GUILTY CT - Jennifer Dulos, 50, deceased/not found, New Canaan, 24 May 2019 *ARRESTS* #68

[Deleted member 229974]

I saw the black box too - think it was her translator box that her headphones plugged into.

Did anyone else hear what MT said to someone sitting in the area behind here was she was leaving the court room?

 

[HanniBJeter]

Why on earth is someone that’s convicted of these charges given bail?

I meant to post this shortly after the verdict. I was listening to Surviving the Survivor YouTube video and they had a guest on, clearly a defense lawyer. He said that because the judge allowed a bond after the verdict it was clear that the judge did not agree with the verdict. The guest went on to say that he expected that MT could negotiate a plea deal in light of this.

I think this guy was smoking dope. Am I crazy?

I heard this too and was stunned! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!

 

[SkylarSid]

I don’t know whether the sister is recalcitrantly delusional, refusing to let anything penetrate her belief that FD and MT are themselves innocent victims of a frame up, or if she is just demonstrating a severe case of entitlement that they are above the law and should be believed, no matter how ridiculous their claims, because they are who they are.

The first suggests buy-in to the gone girl version of events, which would also depend upon buying into all the vilification of JFD that FD and MT attempted through illegal viewing and sharing of the sealed report. The second I have no answer to except that perhaps they have mistaken the USA for Venezuela.

At least they realize she took up with the wrong man… But, how can they explain away all the evidence? I guess MT learned long ago to be persistent with her lies and her family believes that her lies are true. MT is truly lucky to have such a supportive family. And she blew that too. She has been as toxic to them as she was to JF and her children.

 

[Deleted member 229974]

Wow…… that is interesting! So the defendant MT, convicted this past Friday in CT in association with the death and disappearance of JF, and that dated the now deceased FD, has a degree in general psychology?

I shall stop there without saying anything else. And not because I am at a loss for words. MOO

Sometimes there just are no words.

 

[DeDee]

Credit - nbc news
embedded video

 

[Deleted member 229974]

View attachment 487622

Credit - nbc news
embedded video

So young and pretty.

 

[citygirl]

BBM

The State's Only Prison For Women Began as a Working Farm​

One hundred years ago, after much debate, misgivings and opposition, the Connecticut State Farm for Women, set up in a collection of cottages in the fields of Niantic, opened its doors to 12 inmates.
One could hardly call it a prison. It was a working farm.

[...]

What were their offenses? Harrison’s research turned up some of them: lascivious carriage, prostitution, manifest danger of falling into habits of vice, intoxication, delinquency, vagrancy, theft, forgery, being a habitual offender, neglect of children, impairing the morals of a minor child, frequenting disorderly houses, street walking, incorrigibility, and being lewd, wanton or lascivious. A woman could also be sent to the farm if she “led a vicious life” or possessed “obscene pictures.”
Many years later, when Harrison was a correction officer at the former farm, renamed the Janet S. York Correctional Institution, the women incarcerated there had been convicted of much more serious crimes, such as assault or murder. Although it was no longer a farm, it retained progressive programs, including the acclaimed women’s writing course led by novelist Wally Lamb.

Harrison thinks Connecticut residents should be proud of the facility, which he notes became a national role model for how to set up and run a women’s prison. After reaching a height of 1,427 inmates in 2007, the population has seen a decline since, falling to 936 this past July and bucking the national trend in women’s prison populations.

[...]
However, when a new bill was presented in 1917 amid greater public support, the General Assembly approved it. The women’s farm opened in July of the following year.

The farm included woods and pastures that could be tilled. Harrison found a listing of the animals there in 1925; they included cows, heifers, bulls, horses, hens, chickens and swine. The women split wood, sawed and burned brush, did the gardening and worked at the dairy barn. A women’s hospital also was built there in 1919. (Some of the inmates were mothers with babies.)

[...]

https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/article/The-State-s-Only-Prison-For-Women-Began-as-a-17044219.php

Thank you! Pretty interesting, isn't it?

 

[citygirl]

We are one messed up country where we make incarcerated women buy toothbrushes, Tylenol and tampons as if they are privileges.

Commissary and phone call costs sicken me.

I admit, I can get over it faster for certain inmates, like Michelle. In her case, I want to join in snickering. But it is not right how we treat the incarcerated.

MOO

Scares the bejesus out of me.
All those rules. And I'm sure the coffee sux.
I'd be begging for the death penalty stat.
Or take me out behind the barn and shoot me.
MOO

 

[afitzy]

In topic, I lived outside the US, in an Asia country, the head of my son’s (expat) school called herself “Dr” called herself a Psychologist yet didn’t have a PhD, no Psych degree. I made a complaint about this to Education Ministry … they said a “vanity” title was ok. I’d assumed that, like in America, this would be some sort of fraud. But not so, outside US, I guess anything goes. More like buyer beware ..

