State presents evidence from garage of missing CT mother as Michelle Troconis’ trial continues
STAMFORD — State prosecutors presented evidence gathered from the garage at the home of missing mother Jennifer Farber Dulos during the second day of the trial for Michelle Troconis at Stamford Superior Court on Friday.
Troconis, the former girlfriend of Fotis Dulos, is standing trial on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of Farber Dulos, Dulos’ estranged wife.
The jury that will decide Troconis’ fate entered the courtroom at about 10:20 a.m. Friday and began hearing testimony from state prosecutors’ first witness of the day: Connecticut State Police Sgt. Jamie Pearston.
Pearston, a supervisor of the crime scene van with the Connecticut State Police Western District Crime Squad, testified about state police mapping of the garage at Farber Dulos’ home at 69 Welles Lane in New Canaan.
Investigators allege that Dulos was lying in wait in that garage on May 24, 2019, and that he violently attacked her there when she returned home from dropping their five children off at school that morning.
On Thursday, the first day of the long-awaited trial, other investigators were called to the witness stand and walked the jury through body camera footage from the New Canaan Police Department and a walk-through video filmed by state police. Much of both videos centered on talking about, or zooming in on, stains on the garage floor and spatter on a black SUV in the garage that appeared to be blood.
Following Pearston’s testimony Friday morning, prosecutor Michelle Manning said the state plans to call one more witness Friday.
Ahead of that witness’ testimony, Troconis’ attorney Jon Schoenhorn argued a motion that evidence that involves images in which alleged blood stains are illuminated might confuse jurors.
He questioned the science of the substance that illuminates blood, saying case law shows that it may also illuminate certain types of cleansers or rust.“There’s such danger with the misapprehension or misunderstanding of what is essentially junk science,” Schoenhorn argued.
Manning said that the next witness did not take any photos but was an evidence officer who authored an exhibit report and decided which pieces of evidence in the garage to examine.
Manning said his testimony would involve what items were seized from the garage that were of evidentiary value.
Judge Kevin A. Randolph said he was going to review case law related to the issue and called for a recess.