Northeast
88-year-old Connecticut mother testifies about daughter's disappearance in murder conspiracy trial
The 88-year-old mother of Connecticut mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos testified at a murder conspiracy trial Wednesday that she has not seen or communicated with her daughter since she disappeared and was presumed by police to be murdered in 2019.
Dressed in a gray suit with scarfs, Gloria Farber didn’t show much emotion as she told the jury that her daughter was supposed to meet her at her New York City apartment on May 24, 2019, after a doctor’s appointment, but never showed up. She suggested Dulos would never abandon her children.
“She was always there for them,” Farber testified about her daughter in the sixth week of the trial against Michelle Troconis in Stamford Superior Court in Connecticut.
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Ever since Dulos vanished, Farber has had custody of her five grandchildren, who at the time ranged in age from 8 to 13.
Troconis denies allegations that she helped Dulos’ estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, cover up the killing of Jennifer Dulos. At the time, Troconis was dating Fotis Dulos and living with him in Farmington, after Jennifer Dulos and the children had moved out and were living about 70 miles away in New Canaan.
Jennifer Dulos’ body has never been found. Farber’s testimony was part of the prosecution’s effort to show her 50-year-old daughter was killed by Fotis Dulos in an attack at her New Canaan home on May 24, 2019. A state probate court declared Jennifer Dulos legally dead in October.
Fotis Dulos died by suicide in January 2020, weeks after being charged with murdering Jennifer Dulos. He denied the allegations. At the time of her disappearance, they were battling each other in contentious divorce and child custody proceedings.
Troconis has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.
The case drew widespread attention and was the subject of a made-for-TV movie, Lifetime’s “Gone Mom.” Jennifer Dulos was a member of a wealthy New York family whose father, the late Hilliard Farber, founded his own brokerage firm. She also was a niece by marriage of fashion designer Liz Claiborne. Fotis Dulos was a luxury home builder originally from Greece.
Troconis, a dual American and Venezuelan citizen, has described herself as a co-founder of horse-riding therapy programs in different parts of the world who once had her own TV production company in Argentina and hosted a snow-sports show for ESPN South America.
This undated contributed photo courtesy of the Farber family shows Jennifer Farber Dulos. Gloria Farber, the 88-year-old mother of Connecticut mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos, testified at a murder conspiracy trial Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, that she has not seen or communicated with her daughter since she disappeared and was presumed by police to be murdered in 2019. (Courtesy of the Farber Family via AP)
Prosecutors Sean McGuinness and Michelle Manning rested the state’s case Wednesday morning after Farber’s testimony. Troconis’ lawyer, Jon Schoenhorn, immediately made a motion for an acquittal, which was denied by Judge Kevin Randolph.
Schoenhorn argued there was no evidence that Troconis knew about Fotis Dulos’ alleged plans for the killing beforehand, or afterward when she accompanied him on trips that prosecutors said were intended to destroy evidence in the case.
McGuiness disagreed, and Randolph ruled there was enough evidence for the jury to make their own conclusions on the charges.
Police alleged Fotis Dulos drove his employee’s pickup truck to a New Canaan park that morning, rode a bicycle to Jennifer Dulos’ house, attacked her in the garage and drove off with her in her Chevy Suburban, which was later found abandoned at the park.
Later the same day, Troconis accompanied Fotis Dulos to Hartford, where he disposed of several garbage bags in random locations — a trip partially recorded by surveillance cameras.
Police found some of the bags and said they contained clothing, zip ties and other items containing Jennifer Dulos’ DNA. Some of the items, including a shirt and bra, had blood-like stains on them. Some items had Fotis Dulos’ DNA on them, and one bag tested positive for Troconis’ DNA, a state forensics expert testified at the trial.
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Schoenhorn said Troconis had no idea what was in the bags. He also said the match with Troconis’ DNA was found on a microscopic sample, and Fotis Dulos could have touched her and later spread her DNA to one of the bags.