Sounds great, move to Asia and I can be Dr. AFitzy....leavin on a jet plane...seriously though....vanity title, then I guess that is what Mr. Troconis is doing in the US?...curious but still don't believe its right.

I find this unusual as most countries ime take their degrees and recognition issues seriously. Many Phd folks outside of academia choose to not use the title Dr. for purposes of address but others choose differently, as is their right. Perhaps it makes a difference to put the title in quotes?

XOXO, "Dr." AFitzy, but you can call me AFitzy!

MOO

 

[Luna20]

I think the lies about ‘trash runs’ with Fotis means her family doesn’t believe she is totally innocent. Who is going to throw something abstract like that in if they think she is innocent. It would be plausible if he said he went to some job sites with him but “trash runs”? It’s laughable.

That was a power grab of ‘let’s see if I can control the outcome with this lie’. It is so far from the truth and it shows the lack of morals within the family.

 

[Ruminations]

According to the handbook upthread, all prison phones are collect-call only. And yes, if I read correctly, an inmate is considered "indigent" if either their entering commissary balance is under $5.00 or if it is below $5.00 for a period of at least 90 days. I personally still agree with @Ruminations that it's disgusting the things we force inmates to pay for, basic toiletry items every person should have access to.
View attachment 487598

You haven't gotten to the cost of incarceration part. You get billed for your stay when it's over.

MOO

 

[afitzy]

We are one messed up country where we make incarcerated women buy toothbrushes, Tylenol and tampons as if they are privileges.

Commissary and phone call costs sicken me.

I admit, I can get over it faster for certain inmates, like Michelle. In her case, I want to join in snickering. But it is not right how we treat the incarcerated.

MOO

@Ruminations, if you were upset by the cost of "toothbrushes, Tylenol and tampons' then I'm not sure how you will feel about the below article that I found while trying to learn more about Prison stays in Corrupticut. Its apparently called the 'pay to stay rule'. Details below. Prepare yourself please!

I don't know anything about prison but in trying to learn more tonight, I had no idea that prisoners are charged for being there it seems and CT is amongst the highest in the nation. I have no clue how this all works but here are some quotes from the article:

"Inmates in Connecticut are charged $249 a day, but a state Department of Correction spokesperson confirmed by email that a $74 increase to $323 a day is “nearly finalized.”

"While DOC spokesperson Ashley McCarthy said "the daily rate is consistent" for all inmates, she specified that the funds are not collected from every inmate, as per state law, and that a 2022 legislative measure creating a $50,000 buffer prevents collections from many inmates".

“Hearing that the daily rate for incarceration in Connecticut is going into $323 a day is just totally crazy,” said Barbara Fair, the lead organizer for Stop Solitary Connecticut, an organization that aims to end the use of solitary confinement in the state.”What are they charging for? You can go to a luxurious hotel for less than that a day with all the amenities.”

"In addition to the daily rate, the Department of Correction can charge for specific services, including sick calls, dental procedures, eyeglasses, educational programs and lab tests to detect illegal drugs, if the results are positive.
Most states charge inmates a daily fee, but Fair believes Connecticut charges more than any other state".

“They’re sharing their space, many of them, with mice. Most of them are two men in one cage,” Fair said. “I don't even have words for what they're doing.”

"While most states have laws allowing the cost of incarceration to be recouped, the daily cost can vary from county to county. Brittany Friedman, an assistant professor of sociology and a faculty affiliate of Rutgers' criminal justice program, wrote in 2020 that in many states, "A person can be charged $20 to $80 a day for their incarceration."

"In fiscal year 2022, Connecticut collected more than $6.6 million from former inmates. "All collected funds are deposited in the state’s General Fund," McCarthy said. "They do not go to the DOC and are not available to the agency."

“The problem is not that Connecticut’s prison debt is the highest in the country, but that Connecticut attempts to collect prison debt at all. Connecticut’s prison debt statute is morally wrong and legally unconstitutional,” Dan Barrett, legal director for the ACLU of Connecticut, said by email.

So, assuming MT is sentenced to 50 years but serves 30 years [10,950 days x $323 = $3,500,336.50 is possible claim by State of CT].

This article says prisoners on avg in CT serve 44% of their sentence. https://cga.ct.gov/PS94/rpt\olr\htm/94-R-0906.htm

SUMMARY of above article:

The Department of Correction (DOC) cannot provide information on the average length of inmate sentences, but inmates appear to be serving an average of 44% of their sentences. As you know, some crimes carry mandatory minimum sentences and almost all crimes have a range of time for which a judge may sentence. There are a number of ways that a sentence can be reduced including good time and parole.

