Michelle Troconis’ contempt case continued in first in-person court appearance following conviction

Twenty days after she was convicted in the disappearance and death of Jennifer Farber Dulos, Michelle Troconis made her first in-person court appearance in Stamford on Thursday morning and was arraigned on a contempt of court charge.

Troconis, wearing a gray prison-issued sweatshirt, was led into a courtroom at Stamford Superior Court in handcuffs to face Judge Alex Hernandez. As she entered the courtroom, Troconis smiled at her mother and other loved ones, miming kisses toward them.

In the brief proceeding at about 11 a.m., Troconis was arraigned on one count of contempt of court, a charge she incurred during her weekslong criminal trial that ended in a conviction earlier this month.

On March 1, a jury found Troconis guilty of conspiring with her former boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, to kill his estranged wife Farber Dulos and cover up the crime. She was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to tamper with evidence, tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution.

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

While evidence was being presented in that trial, prosecutors alerted the court that Troconis allegedly had a court-sealed document pulled up on her laptop for anyone in the court gallery to see. The document was believed to be a sealed report involving the custody battle between Farber Dulos and her estranged husband Dulos — referred to as the Herman report.

Troconis, who has maintained her innocence in the case involving Farber Dulos’ death, has not issued a statement about the contempt charge and has not entered a plea.

Troconis’ mother, Marisela Arreaza, spoke briefly outside of the courthouse on Thursday and said their family continues to support Troconis.

“We stand here in support of Michelle Troconis after all of these recent events,” she said. “I want you guys to know that she’s a devoted mother, a sensible individual and she would never harm any other human being, and much less a mother like her.

“We are united more than ever as a family, and we will continue to support Michelle until we pursue her freedom.”

Troconis’ defense attorney from her trial, Jon Schoenhorn, has filed for a post-judgment acquittal and said they plan to appeal the conviction.

Troconis has a different attorney in the contempt case, Bob Frost. He declined to comment on Thursday.

The issue of the so-called Herman report was brought to the court’s attention on Feb. 15, while a guardian ad litem for the five Dulos children was on the stand testifying. The report was part of an ongoing custody battle between Farber Dulos and Dulos in 2019 that included a psychological evaluation of Farber Dulos. It had been ordered sealed by Judge Donna Heller just before Farber Dulos’ disappearance in May 2019.

Troconis was allegedly reading a part of the report that made mention of a particular doctor and said the words “borderline personality disorder,” in a large font while seated beside her defense team during her trial, according to the warrant affidavit.

Sealed custody report viewed on Michelle Troconis’ laptop during trial, contempt warrant alleges

The issue was initially brought to prosecutors’ attention by Farber Dulos’ friend and family spokesperson, Carrie Luft.

Luft told investigators that while seated in the courtroom on Feb. 15, she “looked at Troconis’ monitor after a while and I saw, clearly visible, the words “borderline personality disorder”, the name of one of Farber Dulos’ doctors, as well as the words “treating psychiatrist” and “Jennifer Dulos,” the warrant affidavit said.

Division of Criminal Justice Inspector Christopher Gioielli wrote in the warrant affidavit that he took a screenshot of a video recording of the trial that showed nine partial sentences containing about 82 letters, numbers and punctuation marks that mirror page 50 of the sealed report.

That page, the warrant affidavit said, included a forensic evaluation of the Dulos family as it related to the family court case of Jennifer Dulos vs. Fotis Dulos.

The Stamford State’s Attorney’s Office, which charged Troconis with contempt, said in the warrant affidavit for Troconis that she was aware that the report was sealed and “knowingly violated” at least two judges’ orders by viewing it and displaying it.

The warrant affidavit also mentioned an article by Hearst Connecticut Media, in which reporters noted that Troconis had previously had an article pulled up that made mention of fabricated forensic evidence while a forensic analyst was on the witness stand.

The article Troconis had pulled up was from the Associated Press, with the headline “Judge Finds Forensic Scientist Henry Lee Liable for Fabricating Evidence in a Murder Case,” and detailed how a judge found famed forensic scientist Henry Lee liable for fabricating evidence in a murder case that sent two Connecticut men to prison.

Judge Hernandez on Thursday offered to bring Troconis back into court on the contempt charge sooner rather than later.

“It occurs to me that if Ms. Troconis were to be found guilty of contempt that would stop any credit that she may get for any charges that she’s going to be sentenced on on May 31,” he said.

Her case was continued to May 15. Judge Hernandez said he will meet with attorneys in the coming weeks ahead of that hearing.

The court also transferred the contempt case to Part A and imposed a $100 bond

Troconis was taken into custody on March 1 and brought to York Correctional Institute in Niantic where she is being held in lieu of a $6 million bond in the conspiracy to commit murder conviction. She is scheduled to appear in court next on April 10 in that case, and her sentencing is slated for May 31.