Michelle Troconis, the Connecticut woman convicted of helping her boyfriend murder his ex-wife in 2019, was sentenced to 14 and a half years in prison Friday after an emotional, hours-long hearing.
Tronconis, 49, was convicted this year of six felony charges, including the top charge of conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the death of Jennifer Dulos, a New Canaan mother of five.
She was sentenced to 20 years, a sentence that will be suspended after 14 1/2 years, at which time she will serve five years of probation, according to the sentence handed down by Stamford Superior Court Judge Kevin Randolph.
The defense asked for probation in stark contrast to the prosecution’s request for 45 years.
“There are some long-standing issues,” Randolph said from the bench. “When does retribution turn into revenge? What is the role of empathy? Should the court exercise sympathy for one side or the other? These are age-old questions.”
But with good time credit, Troconis could be eligible for parole after spending just 7¼ or 12 ⅓ actual years behind bars, said Hartford attorney James Bergenn.
The emotional testimony from both sides was difficult to hear Friday, Bergenn said, but the judge made an appropriate ruling.
“He was more moved by his duty,” Bergenn told NBC Connecticut. “He explained it in the most succinct and logical way possible.”
Prosecutors said they were disappointed that the 45-year order was not fulfilled, but accept Randolph’s decision.
“After hearing the victim impact statements, especially from Jennifer’s children, we expected a harsher sentence, but we accept Judge Randolph’s decision and respect it,” State’s Attorney Paul Ferencek said in a statement.
“While Jennifer’s family and friends will likely never experience full closure from the trauma Troconis imposed on them, I hope today’s sentencing gives them at least some sense that justice has been achieved.”
Carrie Luft, a friend of the victim and spokeswoman for the family, said Dulos’ loved ones are pleased with the judge’s punishment.
“For us, there is some relief in knowing that the defendant will serve a substantial sentence for her crimes, effective immediately,” Luft said in a statement. “This painful chapter has come to an end, but the legal process continues, and none of this will bring Jennifer back.”
Before sentencing, Randolph vacated Troconis’ conviction on a charge of conspiracy to tamper with evidence. This decision did not affect the final sentence, as their punishments occur simultaneously.
Troconis’ boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, a luxury home builder and suspect in his ex-wife’s disappearance, died in 2020, two days after a suicide attempt.
The man was suspected of killing Jennifer Dulos in her home before fleeing with her body, which was never found.
Fotis Dulos denied killing his wife, who went missing on May 24, 2019. She has since been declared dead by a probate court.
Troconis helped Dulos get rid of the victim’s blood-stained clothes, cleaned a car that police believe was used in the crime, burned evidence and tried to help her boyfriend create a false alibi, prosecutors said.
“I was left with a hole inside me that I will never be able to fill,” the victim’s son, Petros Dulos, who was 13 when his mother was killed, told the court. “
As his parents were divorcing, the teenager said he often attacked his mother.
“The defendant’s actions mean I will never be able to tell my mother how sorry I am for not being a better son when she needed me,” he said.
“I will never be able to tell my mother how proud I am of her courage (and) most importantly, how much I love her. That fact haunts me every day.”
Troconis mounted a rigorous defense at sentencing, rejecting allegations that she plotted to unseat Jennifer Dulos and become a wealthy suburban mother.
“Your Honor, I deeply regret this tragedy that has affected so many lives,” a tearful Troconis told the court. “I discovered things before and during the trial about a man, Fotis Dulos, who I thought I knew and loved. I deeply regret having a relationship with Fotis Dulos and bringing my daughter, my family and I into his life. I am a person of deep faith and I have prayed and will continue to pray for those who have suffered and still suffer.”
Family and friends painted Troconis, a Venezuelan and Spanish speaker who listened to the proceedings through an interpreter, as an animal lover and selfless advocate for people with intellectual disabilities.
“Empathy and compassion are at the core of his being, in my opinion,” said the Rev. Christopher Solimene, his pastor at Avon Congregational Church. “I have heard your prayers for Jennifer and her children and all of your anxieties related to this harrowing ordeal.”
Solimene said his testimony on Friday poses a great risk to him and his church.
“I had nothing to gain and perhaps, on many levels, a lot to lose by offering any pastoral counseling to Michelle or opening the doors of my church to her,” Solimene said.
“But today I can honestly say before God and the world, Michelle Troconis is a woman not just of substantive character, but with an ethics and kindness that is almost singular.”
The victim’s mother, Gloria Farber, said the family still hopes to find the body. Every year on the victim’s birthday, September 27, the family releases purple balloons in Central Park with messages for the victim.
“For years we searched for his remains, tracking them every year. This search continues,” she said. “Jennifer filled her children with love, wisdom and humor. Jennifer would have been so proud of her children’s accomplishments. They will always have memories of her, as will I.”
The victim’s longtime friend, Laurel Watts, said Jennifer Dulos’ loved ones still grieve.
“I gave a eulogy at a memorial without a body. Her mother placed a headstone over an empty grave,” Watts said. “As Troconis helped (Fotis) Dulos in disposing of Jennifer’s body, all we have is a bloody bra and a stiff shirt with Jennifer’s blood cut in the center and all the horror generated by these, our only artifacts, this is what the children that remained of their beautiful and kind mother.”
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
