Still Missing CT - Jennifer Dulos, 50, New Canaan, 24 May 2019 *ARRESTS* #58

[Ruminations]

I was so hoping for an intelligent jury given the upscale area drawn for the jury pool. The Court has entered its second exhibit on Day 6. Day 6 hasn't had a question asked of the witness yet. I doubt the jurors are fretting much. One never knows about juries. Seems some jurors may have known Jennifer's case was discussed on social media.

Wonder why the juror would mention the movie Gone Girl? Jennifer didn't fake killing herself in her own garage that fateful day in May. Can't sweet justice get a break!

edited to correct err

I wouldn't assume you get more intelligent juries in "upscale" areas.

At this point, I don't know what to say about this jury-obviously every responsible thing they do is un known to us. We just hear about it when one of them decides to act out their prejudice- or act like they have prejudice to manipulate their service. We don't hear about people who are just doing their jobs as jurors. So I'm not ready to paint them in broad strokes.

But people with prejudices come from all over-some might argue more so in upscale areas. And people who are more concerned with getting thrown off the jury for their own convenience rather than serving as a member of the community-I don't see any reason we'd find them in lower supply in upscale areas, either.

I'm not ready to characterize this jury as unintelligent. But if they are-I don't think their zip codes make that more or less a surprise.

MOO

 

[Ruminations]

I was so hoping for an intelligent jury given the upscale area drawn for the jury pool. The Court has entered its second exhibit on Day 6. Day 6 hasn't had a question asked of the witness yet. I doubt the jurors are fretting much. One never knows about juries. Seems some jurors may have known Jennifer's case was discussed on social media.

Wonder why the juror would mention the movie Gone Girl? Jennifer didn't fake killing herself in her own garage that fateful day in May. Can't sweet justice get a break!

edited to correct err

I wouldn't assume you get more intelligent juries in "upscale" areas.

At this point, I don't know what to say about this jury-obviously every responsible thing they do is un known to us. We just hear about it when one of them decides to act out their prejudice- or act like they have prejudice to manipulate their service. We don't hear about people who are just doing their jobs as jurors. So I'm not ready to paint them in broad strokes.

But people with prejudices come from all over-some might argue more so in upscale areas. And people who are more concerned with getting thrown off the jury for their own convenience rather than serving as a member of the community-I don't see any reason we'd find them in lower supply in upscale areas, either.

I'm not ready to characterize this jury as unintelligent. But if they are-I don't think their zip codes make that more or less a surprise.

MOO

 

[Alkali13]

Recently I viewed an image of FD walking a rug toward a bank of retail businesses.

Possibly the WeatherTek liner.

Why did he do that???? Why????

Surely he didn't think he'd be captured on CCTV.... but was it strategic, akin to leaving a key in an unpopular car in the hopes it'll be an attractive lure and become an opportunistic steal? Someone who might steal a rug might be a perfect patsy to be found in possession of a bloody mat, linked to a missing person.

Still, why not in a dumpter like most everything else?

All moo

Video Shows Fotis Dulos Dumping Trash Bags | Law & Crime

Newly released surveillance footage shows a man--identified by police as now-dead murder defendant Fotis Dulos--making multiple stops to throw away garbage on May 24, 2019. He was throwing away evidence of his wife's murder, police have said. But the defense attorney for Fotis's then-girlfriend...

lawandcrime.com

Two thoughts here:

1. Are WeatherTek liners expensive? Because if they are, there would be a high probability someone would take them if they seemed abandoned. As was alluded to, Hartford is a high crime area, and also on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum. The median household income is $36k, whereas the median income in CT overall is $80k. FD 100% knew this and knew they would likely be snatched up by someone sooner than later.

2. After the blood spatter evidence today and Albany Ave coming up, it made me think of early on... A man came forward alleging to have found a knife in a trash can and taking it shortly after FD dumped trash bags. He then traded it to someone else I believe and it was never recovered. Could this really have been the murder weapon after all? Or was this debunked and I just can't recall?

 

[afitzy]

JS succeeded in preventing (at least at this moment late Friday afternoon) the officer mentioning what vehicle he observed in still shots from the restaurant's video on Albany Ave (at Green St) and who was inside that vehicle.

Wonder WHO it could possibly be?...

To be continued on Monday at 10 am.

Yes, issue of contention seemed to be vehicles 'related' to FD but not registered to him. File this issue away for Monday!

DID MT have a vehicle registered in her own name or what other worker cars might have been available to MT and FD? This is a VERY interesting line of question imo and HOPE it continues.