Police also said Troconis helped Fotis Dulos write up a timeline of their activities to prepare for potential questioning by police. Troconis told police she only did that at the request of Fotis Dulos and his lawyer. And she also went with him when he had the employee’s truck cleaned and detailed at a car wash, prosecutors said.
And on the morning of Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance, Troconis answered Fotis Dulos’ cellphone, which he had left at his Farmington home. Prosecutors suggested that was part of the murder conspiracy to give Fotis Dulos an alibi. Schoenhorn denied the allegation.
Police interviewed Troconis three times in 2019. They said she initially lied that Fotis Dulos was home the morning of May 24, but acknowledged that wasn’t true in a subsequent interview and said she didn’t see him that morning.
Also charged in the case is Kent Mawhinney, a friend and former lawyer of Fotis Dulos. He pleaded not guilty and awaits trial on a conspiracy to commit murder charge.
The defense began to present its witnesses Wednesday. Testimony in the trial is supposed to finish on Friday or Monday.
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Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of John F. Kennedy, has built his campaign for a New York City House seat around turning the page on the Democrats’ old guard.
Yet when he debuts his first paid advertisement on Wednesday, the 33-year-old candidate has chosen his party’s oldest living leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, to do the talking.
The choice reflects the unique challenge Mr. Schlossberg faces ahead of a marquee June primary against more seasoned rivals. He may have star power and youth, but he is still trying to persuade aging voters who form the Democratic base that he is serious and experienced enough to represent a storied Manhattan district — home to corporate chieftains, media empires and cultural meccas.
The 30-second ad, which was shared first with The New York Times, uses Ms. Pelosi, a former House speaker, to make his case. In it, the congresswoman, 86, speaks directly to the camera to say that Mr. Schlossberg has “a deep sense of duty” and the kind of energy that could help propel Democrats back to power nationally.
“This moment calls for leaders who understand the stakes and how to deliver for the people they serve,” she says, sometimes over clips of him campaigning. “Jack Schlossberg is that kind of leader.”
Mr. Schlossberg is among the first candidates in New York’s 12th District to start spending on paid media. But a handful of super PACs funded by competing A.I. companies and former Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg have already burned through millions of dollars trying to sway voters toward or away from his rivals.
Mr. Schlossberg’s outlay will be relatively modest in comparison. The campaign said it would initially spend $70,000 on digital platforms, and eventually add more digital spending and $250,000 in broadcast TV time — a relatively small sum in the nation’s most expensive media market.
Mr. Schlossberg, who has reported inherited assets between $10 million and $32 million, said he would not be spending any of his own money in the race. He does not have a super PAC behind him.
While there has been no real public polling to date, private polls released by several of Mr. Schlossberg’s rivals have all narrowly put him in the lead.
With two months left until Primary Day, two state assemblymen — Alex Bores and Micah Lasher — are not far behind; followed by George Conway, a former Republican turned high-profile antagonist of President Trump, and Nina Schwalbe, a public health expert. Because the seat is safely Democratic, the primary winner will almost certainly win the general election to replace Representative Jerrold Nadler, who is retiring.
Mr. Schlossberg, earlier known for a head-turning social media presence, has largely tried to portray his opponents as old-fashioned, risk-averse establishment figures who have not been able to check Mr. Trump. They, in turn, have raised doubts about the thinness of his résumé, which includes no long-term traditional work experience, elected or otherwise.
In an interview, Mr. Schlossberg said it was an obvious choice to turn to Ms. Pelosi, who is perhaps her party’s most respected elder stateswoman.
“Speaker Pelosi is the backbone of our party,” he said. “She most importantly understands better than anyone how the House of Representatives works and what the Democratic Party needs right now.”
Yet embracing Ms. Pelosi may also have its costs, complicating Mr. Schlossberg’s attempts to position himself as an outsider and a fresh face by reminding voters of his family’s deep ties to the Democratic establishment.
Mr. Schlossberg said he believes he first met Ms. Pelosi when he was in high school. Alongside his family, he presented her with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2019.
The candidate said Ms. Pelosi asked to meet with him in her Washington office before she endorsed his campaign in February.
