STAMFORD, CT — Michelle Troconis, one of the two remaining defendants in the 2019 disappearance of Jennifer Farber Dulos, is again seeking to have the GPS tracking device removed from her ankle, but a judge on Thursday delayed a decision on the matter.
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Troconis was not in Stamford Superior Court during Thursday’s hearing, but her attorney, Jon Schoenhorn, said she has been forced to wear the device for almost 46 months.
Schoenhorn filed a 51-page brief on Wednesday, describing the device as onerous. He has tried unsuccessfully on multiple occasions in the past to have the device removed.
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“Requiring her to remain tethered to a bulky ankle bracelet for several additional months (perhaps more) – without any factual determination justifying its necessity – is unreasonable, unconscionable and (after 45 months) unconstitutional,” Schoenhorn wrote.
Both Judge Gary White and Assistant State’s Attorney Michelle Manning said they had not had time to read the brief, which led White to delay arguments on the matter until April 6. Before the next hearing, Manning may file a response to Schoenhorn’s brief.
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Jennifer Dulos vanished from her New Canaan home on May 24, 2019, and is presumed to be dead. Her body has not been found.
Her estranged husband, the late Fotis Dulos, was accused of kidnapping and murdering her, but he took his own life in early 2020 and never stood trial. The two were going through a contentious divorce and custody fight over their five children at the time of Jennifer’s disappearance.
Troconis, Fotis’ former girlfriend, and former friend and attorney Kent Mawhinney have been accused of assisting Fotis in the plot, though both have pleaded not guilty. The two are free on bond; additionally, Troconis has been granted permission to travel extensively, and not appear in court, though she will have to appear on April 6.
Mawhinney was arrested about six months after Troconis, and he served about nine months in jail when he was unable to make bond. He was fitted for a GPS monitor, too, but was accused of trying to tamper with it, which sent him back to jail for a few more months before he was released.
Following Thursday’s hearing, Schoenhorn told Patch that he is disappointed to have to return to court to argue for the device’s removal, considering he prepared the extensive brief. He also argues that the $2.1 million bond his client has posted should be sufficient.
Schoenhorn considers the amount of time Troconis has been forced to wear the device to be excessive, in part because she has been in compliance with the requirements of the bond conditions the entire time, he said.
“I’m hopeful, but I can’t predict what a judge will decide,” Schoenhorn said about the upcoming GPS hearing.
On April 20, the court will hear arguments on a prosecution request to seal the courtroom for certain portions of the case, reported WTNH-TV. Both the prosecution and Troconis’ defense have leveled accusations of inappropriate actions in the case.
The Dulos case
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