It is beyond frustrating to have the State walking on eggshells around potential issues rather than simply putting on their case. I'm just watching and this method and process are making me anxious and stressed (not really but you get my point as the poor witness is feeling this all but 10x as much given the stress of the situation) and so this leads me to be quite concerned about the Jury to say nothing about the witnesses who are losing their train of thought? Why is this being allowed to play out this way by the Judge? Shameful and wrong.

You can hear the hesitancy in the State's voice as she is questioning the witness and its almost as if they are using 'code words' to tip toe around some larger word that cannot for whatever reason be spoken by either party. WHAT IS GOING ON? How can a case be put forward on this basis that the Jury has any hope of understanding? I feel like I've entered a different dimension of procedure and IDK how any of this works to convey information accurately and coherently to the Jurors.

From the witnesses perspective its also highly detrimental to train of thought and focus and that is why TP is undertaking these tactics which so far as I can tell the Judge is not stopping even though they have been overruled. The TP tactic of objecting loudly before the witness statement is even uttered is absolutely verboten in most courts as TP even though he might think he is a mind reader IS NOT.

Witnesses need to finish and State needs to finish and then the objection can occur so far as I am aware.

Its as if TP is playing a video game and trying to stop someone from shooting him and he proactively lobs a bomb or shoots random in hope that he will be saved or avert disaster. This is pure insanity imo and I'm frankly not sure what we are watching play out is fair either to jurors or witnesses and its certainly imo not in the best interests of justice. Why are we seeing zero admonishment from the Judge to TP?

 

[nodamselindistress]

As long as I am finding fault with this trial, I want to also include the prosecution. I think they are spending way too much time and going into way too many details that are not necessary. The Blood Stain Analyst could have been much shorter, we do not need to hear about each and every stain, just get to the point!

My concern is we are 6 days in and other than being FD's mistress, no mention of MT's involvement in this. I do not think it is a good idea to keep the jury wondering/waiting this long to get to the nitty gritty.

 

[Cortne]

dbl

 

[afitzy]

JS succeeded in preventing (at least at this moment late Friday afternoon) the officer mentioning what vehicle he observed in still shots from the restaurant's video on Albany Ave (at Green St) and who was inside that vehicle.

Wonder WHO it could possibly be?...

To be continued on Monday at 10 am.

Yes, issue of contention seemed to be vehicles 'related' to FD but not registered to him. File this issue away for Monday!

DID MT have a vehicle registered in her own name or what other worker cars might have been available to MT and FD? This is a VERY interesting line of question imo and HOPE it continues.

It is beyond frustrating to have the State walking on eggshells around potential issues rather than simply putting on their case. I'm just watching and this method and process are making me anxious and stressed (not really but you get my point as the poor witness is feeling this all but 10x as much given the stress of the situation) and so this leads me to be quite concerned about the Jury to say nothing about the witnesses who are losing their train of thought? Why is this being allowed to play out this way by the Judge? Shameful and wrong.

You can hear the hesitancy in the State's voice as she is questioning the witness and its almost as if they are using 'code words' to tip toe around some larger word that cannot for whatever reason be spoken by either party. WHAT IS GOING ON? How can a case be put forward on this basis that the Jury has any hope of understanding? I feel like I've entered a different dimension of procedure and IDK how any of this works to convey information accurately and coherently to the Jurors.

From the witnesses perspective its also highly detrimental to train of thought and focus and that is why TP is undertaking these tactics which so far as I can tell the Judge is not stopping even though they have been overruled. The TP tactic of objecting loudly before the witness statement is even uttered is absolutely verboten in most courts as TP even though he might think he is a mind reader IS NOT.

Witnesses need to finish and State needs to finish and then the objection can occur so far as I am aware.

Its as if TP is playing a video game and trying to stop someone from shooting him and he proactively lobs a bomb or shoots random in hope that he will be saved or avert disaster. This is pure insanity imo and I'm frankly not sure what we are watching play out is fair either to jurors or witnesses and its certainly imo not in the best interests of justice. Why are we seeing zero admonishment from the Judge to TP?

 

[Alkali13]

As long as I am finding fault with this trial, I want to also include the prosecution. I think they are spending way too much time and going into way too many details that are not necessary. The Blood Stain Analyst could have been much shorter, we do not need to hear about each and every stain, just get to the point!

My concern is we are 6 days in and other than being FD's mistress, no mention of MT's involvement in this. I do not think it is a good idea to keep the jury wondering/waiting this long to get to the nitty gritty.

I think it's because to prove there was a conspiracy to commit murder and evidence tampering, you first have to prove the murder. Without proving a murder happened, MT is much less likely to be found guilty.

 

[Ruminations]

By Taylor Hartz | [email protected] | Hartford Courant

PUBLISHED: January 19, 2024 at 10:55 a.m. | UPDATED: January 19, 2024 at 11:19 a.m.

