The Courant investigative reporter covering the Dulos case took dozens of questions from readers. Here are the answers
Feb 25, 2020
Hartford Courant investigative reporter Dave Altimari took your questions about the Jennifer Dulos case live on courant.com Tuesday at noon.
Author's Note
Tue, Feb 25 (12:00 pm)
Okay we're going to get started now with some of the questions that we have already gotten. I will keep answering others as they come in and we will add in questions that we have already received. If you asked a question ahead of time your question will be answered here.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (5:45 am)
If Paris has evidence that will completely exonerate Fotis and is able to explain why he was on Albany Ave That night disposing of evidence why don,t they disclose it?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:18 pm)
Norm Pattis has said he can explain the garbage bag dump but he has revealed little of that explanation. He may be holding out hope for his longshot appeal to keep the case alive. Norm may also plan to file additional actions in the case so he could be saving it for then as well.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (9:46 am)
Is it accurate that Fotis’s mother was killed by a former nanny at the Farmington house when she hit her with an automobile? If so , when did that happen?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:19 pm)
That is a true story, but it was at the Avon house where Jennifer and Fotis lived before moving to Farmington., The mother was run over by the previous nanny in 2010. Police ruled it an accident. The car that was recently the subject of discussion in probate court was actually Dulos' mother's; he kept it after she died.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (10:25 am)
Why does the Courant over report about Fotis Dulos? He died.
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:07 pm)
While he is dead, his co-defendants will still go to trial at some point. There's been such intense interest in the story and there are still lots of questions about what happened -- including, obviously, where's Jennifer's body? The murder also is going to be the subject of legislative action this year specifically taking a look at family court
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (11:16 am)
Assuming that Fotis murdered Jennifer, transported her body in the red Toyota and then disposed of her body, why would he have taken the risk of transporting bloody items of evidence (including Jennifer’s clothing) to dispose of them in Hartford? Why not simply dump the bloody clothing with the body?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:25 pm)
This is the biggest disconnect of this whole case. If, as the state police believe, this was a well-thought out murder, the disposal of the evidence on Albany Avenue does not seem well planned. Did he simply not realize that there are video cameras everywhere in Hartford? I do know that several bags of evidence were lost because state police didn't search Albany Avenue area fast enough.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (11:37 am)
t has been reported that there is video evidence that Fotis’s Surbuban was parked on a street near 69 Wells. Have the police confirmed this report? If this report is true, who do they think was driving the Suburban?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (1:04 pm)
The police have not released the timing of when the Suburban was on Thurton Street, so we don’t know when it may have been there or who was driving it.That's a key issue to me as well. Thurton is located directly behind Jennifer's house, you can see the backyard of her house from the cul de sac there. I actually would be more curious if the Suburban was seen in that area on Wednesday, May 22, the last time Dulos saw his kids.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (11:47 am)
How does Attorney Pattis explain the garbage bags being disposed on Albany Avenue in Hartford by Dulos, if he was innocent
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:01 pm)
Norm Pattis has claimed all along that he does have an explanation for the garbage bags, but he has yet to reveal it. Dulos referred to that explicitly in his suicide note. Pattis may be waiting to see if his longshot attempt to keep the criminal case going will work before saying anything else.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (12:11 pm)
Is law enforcement actively searching for Jennifer’s body? What aspects of the murder investigation are most active at the present time?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:04 pm)
We haven't heard about any recent searches. I do know that a couple of times they have quietly returned to the West Hartford reservoir based on recommendations from probation officers who were monitoring Dulos' movements. The reservoir area is considered to be a potential grave site area.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (12:35 pm)
Fotis Dulos was -at least on paper- an intelligent man, yet he was accused of hatching a clumsy plot to murder his spouse in which he must have known he would be the prime suspect. Under these circumstances, what do you think was his motive? Was there any ‘logic’ behind the crime?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:15 pm)
It would have been interesting to see what the state would have presented as a motive at trial. Originally they referred to the contentious divorce, but in the murder warrant they referred to possible financial motives i.e. access to the children's trust funds. There is stuff we don;t know such as the contents of the Dr. Herman report, which may have been favorable to Dulos. Police believe this was a well-thought out murder, not a spur of the moment idea, there was too much planning for that.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (2:01 pm)
What do we know about Anne Curry’s involvement with Fotis? The narrative of a long lost “best friend” gifting Fotis $150K in bail money just doesn’t ring true.
