Michelle Troconis’ trial begins as Jennifer Farber Dulos’ loved ones seek accountability for her death
Michelle Troconis, flanked by family members, entered Stamford Superior Court around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday as she prepared to face a jury on Day 1 of her long-awaited trial.
Troconis is the first person to go to trial in the disappearance and presumed death of New Canaan mother Jennifer Farber Dulos.
Farber Dulos, who vanished nearly five years ago on May 24, 2019, was declared legally dead in October. Her body has never been found.
One of the first people to enter the courtroom on Thursday was a woman named Tracey, who asked not to use her last name for security reasons. She maintains a memorial for Farber Dulos in West Hartford, not far from the Farmington mansion at 4 Jefferson Crossing she once shared with her estranged husband Fotis Dulos.
Tracey said she and members of the Farmington and West Hartford communities maintain the memorial for Farber Dulos near a reservoir in West Hartford.
“When it started we thought she was going to be found,” she said. “It was a place to memorialize her until she was found, and she’s never been found.”
Tracey, who lives in Manhattan, shared mutual friends with Farber Dulos and is a neighbor of Farber Dulos’s mother, Gloria Farber, who has custody of the slain mother’s five children.
As crowds of people weaved through a long security line and waited for court marshals to announce that the courtroom was open, Tracey anxiously twisted a purple bracelet on her wrist that read, “Justice for Jennifer.”
Tracey echoed similar sentiments as Carrie Luft, a spokesperson for the Farber family, who released a statement Wednesday saying Farber Dulos’ friends and family are looking not for closure but for some accountability and answers to what happened to her.
“It’s definitely time for some accountability and answers. There are so many questions,” Tracey said in the courtroom.
Troconis appeared in court alongside members of her family who have attended multiple pretrial hearings and days-long suppression hearings that were held last month.
Troconis is facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.