NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — The sentencing hearing for Michelle Troconis is in progress, nearly three months after a jury found her guilty of conspiring with her then-boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, to murder Jennifer Farber Dulos and aiding in the cover-up of the crimes.
The hearing began at 9:30 a.m. on Friday. You can watch it live on this page.
Judge Kevin Randolph vacated count four — conspiracy to commit evidence tampering — citing that the charge was duplicative and violated protections against double jeopardy. With this count vacated, Troconis could face up to 45 years in prison.
Family and friends of Farber Dulos, including her mother and her five children, delivered emotional victim impact statements. More than a dozen of Troconis’ supporters – both in person and via video – are expected to speak on her behalf.
The video below is from News 8 at 5 p.m. on May 30.
“She could face up to 50 years in prison,” Ryan McGuigan, a former state prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, mentioned to News 8 on Thursday before the judge vacated one count. “If I were her criminal defense attorney, at this point, I would be preparing my client to hear that 50 number.”
McGuigan explained that various factors would be considered by the judge.
“The judge will take into account what didn’t happen here,” McGuigan stated. “You did not get a guilty plea. You did not get someone who accepted responsibility for what the jury concluded they did.”
On March 1, Troconis was found guilty on six counts, including conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with evidence, two counts of tampering with physical evidence, and second-degree hindering prosecution.
Troconis has consistently maintained her innocence, and Schoenhorn stated they plan to appeal.
Troconis is being held at York Correctional Institution in Niantic, the state’s sole institution for female offenders, on a $6 million bond.
Another defendant in the case, Kent Mawhinney, a friend of Dulos and his former lawyer in a civil case, is awaiting trial on a murder conspiracy charge. He has pleaded not guilty.
