Dulos drove that truck to New Canaan and back on the day Farber Dulos went missing.
When Gumienny took the stand, he testified that he saw the keys to his Tacoma handing from the passenger door of his truck at 80 Mountain Spring Road that afternoon. He left for a few minutes, and when he came back with Dulos, the keys were gone. He said Dulos called Troconis and she brought the keys back. In the video shown Friday, Troconis admitted to having the keys but said they were in the Jeep she was driving.
Detectives told her they knew that was not true.
She stumbled over an answer but ultimately said she didn’t know how she had ended up with the Tacoma keys.
They also highlighted other details that Troconis did not tell detectives about in the first interviews, like how she picked Dulos up from a car wash in the days after Farber Dulos went missing.
Outside the presence of the jury Friday afternoon, attorneys went back and forth in a heated exchange regarding witnesses the defense is expected to call to the stand next week to testify about memory.
McGuinness raised concerns that the defense had not provided reports about the witnesses’ expected testimony.
The defense countered that the court would be denying Troconis her constitutional right to present a defense if they were prevented from calling those witnesses, as memory is “the sole basis of the defense.”
McGuinness said that because the defense had provided them with the witnesses’ lengthy resumes but not reports regarding their testimony, the state would not have enough time to prepare to cross-examine those witnesses.
“We’re going to get a report dumped on our lap on Monday night and we’re going to be expected to cross next week and it’s not fair,” McGuiness said.
Judge Kevin A. Randolph ruled that the defense will be required to send the court reports from the witnesses by midnight Friday.
Troconis’ trial is set to resume at 10 a.m. Tuesday after Monday’s Presidents’ Day holiday.
Connecticut
Joe Deko Appointed to State Legislature’s Group Studying Prepaid Funeral Contracts to Protect Consumers
- Reviewing contract structures: Examining issues related to pre-need funeral contracts and cremation service agreements.
- Strengthening oversight: Recommending stronger consumer protections and improvements to state regulation of the funeral services industry.
- Developing compensation mechanisms: Creating rules for distributing funds to affected consumers and exploring the framework for a future industry-backed guarantee fund.
Deko took to Facebook to share the news.
“I am honored to announce my appointment to the Connecticut State working group focused on reviewing and strengthening Connecticut’s prepaid funeral laws.
This important effort brings together professionals and stakeholders committed to ensuring that prepaid funeral arrangements continue to serve and protect Connecticut families while maintaining the highest standards within our profession.
I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute my experience and perspective to this process and look forward to working collaboratively with fellow members of the group.
A special thank you to Senator Paul Cicarella for his confidence in me and for entrusting me with this appointment. Your support and leadership are greatly appreciated. I look forward to helping shape thoughtful policies that will benefit Connecticut families and the funeral profession for years to come.”
Connecticut
Sierra Club Connecticut, State Representatives Host Black Lungs Matter: Juneteenth Press Event – CleanTechnica
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Hartford Advocates and Community Members Gathered to Remember, Honor Path to Freedom
HARTFORD, Ct. — Today, Sierra Club Connecticut and State Representatives Minnie Gonzalez, Maryam Khan, and Jilian Gilchrist hosted Black Lungs Matter, a Juneteenth Press Conference, at the Connecticut Legislative Office Building.
The event highlighted the disproportionate impact of air pollution on Black residents in Connecticut and the broken promises that have contributed to this impact. Speakers included state representatives, public health and civil rights experts, plus local voices from Sierra Club Connecticut and the Connecticut Coalition for Economic and Environmental Justice.
The groups are concerned that Governor Lamont is no longer moving ahead with eliminating all carbon emissions from state building heating and cooling systems, as he pledged in Executive Order 21-3. The Trump Administration has also cancelled at least $50 million in federal grants for environmental justice projects across New England, a substantial portion of which was slated to come to Connecticut environmental justice organizations.
Environmental injustice refers to the fact that environmental hazards, such as air and water pollution, and the health harms that they cause, are disproportionately experienced by people of color and low income people. Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, income, ethnicity, tribal affiliation or disability, in the environmental decision making which affects them.
“Just like the enslaved people in Texas were some of the last to gain their freedom, the asthmatic children of Hartford are likely to be the last to breathe clean air,” said Dr. Mark Mitchell, founder of the Connecticut Environmental Justice Leadership Collaborative. “The Governor should keep his clean air promise to Hartford, and help fight back against the environmental injustice of the Trump Administration.”
“As a Puerto Rican woman, I stand in solidarity with Black communities fighting for the right to breathe clean air and live healthy lives,” said Rep. Minnie Gonzalez, who represents the residents that are most exposed to the pollution from Capitol Area Systems.
“As a representative of Hartford, I am deeply committed to ensuring that every child in our city breathes clean air,” said Rep. Maryam Khan. “On this Juneteenth, we recognize the painful legacy of environmental injustice that has disproportionately harmed Black communities. Today, I stand with the Sierra Club in demanding action to tackle air pollution in Hartford. No child’s future should be stolen by the air they breathe.”
“Connecticut has made commitments to Environmental Justice,” said Sharon Lewis, an Environmental Justice Advocate. “Juneteenth reminds us that commitments matter only when they reach the people they were intended to serve.”
“We cannot allow the environmental justice goals and objectives in this city to be ignored,” said Attorney Cynthia Jennings. “Any investment of our tax dollars must be used to improve the health and safety of residents in every Hartford community.”
“Let’s remind the Governor that Black Americans deserve to breathe clean air in Hartford,” said Sierra Club Connecticut Organizer Alycia Jenkins. “Once justice is won for Black Americans, justice will be won for all.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
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Connecticut
Lifeguards rescue driver who crashed car into pool in Connecticut
NEW CANAAN, Conn. — An elderly driver was rescued from his vehicle after he accidentally crashed into a swimming pool in on Tuesday.
It happened just after 10:30 a.m. at the Steve Benko Pool at Waveny Park in New Canaan, Connecticut.
The Tesla plowed through a fence and set of trees before plunging into the water. Police say he was trying to park at the time.
The community pool was closed when it happened, so no one was swimming or in the path of the vehicle.
Lifeguards and first responders entered the pool to help the driver out of the vehicle.
Lifeguard Mike D’Urso, 18, described what happened.
“Me and my coworker were setting up the umbrellas when we heard a loud crash and we turned around and there was a car right in the middle of the pool,” D’Urso said.
D’Urso said the man was conscious and alert, but the vehicle began to take on water.
“The car began to sink a couple minutes in, and my concern was that the water would rise above his head and wouldn’t be able to breathe,” D’Urso said.
D’Urso and EMS workers pulled the victim out through the passenger side window. The driver said he wasn’t injured, but he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
The pool will have to be drained, cleaned and refilled. Officials hope to have it reopened by the weekend.
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