Loading your audio article

The sixth day of the trial for Michelle Troconis resumed briefly Friday morning at Stamford Superior Court before the jury was quickly asked to leave the courtroom after Judge Kevin A. Randolph received an unsigned note from a juror.

The note alleged that one member of the jury was talking about the case and mentioned the novel and movie “Gone Girl.”

The Gillian Flynn novel and film starring Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike follows the plot of a woman who fakes her own disappearance and her husband becomes a suspect.

A court marshal handed Randolph a note from a juror that reportedly said: “One of the jurors discussed something about the case and it was all over social media.”

“Said it was like ‘Gone Girl,” the note continued. “A brief mention. Several other jurors said ‘Don’t discuss this.'”

The court has identified the juror who allegedly made the comment and plans to question the entire jury about the comments and their potential influence.

Randolph, and attorneys through Randolph, are going to question the juror who allegedly made the comment and the juror who wrote the note. Then they will question every juror to ask if they were “in any way influenced by the comment.”

Randolph said the court will ask “whether they can continue to be fair and impartial” and if they can “continue to listen to the evidence with an open mind.”

Fotis Dulos’ former attorney Norm Pattis had previously alleged that Jennifer Farber Dulos faked her disappearance, prompting Flynn to criticize the theory.

A movie produced by Lifetime based on the Dulos case was titled “Gone Mom.”

A newly released Netflix show based on another case called “American Nightmare” has also brought forth “Gone Girl” theories. The show, now trending on Netflix, follows the true story of a couple accused of staging a kidnapping.

the troubling thing to me is Pattis was banging that toxic beat years ago. Has the jury even been told that no trace of Jennifer was found? No opening statements, remember?

(Edited to add: well, there were traces found ; the jury learned that sooner than I. Grusome.)

I personally don't think that having heard of the case and knowing a (non-obsessive) bit about the case does not make a person unable to be impartial or unable to deliberate on what is presented at trial. But....regurgitating Pattis horse poop is a horse poop of a different color.

MOO

 

[nodamselindistress]

Okay, I am going to pour a glass of vino and chill out. I am way too frustrated with this trial and it has only just begun.

 

[afitzy]

Judge imo is appropriately rephrasing for the record because the questions are just plain awfully structured. She is structuring questions to dance around whatever issues she is fearful of an objection of rather than proceeding ahead so the jury has a hope in hell of understanding what is going on. This imo is hard to watch. I know why its being done as does the Prosecution but Judge is doing nothing to stop the situation with TP. Its a tough situation as mistrial risk is real as is appeal risk. But, what most Judges do is make clear what they will and won't tolerate so as to maintain trial flow or call a sidebar to discuss the issue. For some reason this Judge doesn't seem to like sidebars which I don't understand as this trial imo needs sidebars. I'm simply not understanding this process.

 

[Pitsleuth]

Per my notes - after the 1/10 juror was dismissed - I did not get a count of genders. And I too have tried to find someone on the breakdown of them, but no success either.

Jury Selection began on 10/4/23 & ended 10/26/23. Started off with 6 jurors & 4 alternates. (6 men & 4 women). As of 1/4/24 2 more jurors were excused. 1/4/24: 6 jurors & 2 alternates. (4 men & 4 women). 1/10/24: 6 jurors & 5 alternates (no idea of gender).
Jury Selection (2nd one) began on 1/9/24 & ended on 1/10/24. 1 alternate juror (male) dismissed (1/17/24). 6 jurors & 4 alternates. 1/18/24: 1 juror was dismissed. Now 6 jurors & 3 alternates.

I’m sorry if I missed this somewhere but why are there only 6 jurors??

 

[afitzy]

the troubling thing to me is Pattis was banging that toxic beat years ago. Has the jury even been told that no trace of Jennifer was found? No opening statements, remember?

I personally don't think that having heard of the case and knowing a (non-obsessive) bit about the case does not make a person unable to be impartial or unable to deliberate on what is presented at trial. But....regurgitating Pattis horse poop is a horse poop of a different color.

MOO

Pattis and "Gone Girl" theory were absolutely discredited long ago in this case imo. I do wonder if the juror simply wanted off the case as any person with a brain at this point imo sees this trial is going to drag long beyond the estimate.

 

[nodamselindistress]

I think it's because to prove there was a conspiracy to commit murder and evidence tampering, you first have to prove the murder. Without proving a murder happened, MT is much less likely to be found guilty.

I understand that part, am just saying they are going into too much detail and taking too long to get MTs involvement. Hopefully next week will be full of MTs doings!

