FARMINGTON — Fotis Dulos feared a Plainville man — who talked his way into his home around the holidays in an apparent effort to write a book about his case — when he received a text message from the man about how he believed God sent him “to end this painful drama quickly,” according to a police report.
Brad Ragaglia, 61, of Plainville, is now facing a first-degree trespassing charge after he was found at a Fore Group property just three days after Fotis Dulos
died from an apparent suicide while accused of killing his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos.
Detectives told Ragaglia not to have contact with Fotis Dulos after investigating a harassment complaint filed on Jan. 2, according to police reports obtained Friday by Hearst Connecticut Media.
However, a Farmington police officer on patrol saw a car parked in the driveway behind 80 Mountain Spring Road, which is owned by Fotis Dulos and his company the Fore Group, around 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 2, the arrest report said.
The officer drove up the driveway and discovered two vehicles, Ragaglia and a woman on the property, the report said. Ragaglia told the officer he was showing the woman the house, which was unoccupied, and that he was writing a book about the Jennifer Dulos case, the report said. Ragaglia told the officer he had been in contact with Farmington and state police about the disappearance, according to the report.
They told the officer that earlier that day the woman reported to West Hartford police about finding what appeared to be a grave on the Metropolitan District Commission reservoir property, which had been previously searched in the investigation into the May 24 disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, an arrest report said.
The officer realized Ragaglia had been instructed to stay away from Fotis Dulos and his family after a series of events that occurred in late December, the police report said.
Ragaglia was issued a summons for trespassing and the woman was given a ticket for simple trespass. Ragaglia was released on a $1,500 non-surety bond and is scheduled to appear in Hartford Community Court on Feb. 19.
Ragaglia told the officer that he thought the Mountain Spring Road property was owned by a bank and that it was “stupid” to stop there, according to the report.
Ragaglia first came under suspicion on Jan. 2 when Fotis Dulos reported to Farmington police that the man had talked his way into the home by expressing kindness and giving him religious gifts, according to an incident report.
Dulos said he was concerned for his life after the man who he identified as Ragaglia had sent him a text message conversation apparently intended for someone else, the report said...
The messages included references that Ragaglia purposely tried to gain the trust of Dulos by being kind to him, but was actually trying to get the Farmington man to say something incriminating in the murder of his estranged wife, the report said.
The messages included a passage reading, “I am certain that God put me in the situation to end this horrible drama quickly,” Ragaglia was quoted in the police report as writing in the text message.
Dulos turned over to investigators the text messages, two religious books, a small bottle of “holy water” and a bottle of magnesium pills given to him by Ragaglia, the report said.
Dulos wanted the “holy water” and the pills to be tested for poison, police said.
Ragaglia admitted to Farmington detectives that he went to Dulos’ Jefferson Crossing home on Dec. 24 to show empathy for him, the report said. ..
Ragaglia told investigators that he had no plans to harm Fotis Dulos, but was trying to gain his trust so he would say something incriminating, the report said.
Detectives warned Ragaglia that if he appeared at any property owned by Dulos he would be arrested on a first-degree trespassing charge, the report said.
Norm Pattis, the criminal defense attorney for Dulos, did not mention Ragaglia’s name, but told a judge and the media during a court appearance last month about the man
coming to his client’s home.
Police: Fotis Dulos feared man accused of trespassing on his property
