5/31/24
Here’s a look at what’s happening Friday during the Troconis sentencing at state Superior Court in Stamford:
Friends and family looked up to Troconis, called "Michi," and credited her with raising her daughter in such a way that the teen was able to make a Junior Olympic skiing team even as her mother was facing legal troubles, they said during the sentencing.
"Despite the challenging circumstances she's faced, she's remained steadfast in her support for her family and for our community (of skiers)," said friend Lisa Anderson, who has known Troconis for eight years.
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Troconis' family and friends portrayed a vastly different picture of the woman prosecutors said calculatingly helped with the death of Jennifer Dulos and then tried to hide evidence.
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Every month, Michelle Troconis would help cook a meal for 125 people for a Hartford soup kitchen, according to members of the Avon church she has attended since 2019.
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Each asked Randolph to show mercy and compassion when sentencing Troconis. "She made positive differences in my life," Howard said.
"I look up to her, I admire her, I am incredibly thankful to have her in my life," Troconis' brother-in-law Herbert King said.
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Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Michelle Manning asked Randolph to give Troconis the maximum sentence of 45 years in her closing remarks. "I listened to the family this morning, hearing their pain, I can't ask for anything less," Manning said.
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Manning said the day after Jennifer Dulos went missing and Troconis was on Albany Avenue with Fotis Dulos to dump what later were found to have been bloody items in the trash, Troconis got her hair done and was joking with friends about whether she could have sex with Fotis Dulos while in jail.
"The defendant has never accepted responsibility for her actions," Manning said.
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Friend Carrie Luft started and ended her statement to the court with the writings of Jennifer Dulos. Luft, like three other women who also spoke, has stepped in to provide a safe and loving atmosphere for her close friend's five children, she said. "She was my dearest friend for almost 30 years," Luft said. Jennifer Dulos was the maid of honor at Luft's wedding and then stood beside her 12 years ago at her husband's wake, Luft said.
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Christiane Dulos told the court that her father asked her to lie if she was asked whether Troconis was with him and the family. She was 10 when her mother disappeared, prosecutor Michele Manning said. "She's the reason I feel I can't have a new beginning," Christiane Dulos said of Troconis.
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"My life is nothing like it used to be, I no longer have my mother, my hero," Theodore Dulos said, and speaking directly to Troconis, telling her she "caused his damage."
"I'll never forgive you for what you have done," Theodore Dulos said before encouraging the judge to give her 50 years — 10 years for each child who lost their mother.
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The sentencing officially started with prosecutor Michelle Manning calling Gloria Farber, mother of Jennifer Dulos to speak. Manning also said the children of Jennifer Dulos would speak. Manning called Troconis "selfish" and "manipulative" who participated in "cruel actions" but failed to accept responsibility or show remorse.
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A few minutes after Troconis was led into the courtroom in handcuffs, her attorney was asked to present his argument to drop two charges, both conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence. Stamford Judge Kevin Randolph allowed Troconis to have her handcuffs removed for the sentencing.
Randolph is now speaking on what constitutes a separate charge of conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence. Each count follows only "one unlawful agreement," Randolph said. He vacated one of the conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence, saying that the remaining conspiracy counts are not "double jeopardy."
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www.nbcconnecticut.com