The average DOC expenditure per inmate is $66.09 per day or $24,122.85 per year. Alternative Incarceration Program slots vary from $18,294 per slot per year for the residential program to $1,500 per slot per year for the Intensive Supervision Unit. Parole costs $2,000 per client per year.

Issue

https://www.cga.ct.gov/2022/rpt/pdf/2022-R-0149.pdf

Quote from State of CT Bulletin above:

Reimbursement of Incarceration Costs in Connecticut

By: Michelle Kirby, Senior Legislative Attorney August 3, 2022 | 2022-R-0149
Summarize the law requiring incarcerated individuals to pay the cost of their incarceration. (This report updates OLR Report 2018-R-0269.)

Summary:
State law requires the Department of Correction (DOC) commissioner to adopt regulations to assess inmates for the costs of their incarceration (CGS § 18-85a, as amended by PA 22-118, § 457). Pursuant to this statutory requirement, the commissioner adopted regulations that require charging inmates for the costs of their use of various services and programs. For purposes of these regulations, an inmate is a person confined or formerly confined in a correctional facility under a sentence imposed by a Connecticut state court (Conn. Agencies Regs. § 18-85a-1).

The regulations define the per-inmate, per-day cost of incarceration at DOC facilities as the amount computed using the same accounting procedures the comptroller uses to calculate such costs for state humane institutions. The regulations also make inmates responsible for the costs of certain services and programs such as sick calls; dental procedures; eyeglasses; elective and vocational educational programs; and lab tests to detect illegal drugs, if the results are positive (Conn. Agencies Regs. §§ 18-85a-1 to -4).

The law gives the state a claim for the costs of incarceration against an inmate’s property, but it excludes certain types of property. In addition to other legal remedies, the attorney general can bring an action to enforce the claim in Superior Court in the Hartford judicial district at DOC’s request. The action must be brought within two years of the inmate’s release from prison or within two years of his death if he dies while in DOC custody. This restriction does not apply to property that is fraudulently concealed (CGS § 18-85a, as amended by PA 22-118, § 457).

According to the Office of Fiscal Analysis, DOC collected the following amounts in assessed incarceration costs: $4,778,428 in FY 17; $6,465,907 in FY 18; $7,168,155in FY 19; $6,080,381 in FY 20; and $5,738,302 in FY 2021.

Seems like there is a property claim aspect to this as well:

Property Subject to the State’s Claim
The law gives the state a claim against any property owned by an inmate except for property that meets the following criteria:

1. property that is statutorily exempt from execution to satisfy court judgments and exempt property of a farm partnership;
2. money from a contract for reenacting the inmate’s violent crime in various media (such as movies and books) or from the expression of the person’s thoughts or feelings about the crime which by law must be paid to the Office of Victim Services;
3. property acquired for work performed during incarceration as part of a program designated or defined in DOC regulation as job training, skill development, a career opportunity, or an enhancement program; and
4. property the inmate acquired after he or she was released from incarceration (CGS § 18- 85a, as amended by PA 22-118, § 457).

A new law additionally exempts up to $50,000 of an inmate’s other assets except those for inmates incarcerated for capital felony or murder with special circumstances, felony murder, 1st and 2nd degree sexual assault, 1st degree aggravated sexual assault, or aggravated sexual assault of a minor (PA 22-118, §§ 457-458, effective upon passage, and applicable to costs of incarceration incurred before, on, or after that date (May 7, 2022)).

Wow, it gets worse:

Inheritance
When a person who owes the state money for the costs of incarceration inherits property or money, the state’s claim is a lien against the inheritance for the total cost of incarceration or 50% of the inheritance, whichever is less. There is no reduction in this amount. The probate court must accept any lien notice that DOC files and, to the extent the estate has not already been paid out, order the estate distributed accordingly.

This provision applies to inheritances within 20 years of the person’s release from incarceration (CGS § 18-85b(b), as amended by PA 22-118, § 454).

https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticut/article/ct-s-daily-cost-inmates-likley-increase-323-18085605.php

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[afitzy]

I was looking for the chocolate croissants!

There are some cupcake options....

 

[Deleted member 229974]

Scares the bejesus out of me.
All those rules. And I'm sure the coffee sux.
I'd be begging for the death penalty stat.
Or take me out behind the barn and shoot me.
MOO

When I first read that, I was going to reply, “no wonder FD killed himself”, but I didn’t want to sound crass.

 

[afitzy]

You haven't gotten to the cost of incarceration part. You get billed for your stay when it's over.

MOO

I meant to post this shortly after the verdict. I was listening to Surviving the Survivor YouTube video and they had a guest on, clearly a defense lawyer. He said that because the judge allowed a bond after the verdict it was clear that the judge did not agree with the verdict. The guest went on to say that he expected that MT could negotiate a plea deal in light of this.