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:26 pm)
The story I have been told is that they worked together years ago in New York and that she reached out to him after his first arrest. The exact nature of their relationship is unclear, though she was living at the hosue and he refers to her in his suicide note several times. She clearly was close enough to him to agree to pay as much as $400,000 for his bond.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (3:46 pm)
The alleged plot hatched by Fotis to murder Jennifer seems almost impossibly flawed in both concept and execution. Even assuming that Fotis intended to accomplish this killing without leaving a bloody crime scene at 69 Wells, it seems that the video evidence of the Red Toyota would have linked him to the crime. Moreover, how could Fotis be sure that he wouldn’t be caught on home security cameras as he biked to Jennifer’s home?. Even if the police had begun investigating Jennifer as a missing person rather than a murder it seems likely that Fotis would have come under intense scrutiny. What, in your opinion, was Fotis’s original plan and was there any chance he could have gotten away with murder had he lived?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:57 pm)
Police have said this was a well thought out plan but what doesn't quite jibe with that is the dumping of bags on Albany Avenue. Without those videos, the state police may have never made a case against Dulos. It was only after they found the bloody items that they started doing all of the other surveillance video searches. Without the Hartford videos they may have never found any of the other ones.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (6:41 pm)
Hi, I wanted to ask how the killer known Jennifer schedule? She could have go straight to NY after dropping off the kids. So he must know that she will return home.
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:11 pm)
If you believe Dulos was the killer, in the scenario outlined by state police he had to have had a pretty good idea of what her schedule was, when she took the kids to school and when she came home for that. The killer clearly knew what their time frame was to get to Jennifer's house, get in a position to get in the garage and follow her into the garage.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (8:19 pm)
Where is his wife?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:10 pm)
That's one of the big questions in this case. There are a lot of theories, state police have chased down lots of possibilities and searched all of his properties. It's the enduring mystery of this case that we may never get an answer to. State police may well believe Troconis or Mawhinney know where her body is.
Question
Wed, Feb 19 (6:28 am)
Many in state government have been critical of State Representative Minnie Gonzalez and her group of family court litigants, who have championed changes to Family Court procedures for years. While many may not like this official or her group's vocal methods, haven't they been saying the same thing for years? That some court monitoring methods are so expensive and some processes too long or entrenched, that they cause bad behavior or bad outcomes? What are proposed changes and have they been made before and when?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:08 pm)
This case is definitely going to put the spotlight on family court before the legislature. There are going to be suggested changes, a state representative from New Canaan area has already submitted a bill. I think they'll be questions on how to resolve high tension divorces quicker, maybe even a movement to have jury trials and cut out a lot of the legal wrangling by lawyers.
Question
Wed, Feb 19 (7:29 pm)
In your latest article "The story of the last time Fotis Dulos saw his children: Chocolate bunnies, a haircut, a new basketball hoop and an outdoor picnic", you seem to normalize the relationship between Fotis Dulos and Jennifer Dulos. There are those (including myself), who would characterize this whole case as one of horrific domestic violence, allegedly ending in the ultimate act of violence - kidnap/murder. Your description in this and other articles of the divorce proceedings read like a he said/she said account. How would you respond to the criticism that in your quest for "fairness", you may have erred on not giving enough attention to the domestic violence aspects of this tragedy?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:47 pm)
I thought the court monitor reports story was important because it first of all included tremendous details of the May 22 visit to the house by Dulos. I also thought it was important because it gave a window into how tedious that whole process is. So here's Dulos sitting there, paying $200 an a hour to a stranger, driving three hours each time to see his kids for a few hours tops. I think it just shows the process and how it worked. I also think many of the other issues you raised are addressed in the body of work we’ve done covering this story.
Question
Thu, Feb 20 (7:01 am)
Is Anna Curry still in Connecticut? Was she really living at 4 Jefferson Xing since September 2019 with Fotis? Can Brad Ragaglia get off with the trespass charge?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:06 pm)
I believe Anna Curry has gone back to North Carolina.. She was staying at the house until the whole thing exploded with the police showing up, the moving van fiasco and the legal wrangling over the property. She could resurface during the probate fight or if there are any lawsuits regarding the revoked bond. The trespass charge Ragalia is facing is a misdemeanor, I believe he has no previous record so in these cases it’s not unusual for the case to be dismissed.
