Michelle Troconis was sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping her boyfriend kill his wife

Michelle Troconis, the Connecticut woman convicted of helping her boyfriend kill his estranged wife in 2019, was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison.

Troconis could be released after 14 1/2 years and serve five years of probation. The defense argued for probation, in stark contrast to the prosecution’s request for 45 years.

Tronconis, 49, was convicted this year of six counts, including the top count of conspiracy to commit murder, in connection with the death of Jennifer Dulos, a New Canaan mother of five.

Before sentencing, Stamford Superior Court Judge Kevin Randolph vacated Troconis’ conviction on one count of conspiracy to tamper with evidence.

Troconis’ boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, a luxury home builder and suspect in his estranged wife’s disappearance, died in 2020, two days after attempting to kill himself.

The man was suspected of killing Jennifer Dulos at her home before leaving 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 successful court.

“I was left with a hole inside me that I will never be able to fill,” said the victim’s son, Petros Dulos, who was 13 when his mother was killed, in court on Friday. “My mother was everything to me. “

While his parents were in the midst of a divorce, 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 mom how proud I am of her courage (and most importantly) how much I love her. This fact haunts me every day.”

Troconis mounted a vigorous defense at sentencing, denying allegations that she intended to replace Jennifer Dulos and become a wealthy suburban mom.

Family and friends have painted Troconis, a native Spanish speaker who listened to the proceedings through an interpreter, as an animal lover and selfless volunteer for the underprivileged.

“Empathy and compassion are at the core of her being, in my opinion,” said Rev. Christopher Solimene, her pastor at Avon Congregational Church. “I hear her prayers for Jennifer and her children and all her anxieties about this horrific ordeal.”

Solimene said his testimony on Friday posed a great risk to him and his church.

“I had nothing to gain and perhaps, on many levels, much to lose by providing pastoral counseling to Michelle or opening the doors of my church to her,” Solimene said.

“But today I can honestly say before God and indeed the world, Michelle Troconis is a woman not only of substantial character, but of ethics and a kind heart 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 to the victim.

“For years, we have been looking for her remains, tracking every year. This search continues,” she said. “Jennifer filled her children with love, wisdom and humor. Jennifer would have been very proud of her children’s accomplishments. They will always have their memories of her, as will I.”

The victim’s longtime friend, Laurel Watts, said Jennifer Dulos’ loved ones are still hurting.

“I gave a eulogy at a memorial without a body. Her mother put a headstone over an empty grave,” Watts said. “Because Troconis assisted (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 of that, our only artifacts, that’s what the kids. they are left of their beautiful and gentle mother”.