“I printed out all my plans I have for the district and the country,” he said. “She read them over and quizzed me.”
An earlier version of the ad shared with The Times included footage of Mr. Schlossberg and Ms. Pelosi spending time with his mother, the former ambassador Caroline Kennedy, and his niece, the daughter of his sister Tatiana Schlossberg. (Ms. Schlossberg, who was an environmental journalist, died in December after a fight with blood cancer that she chronicled in a widely read essay.) That footage was cut from the final ad before it was distributed.
In the interview, Mr. Schlossberg said he exempted Ms. Pelosi from his critique of this party’s aging officials — and argued voters would, too.
“I put her in a category of her own,” he said. “She has magic that doesn’t age. It wins.”
News
Ellie Ayati-Jian and Jaine Davies, two Greater Boston milliners, are raising the brim—and the bar.
Pretty in pink, blue, and yellow and festooned with ribbon, feathers, and a bold flower, this fascinator was created by Ellie Jian Millinery. / Photo by Steph Larsen / Styling by Abby Brenc for Anchor Artists
At spring events like the Kentucky Derby and Boston’s own “hat luncheon,” the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s annual Party in the Park, hats have long shaped the conversation—an expected flourish of brim and bloom marking the start of the season. In recent years, however, the role of the hat has evolved, from celebratory flourish to considered craft.
Leading that charge locally is Ellie Jian Millinery, the Newton studio founded by Ellie Ayati-Jian. Trained in architecture and interior design, Ayati-Jian brings a structural sensibility to her work, approaching millinery less as ornament and more as wearable design. Her hats—ranging from floral fascinators to structured couture pieces—are engineered with intention, balancing form, proportion, and comfort. “What drew me in was the energy and sense of community around derby events,” Ayati-Jian says. “They bring together fashion, tradition, and celebration in a very social way.” That social element remains central to her work: She’s a familiar presence at Boston events, often modeling her own designs to show how even bold headpieces can feel approachable.
This Ellie Jian Millinery pink fascinator is anchored by deep blue handmade flower. / Photo by Steph Larsen / Styling by Abby Brenc for Anchor Artists
Ayati-Jian’s creative process begins not with sketching, but with research—architecture, art, fashion history, or a client’s personal story—until a concept emerges. She often spends days gathering visual references before touching a single material, allowing a narrative to emerge before form takes shape. From there, she shapes and refines her hats by hand.
Ayati-Jian says toppers incorporating clean shapes, softer brims, and sculptural forms are now trending—which, given the city’s fashion predilections, is a big advantage. “Boston style is generally more conservative, and I think that works beautifully with this direction,” she says. “Bostonians appreciate quality, craftsmanship, and timeless design.”
The “Monaco” by IndigoHats is made of silk with a peacock feather. / Photo courtesy of Jaine Davies/IndigoHats
She’s not the only one taking advantage of the recent hat craze. Raised in England near a major horse race, Jaine Davies, whose millinery studio, IndigoHats, is based on the South Shore, grew up immersed in a culture where hats signaled occasion. Her ideas often begin in a small notebook she carries everywhere, filled with details spotted at museum exhibitions and in historical garments. “Couture runway shows are really important to study,” says Davies, who observes the season’s designer dresses closely, translating their colors, embroidery, and silhouettes into hats ready for her studio. She handblocks each piece on traditional wooden forms and sews every hat by hand, pairing time-honored techniques with an adventurous use of materials. Alongside classic straws, Davies works with Dupioni silks, richly patterned textiles, beadwork, and meticulously crafted feather flowers designed to be as light as they are dramatic.
For Davies, drama and discipline go hand in hand. “I want to wow from a distance and impress close up with how well made they are,” she says. Indeed, her hats accomplish exactly that.
The shop’s “Aster” is a pillbox style with quills and sophisticated veiling. / Photo courtesy of Jaine Davies/IndigoHats
This article was first published in the print edition of the April 2026 issue, with the headline,“Head First.”
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