Question
Sun, Feb 23 (7:05 pm)
There were license plates disposed of in a Fed Ex box. Any additional information on the vehicle to which the plates were assigned?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:42 pm)
The license plates belonged to an old vehicle that had been registered to Dulos way back in 2007. I know that they were trying to get better images of the red Toyota truck on the highway to see if they could capture the license plate, but as far as I know they haven't been able to do that.
Question
Mon, Feb 24 (2:52 pm)
How do we know where police have already thoroughly searched? Are there efforts by civilians to organize searches?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:21 pm)
When Jennifer first disappeared there was a lot of publicity about state police searches partly because citizens were posting stuff on social media on where they were. The searches have certainly slowed down, but we certainly don't know everywhere they have searched. Look at the East Granby Gun Club alleged grave site search, no one heard about that until the arrests. There have been no civilian searches that I know of, the family has made it clear that they want the state police to handle the searches.
Question
Mon, Feb 24 (3:48 pm)
How can you answer questions about the Dulos case, when you have ignored the actual experts on the problem and CT's broken and corrupt "family" court system?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:33 pm)
Not sure who you are referring to as the experts here and this case certainly has shone some light on the family court system. I've written several stories about the Dulos divorce case delving into transcripts to highlight the growing frustration Dulos had with the system. The story about the letter he wrote to the judicial selection commission complaining about Judge Heller showed that. Family court will definitely be on the legislative agenda this session.
Question
Mon, Feb 24 (6:45 pm)
Are the authorities continuing to look for Jennifer Dulos' body or Clues related to the case?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:13 pm)
While the police have not publicly been seeking out clues or asking residents for surveillance videos and the like as they did at the beginning it is still an active case. There are not teams of detectives assigned every day to it but there is still a case officer. There is still evidence being processed. I know when Dulos was alive they were closely watching his GPS movements to see if he returned to certain spots in the reservoir area for example. They have done a few searches in that area.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (6:32 am)
Dulos said his lawyer has evidence that he didn’t kill his wife,does he?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:20 pm)
His attorney Norm Pattis was working on a "theory" to present as a defense at trial. Norm is adamant about trying to keep the case going. Until he exhausts all legal avenues he will likely keep his theory to himself.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (10:11 am)
Has any further information been garnered from the man who found the knife since he is no longer a suspect?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:22 pm)
The two Hartford homeless men that police interviewed, and then later I did as well, haven't talked to the state police since the summertime as far as I know. “Fudge,” the last person to allegedly have the knife, told me that he didn't know who he sold it to for $10. Police never found the knife.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (10:39 am)
Did it ever occur to anyone that Fotis Dulos was hoping to be 'rescued' and recovered? If he had started his 'suicide' a bit later, or they had come 'a bit earlier', he may have been saved.
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:43 pm)
Roger isn’t the first person to come up with this theory. It’s pretty risky to hope someone will save you. However, there are questions about that morning that I don’t think have been answered yet.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (11:18 am)
How do you think the courts could have handled the custody case better?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:41 pm)
Family cases bring out varied opinions - I have gotten lots of calls and emails from women who believe Jennifer's case is no different than theirs, in terms of how the court handled it, and also from guys who say they related to the frustration of not seeing their children that Dulos expressed many times. The state's attorney has said the contentious court case was part of the motive for her disappearance.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (11:46 am)
Is there any update in relation to the ax that was found in Fotis's garage the day he was arrested?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:14 pm)
The ax referred to in this question was confiscated by the state police in January when they arrested Fotis Dulos for murder. It was taken from his garage and taken to the state laboratory. I have not heard of any results of testing done on it as of yet. We likely will not for awhile because the state's attorney doesn't have to reveal anymore evidence since the murder trial is now off.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (11:59 am)
As things progressed, did Dulos come to recognize you and know who you and Nick were? How did he act toward you?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:23 pm)
I covered all of Dulos' court appearances and he was well aware of who I was. I talked to him briefly during court breaks many times. The only time he was angry with me was over a story about how he was $4 million in debt that came out during the civil trial. He hated that story, got right up in my face during a break, he later apologized.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:00 pm)
VISITATION: You wrote that The Courant had copies of the supervised visits between FD and the children. You mentioned they dated back to January 2018. Will you be reporting more on the other reports/visits? Or will you be making them public/posting?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:32 pm)
