Michelle Troconis to return to CT courtroom this month; this time on new charge

Michelle Troconis, who was found guilty on March 1 of all six counts in her criminal trial connected with the disappearance of Jennifer Farber Dulos, also has been charged with criminal contempt of court.

A six-person jury last week found Troconis guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of tampering with physical evidence, two counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence and one count of hindering prosecution.

The verdict came on March 1, nearly five years after New Canaan mother of five disappeared. The jury found that Troconis helped her then-boyfriend Fotis Dulos plot his kill his estranged wife and then helped cover up his crimes.

Michelle Troconis found guilty on all charges in disappearance of Jennifer Farber Dulos

On the same day the verdict was delivered, records show that the State’s Attorney’s Office in Stamford also charged Troconis with criminal contempt of court, a class B misdemeanor.

Judge Kevin A. Randolph, who presided over Troconis’ lengthy trial, set a contempt hearing for later this month. The 49-year-old will appear before a different judge with a different defense team.

She faces a fine or up to another six months behind bars if convicted.

According to court records, the contempt of court charge stems from an alleged offense on Feb. 15, 2024, which was the 22nd day of Troconis’ criminal trial.

On the afternoon of Feb. 15, just after state prosecutors called attorney Michael Meehan to the stand to testify about the custody battle between Farber Dulos and Dulos when she disappeared, prosecutors alerted the judge that someone in the courtroom gallery had passed a note to a court marshal. The note raised concerns about what Troconis was looking at on her laptop.

Later determined to be sent by Farber Dulos’ friend and Farber family spokesperson Carrie Luft, the note said that Luft had reportedly seen Troconis reading a court-sealed custody report related to the custody battle between Farber Dulos and Dulos on her laptop during the trial.

The accusation briefly interrupted the trial, with Randolph saying that the matter would be tabled until the following morning.

Judge in Troconis trial issues warning, delays contempt hearing over sealed custody report

The custody report had already been a hot topic in the courtroom, with attorneys going back and forth about whether Meehan, who was a guardian ad litem for the five Dulos children, would be allowed to testify.

Farber Dulos and Dulos were entangled in an ongoing custody battle in 2019. In the months leading up to his wife’s disappearance, Dulos was allowed supervised visits under a custody order that barred Troconis and her daughter from being around the Dulos children.

Troconis’ defense team said throughout the trial that, before Farber Dulos’ disappearance, Dulos had told Troconis and others that the custody arrangement was taking a favorable turn, namely after Dulos had reviewed the report in question.

Much of what attorneys discussed ahead of Meehan’s testimony centered around the custody report from 2019, which had previously been ordered sealed by the court.

Randolph ultimately ruled that Meehan would be allowed to testify in Troconis’ trial but could not discuss the contents of that report or disclose any information about the five Dulos children. He could, however, testify about how Dulos reacted to the report and other parts of the custody battle.

But Troconis allegedly gained access to that report and had it open for the courtroom to see during Meehan’s testimony.

Luft reportedly spotted the report after recognizing a name in it while seated in the gallery and flagged it to court marshals. Prosecutors said they watched YouTube videos of the trial — which was livestreamed — to corroborate Luft’s claims.

Michelle Troconis guilty verdict: Some surprise in CT legal circles; what she faces next

While seated next to her defense attorneys, Troconis often had her laptop open during the trial. Usually, she had a family photo pulled up on her screen. Prosecutors allege that Troconis’ mother Marisela Arreaza, who was seated in the courtroom gallery, tapped Troconis on the shoulder to warn her to take the custody report down on Feb. 15. The state moved the next day to have Troconis’ mother kicked out of the courtroom, but that request was denied by Randolph. He barred Troconis from using her laptop any further while in the courtroom.

Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Manning called Troconis’ potential viewing of the report “a huge concern.”

“We can’t gloss over the serious nature of her having access to the report, of her displaying it for everyone to see,” she said in court on Feb. 16.

Randolph immediately said the accusation would be taken seriously, saying in court that “if that custody report is being disseminated, and if it’s being disseminated essentially with the involvement of the defendant,” the court would have to take certain actions. “Because then it’s a violation of the court order and then there would have to be a contempt hearing.”

Randolph had since made mention of a contempt hearing, initially saying it would be held after the defense rested its case, then scheduling it for March 5. After the verdict was delivered, Randolph moved the contempt hearing to March 21.

Troconis was taken into custody right after her conviction after Randolph raised her bond from $2.1 million to $6 million. As of Monday afternoon, she had not posted bond, according to court records.