Mother of Jennifer Farber Dulos takes stand in Michelle Troconis trial before state rests its case
The five Dulos children filed into a Stamford courtroom on Wednesday morning as their grandmother and legal guardian, Gloria Farber, took the stand as the state’s last witness in the criminal trial for Michelle Troconis.
Farber, 88, took the stand briefly Wednesday morning and answered questions about her daughter Jennifer Farber Dulos, who disappeared on May 24, 2019, and is presumed dead.
She testified that on the afternoon of May 24, Farber Dulos and her children were set to meet Farber at her New York City apartment. The children arrived with their nanny, but Farber Dulos never did.
“Have you seen your daughter Jennifer since she failed to meet you at your apartment in New York on May 24, 2019?” asked Michelle Manning, assistant supervisory state’s attorney.
“No,” Farber said.
“Since May 24, 2019, have any of the children ever seen or spoken to their mother?” Manning asked.
“No,” Farber said.
After a short cross-examination from Troconis’ defense attorney Jon Schoenhorn, the state rested its case on the 25th day of the trial.
Investigators allege that Troconis conspired with her then-boyfriend Fotis Dulos to kill his estranged wife and helped to cover up his crimes. She is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.
While Farber was on the stand, Manning also asked if she had gotten any texts, messages, calls or emails from Farber Dulos since then. She said no.
Farber testified that Farber Dulos never missed any of her children’s birthdays or Greek name days that they celebrated before May 2019.
Farber, 88, lives in New York City and has custody of the five Dulos children. She previously sued her estranged son-in-law alleging he owed millions to the estate of her late husband Hilliard Farber.
The jury previously heard from the children’s nanny, Lauren Almeida, a guardian ad litem for the Dulos’ children and a court-ordered parenting supervisor who oversaw Dulos’ last visit with his children on May 22, 2019.
Farber was the last of dozens of witnesses the state has called while building their case.
Investigators question Troconis’ accounts as state plans to call Farber Dulos’ mother to stand
The jury has heard from detectives, local police officers, an FBI agent, DNA experts and forensic examiners, who have walked the jurors through evidence recovered from Farber Dulos’ garage in New Canaan and trash bins along Albany Avenue in Hartford. In those bins, investigators found items related to the case including a blood-soaked shirt and bra they believe Farber Dulos was wearing when she was killed.
Court proceedings started earlier than normal on Wednesday, with the court hearing a motion regarding a subpoena for attorney Michael Rose, who represented Dulos in divorce proceedings.
Attorney Patrick Jennings addressed the court Wednesday morning, arguing that his client should not be required to testify and that his subpoena be quashed citing attorney-client privilege.
Judge Kevin A. Randolph ruled that if Jennings’ office drafted a protective order, the court would decide whether to grant, deny or modify such an order by the end of the day.
Another former divorce attorney for Dulos, Kent Mawhinney, will not testify for either side in the Troconis case, as he has invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Mawhinney is charged as a co-conspirator in Farber Dulos’ disappearance. He is awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to commit murder.
Before the defense called its first witness, Schoenhorn argued for an acquittal, saying the state hadn’t provided enough evidence for the jury to consider the charges. The motion was denied by Randolph before taking a recess.
When court resumed, Randolph asked the defense for a timeline for their case and determined that closing arguments are expected to take place on Feb. 27.