 

[citygirl]

Two thoughts here:

1. Are WeatherTek liners expensive? Because if they are, there would be a high probability someone would take them if they seemed abandoned. As was alluded to, Hartford is a high crime area, and also on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum. The median household income is $36k, whereas the median income in CT overall is $80k. FD 100% knew this and knew they would likely be snatched up by someone sooner than later.

2. After the blood spatter evidence today and Albany Ave coming up, it made me think of early on... A man came forward alleging to have found a knife in a trash can and taking it shortly after FD dumped trash bags. He then traded it to someone else I believe and it was never recovered. Could this really have been the murder weapon after all? Or was this debunked and I just can't recall?

Very good question that I think was never resolved.
Do you recall another man that saw a bloody pillow and said what ever happened to them was bad? There was much discussion back in the day about the street people that saw different things.I never once doubted their observations but many people did. Because of their station in life they appeared to be considered incredible witnesses. Yet they were well known by the locals.
JMO.

 

[carolmaria]

5'8" by all accounts wasn't spot on either and was early estimate given to NCPD. Here is picture of the couple together. FD was listed as being 5'8" tall. When he was booked initially I think they also had his height listed.

Horrific. I wonder if he wore lifts. Here’s another one… can’t see full length. This is really hard to look at.

 

[afitzy]

I’m sorry if I missed this somewhere but why are there only 6 jurors??

CT rule

 

[nodamselindistress]

I read somewhere they only need 6 jurors because it is not a murder trial. Not sure if that is true, just what I read, so MOO.

 

[citygirl]

Yes, issue of contention seemed to be vehicles 'related' to FD but not registered to him. File this issue away for Monday!

DID MT have a vehicle registered in her own name or what other worker cars might have been available to MT and FD? This is a VERY interesting line of question imo and HOPE it continues.

It is beyond frustrating to have the State walking on eggshells around potential issues rather than simply putting on their case. I'm just watching and this method and process are making me anxious and stressed (not really but you get my point as the poor witness is feeling this all but 10x as much given the stress of the situation) and so this leads me to be quite concerned about the Jury to say nothing about the witnesses who are losing their train of thought? Why is this being allowed to play out this way by the Judge? Shameful and wrong.

You can hear the hesitancy in the State's voice as she is questioning the witness and its almost as if they are using 'code words' to tip toe around some larger word that cannot for whatever reason be spoken by either party. WHAT IS GOING ON? How can a case be put forward on this basis that the Jury has any hope of understanding? I feel like I've entered a different dimension of procedure and IDK how any of this works to convey information accurately and coherently to the Jurors.

From the witnesses perspective its also highly detrimental to train of thought and focus and that is why TP is undertaking these tactics which so far as I can tell the Judge is not stopping even though they have been overruled. The TP tactic of objecting loudly before the witness statement is even uttered is absolutely verboten in most courts as TP even though he might think he is a mind reader IS NOT.

Witnesses need to finish and State needs to finish and then the objection can occur so far as I am aware.

Its as if TP is playing a video game and trying to stop someone from shooting him and he proactively lobs a bomb or shoots random in hope that he will be saved or avert disaster. This is pure insanity imo and I'm frankly not sure what we are watching play out is fair either to jurors or witnesses and its certainly imo not in the best interests of justice. Why are we seeing zero admonishment from the Judge to TP?

I have to agree with you.
He's being allowed to set the tone of the courtroom.
Prosecutor seemed more hesitant and flustered today.
The judge needs to put his foot down.
MOO.

 

[afitzy]

Very good question that I think was never resolved.
Do you recall another man that saw a bloody pillow and said what ever happened to them was bad? There was much discussion back in the day about the street people that saw different things.I never once doubted their observations but many people did. Because of their station in life they appeared to be considered incredible witnesses. Yet they were well known by the locals.
JMO.

If you are interested in the history on this check out the Hartford Courant articles and look for reference to homeless person named "Fudge". Perhaps this case will provide credible evidence to support the existence of this story? We don't have a witness list as the public so we don't even know if the "Reporter" from the Hartford Courant is on the list to testify.

To my knowledge we have never seen any photo or video of Fudge (or photo or video of person that gave up Fudge either for that matter) or mention of Fudge from law enforcement. Given the extensive video capabilities on Albany imo to the extent this person existed then the footage from Hartford Command would exist to support it. I also don't believe the original article contained any photographs by the "Reporter" of the person interviewed (no sourcing provided iirc) and at the time the article sourcing iirc was questioned and never supported by the "Reporter" and rumours existed that the source of the article might have been Atty Pattis or a member of firm.

Could the story as reported been true? I don't think we can know unless evidence exists to support it imo.

Here is a link to one of the "Fudge" stories that to me seemed like nothing more than a series of stories describing a 'snipe hunt'. If you know you know about snipe hunts.....


HC Fudge Article September