I put a synopsis of the visitation reports in the story to give a flavor of what the reports were like.We decided not to publish them all because no one else has them. I'm not sure if I will be writing more about them. The reports are very detailed and are very similar in style and form as the May 22 on was.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:00 pm)
What is the status of the bond money that Ann Curry and the private Investigator paid for his $6 million bond?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:51 pm)
She has lost $147,000 as of now and is on the hook for another $200,000.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:02 pm)
2ND CRIME SCENE: On page 245, it mentions a ‘secondary crime scene”. How long were LE at the properties of 80, 84
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:58 pm)
The state police spent well over a day searching 80 Mountain Spring Road and the woods behind it. They took dogs out there, searched the sewer system. It was a prime search location because they know the red truck was at that location all afternoon on May 24. The search warrants for 80 Mountain Spring indicates that they recovered nothing of evidentiary value from there.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:03 pm)
ROD GUN CLUB: Have you interviewed or spoken to the 2 gentleman who found the “grave”?- What did they tell you? What were their thoughts?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (1:00 pm)
I have not interviewed them. We talked to some of the club leaders when that broke but not the two men themselves. The mystery of that hole will live with this case.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:03 pm)
Was FD's activities on the Thursday evening before all part of the Alibi ?Do you know the names of the people that were at the Dinner Party?Do you have an opinion as to whether KM knows where Jennifer 's body is?Did the State Troopers find any evidence of the purchase of the 2 lime bags in any of the suspects Credit Card Records?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:30 pm)
The dinner party at Jefferson crossing was for a small group of friends including some of his water skiing buddies. All have been interviewed by the state police as to their whereabouts the next day. One of the females at that party is part of Michelle Troconis' alibi for the 24th
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:03 pm)
Where has Norm Pattis been?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:35 pm)
Norm was in Texas for week with his other famous client Alex Jones and then he was on vacation. I believe he is preparing for the March 3 hearing, where he plans to fight to keep the case going.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:03 pm)
FUDGE: Has there been anymore information on the whereabouts of “Fudge"; who may have the knife found in the trash can with the pillow?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:40 pm)
There were two different homeless men involved in recovering the knife. The first man who found it in the garbage took it and put a bloody pillow back into the trash, he then allegedly sold the knife to “Fudge” for $5 worth of crack. Fudge then sold it for $10 and it has never been seen again. It’s possible they will be witnesses at the trial, especially the first guy who said he found the bloody pillow and put it back.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:04 pm)
TRIAL: Will all of the “discovery” be used to prosecute Michelle and Kent?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:28 pm)
Yes all of the evidence that would have been used to prosecute Dulos will be used in their cases. The state will still have to prove that a murder occurred here and that Jennifer Dulos is actually dead in order to prove conspiracy to commit murder. So all of the events of May 24 will have to come in as evidence at their trials.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:10 pm)
If the case against Fotis Dulos is ultimately dismissed, will the discovery that the state has ever become public?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:31 pm)
If the case is dismissed on March 3, the evidence will not become public because Colangelo will likely argue that it will all be needed to try the other two defendants. Plus, without the recovery of Jennifer’s body, the state police will not officially close the case. It will remain open.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:11 pm)
Do we know what michelle was showing le in the woods that day or why?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:55 pm)
Michelle was showing the state police a path behind a neighbor’s house that people use to go dirt biking on some trails back in the reservoir area. Fotis used to do that all of the time. His property borders the reservoir so there's a lot of woods back there. State police have done some searches based on that.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:15 pm)
What's the status of Mahwinney and Traconis?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:36 pm)
Both of them are in the pre-trial phase of their cases. Dulos had sought a speedy trial so his case was going to go to a jury in the fall if he had survived. Since neither of these defendants are charged with murder, it will likely take longer for their cases, although since Mawhinney is still in jail his case will likely be done first.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:19 pm)
Regarding the matter of where Jennifer’s body might be, are there any options law enforcement may have to get Troconis or Mawhinney to reveal what they may or may not know about the whereabouts of the body?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:44 pm)
The state police have pressed both of them for that answer. Finding Jennifer's body is still the top priority for them. Both of them did give interviews to the state police, multiple times in Troconis' case without any deals in place for doing so.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:22 pm)