I think this guy was smoking dope. Am I crazy?

@Snoopster, we heard Horn object to the States first request for "No Bond" prior to sentencing based on the fact "he claimed that under CT Law this wasn't possible".

My guess is that the attorney speaking on the podcast didn't know about CT Law.

Judge R could have kept the bond the same as it was prior to conviction of $2.1 MILLION but he didn't do this as he instead TRIPLED its (Note: State had asked for doubling of current bond so they must have assessed financial situation of MT and Crew to meet that level imo).

So, I'm not an attorney but I think Judge R assessed the risk of flight and acted accordingly and effectively insured MT stayed in jail pending sentencing as Judge R had heard the last motion from Horn on the issue of MT bond "being punishingly high" and how the family was "tapped out" at $2.1 million.

@lucegirl, SOS on another defence attorney making a statement that is confusing.

MOO

 

[citygirl]

I read the handbook, but didn’t see if all cells are one person.
I’m not bothered by the personal hygiene availability, as indigenous prisoners will receive those items. What I hate most is they can purchase personal televisions and gaming consoles.

I read they have the capacity for 1500 inmates with 500 dorm rooms.

 

[SkylarSid]

I can’t find the omelette section.

No Greek salad either.

 

[Luna20]

We are one messed up country where we make incarcerated women buy toothbrushes, Tylenol and tampons as if they are privileges.

Commissary and phone call costs sicken me.

I admit, I can get over it faster for certain inmates, like Michelle. In her case, I want to join in snickering. But it is not right how we treat the incarcerated.

MOO

I wouldn’t survive. Many prisons are inhumane but do they need to be so severe? Unsanitary, rodents, bedbugs etc. I can see that for an evil Charles Mason type prisoner but it’s hard to imagine that it’s common place.

She needs to be in prison but walking in bodily fluids, maggots with no air conditioning isn’t necessary.

There was a recent case where a male inmate died from bedbugs in unsanitary conditions and the family has filed a lawsuit against the state. He wasn’t ill prior to his incarceration, he was being eaten alive. They showed his cell and it was horrifying.

 

[afitzy]

Did anyone else hear what MT said to someone sitting in the area behind here was she was leaving the court room?

I believe she asked the guard to say goodbye to her family and they told her no and they marched her out of the room. On the feed we couldn't hear it but her sister that spoke first in the Press Conference outside Court said she yelled to her sister, "We Love You" and said that she probably shouldn't have done this.....

 

[lucegirl]

@Snoopster, we heard Horn object to the States first request for "No Bond" prior to sentencing based on the fact "he claimed that under CT Law this wasn't possible".

My guess is that the attorney speaking on the podcast didn't know about CT Law.

Judge R could have kept the bond the same as it was prior to conviction of $2.1 MILLION but he didn't do this as he instead TRIPLED its (Note: State had asked for doubling of current bond so they must have assessed financial situation of MT and Crew to meet that level imo).

So, I'm not an attorney but I think Judge R assessed the risk of flight and acted accordingly and effectively insured MT stayed in jail pending sentencing as Judge R had heard the last motion from Horn on the issue of MT bond "being punishingly high" and how the family was "tapped out" at $2.1 million.

@lucegirl, SOS on another defence attorney making a statement that is confusing.

MOO

Okay - this bail business. I’m not entirely sure what the question is - but I will attempt to marshal the pertinent points.

A convicted felon does not have any right, under any theory of law, (common law, statutory or constitutional) to be released on bail in Connecticut, either after conviction pending sentencing OR post sentencing pending appeal. Period. End of story. There is no scenario where a defendant or convicted felon is entitled to be released on bond.

Defendant does have a statutory right to appeal their conviction in CT.

Pending sentencing or appeal, the Court has jurisdiction and discretion, under common law, as to Defendant’s custodial status - either home-based with conditions (bail), or locked up (taking into account flight risk, etc).

Some states put statutory restrictions on the Court’s discretion - such as no bail in the case of certain offenses.

The Connecticut statute, that I think is the source of the confusion, is just procedural, not substantive.

First -if a defendant, following sentencing, files an appeal within 2 weeks of the sentencing, the judge may grant bail and postpone the beginning of the sentence.

OR - the Judge can deny bail within 5 days of the notice of appeal and require the defendant/felon to begin serving the sentence - subject to a written order detailing the reasons therefore.

The reason I refer to the statute as procedural is because it only serves the purpose of specifying the timeline for the court’s decision on bail.

The substantive right to grant bail in the court’s discretion already exists in the Common Law of CT; thus the statute exists in parallel with no bearing on the court’s discretion as to whether or not bail is warranted.

No idea if I answered the question! But I am sure you will all marshal your questions by morning and I will try again!