What is Pattis' motivation for keeping the trial alive?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:37 pm)
Norm has said that he wants to try this case to exonerate his client’s name. He is fully prepared to put on a defense and was planning to call Dulos as a witness. Now the attempt to keep the criminal case alive is a long shot.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:25 pm)
Are the children being home schooled? Or are they at school o New York?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:38 pm)
The children are going to school, but the family has not disclosed where. They have asked that the children's privacy be respected and we have adhered to that.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:31 pm)
What do you think we will learn from the inventory and Probate? Will we learn who is paying Pattis?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:52 pm)
The probate judge has given the temporary administrator 30 days to provide an inventory, but that may be optimistic because he will need to document every item in 4 Jefferson Crossing, because people are claiming some of the stuff is theirs. A full inventory will probably show what Fotis already knew, that he was running out of money. Several properties are in foreclosure, the homes that aren't are heavily mortgaged.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:40 pm)
Did they ever find Jennifer's cell phone? What theory gives reason to her blood found in her car and his borrowed truck?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (12:49 pm)
Jennifer's cellphone has never been found, it is one of the mysteries of this case. They did a specific search for it in Waveny Park with special FBI dogs and have found nothing. The last they know of her phone was it pinged on Lapham Road, where her Suburban was found. State police have said that they believe her body was transported from Welles Lane to Lapham Road in her own vehicle and then transferred to the Toyota truck.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:47 pm)
How and when did Michelle first learn about Anna Curry?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (1:07 pm)
The state police actually showed Troconis photos of Anna Curry when they were interviewing her the third time. They had photos of Dulos and Curry together. That would have been sometime in the fall.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:57 pm)
You reported on Michelle Troconis' property requests in Probate Court, what property was requested by Rena Dulos? Anna Curry?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (1:03 pm)
Rena Dulos did not submit an actual inventory if items that she wants but there is furniture and things that belonged to her parents in the home. Anna Curry hasn't submitted a list either. Since she was fairly new to the house and was still actually living in North Carolina she likely wouldn't have claim to much. She is going to get the cat however.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (8:25 am)
Now that the new information has come out that the DNA might have possibly been transferred, Does this change your view on whether or not Fotis is guilty of murder?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (1:13 pm)
The court monitor reports certainly raise some interesting things like the possible DNA sources that would have been issues at trial. Pattis was ready to put on a defense, with Dulos likely to testify as well.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:01 pm)
MAY 24: At 12:22p, a neighbor’s camera shows FD/Toyota pulling into 80 Mtn. Spring.• On page 10 (of the 467 page warrant) it says that FD/phone left 4JX at went to 80 Mtn. Spring. What time specifically? It also says FD/phone arrived 80 Mtn. Spring at 1:37p.• On page 11, it says that FD/phone left 80 Mtn. Spring at 3:38p. FD/phone arrived at 4:17p.That is a 5 minute drive - that took FD/phone 20 mins. Did he stop at the Deercliff property?• At 5:21p, FD/phone returns to 80 Mtn. Spring. At 5:34p FD/phone returns to 4JX.• On page 116, the "Tower Dump" time requests are interesting; both on 5/23 and 5/24. They are narrowed down to 30 minute timeframes. One location is for 190 Old Farms Road, Avon. This is Avon Self Storage. Have you been told that the storage facility there was thoroughly searched? The owner is a long-time friend of FD.
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (1:16 pm)
The state police did search the storage area that is owned by Hutch Haines that is adjacent to the water skiing pond. They searched it the same day that they searched the woods behind it and the pond itself. The state police did a systematic search of all of his properties and vacant land that his company owned.
Question
Tue, Feb 25 (12:03 pm)
STATE: Who will most likely take Colangelo’s spot, leading the prosecution, on this case?
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (1:17 pm)
Colangelo is planning to try the cases himself as far as I know. He definitely was going to do the Dulos murder trial and he has not given any indications that he plans to pass off the Troconis or Mawhinney cases.
Question
Tue, Feb 18 (6:45 pm)
Hello, when the nanny saw the wrong car in the garage, Jennifer purse on the floor, mug with tee and granola bar, unlocked mudroom door....why didn't she try to call Jennifer immediately? So many red flags and no response from Jenn. She waited until 4pm.
Answer
Tue, Feb 25 (1:20 pm)
According to what we've seen, she expected Jennifer to meet her in NY after the children went to the dentist's office. So she wasn't alarmed until after that. Shen then tried to reach several of her friends as well as call Jennifer herself numerous times. Her friends then decided to call police.
Author's Note
Tue, Feb 25 (1:21 pm)
Okay so we're going to call it. We got so many questions are server is slowing way down! I want to thank everyone for submitting questions I believe we answered at least 50 to 60 questions in just over an hour. Lots of great questions as well. I hope people found it useful. We've never done this before so feedback is always welcome. Thanks again. Dave
Shannon Miller
