Reflections
1,744 days have passed since the loved ones of Jennifer Farber Dulos have seen her face or heard her voice. 1,744 days since she was stolen from her family and friends by the hate-filled man who had taken vows in which he pledged to love her above all others.
Following a six week trial, six jurors deliberated for 2 days before returning a unanimous verdict — they found Michelle Troconis, the ex-girlfriend of Fotis Dulos’, guilty of:
- Conspiracy to commit murder.
- Second-degree hindering prosecution.
- Two counts of tampering with physical evidence.
- Two counts of conspiracy to commit tampering with physical evidence.
At long last, #JusticeForJennifer is no longer a mere hashtag or performative act. Today a Fairfield County jury delivered justice to Jennifer in the only way they were able. As we watched and listened to Attorney Jon Shoenhorn ask for the jurors to be polled, we found ourselves wondering; what is “justice” in this case?
The mood in the courtroom following the verdict remained somber. There were no cheers, no high fives. Even prosecutors Michelle Manning and Sean McGuinness wore expressions that appeared to reflect something closer to resignation than relief, pride, or happiness. It was a reminder that despite the in-court victory, “winning” hadn’t changed anything. Not really.
Today marked a long-anticipated moment for Jennifer’s family, but we would be remiss if we failed to consider the effect today’s verdict will have on the family members of Michelle Troconis. Something the majority of the true crime news sphere tends to leave out are the after effects and impact the guilty verdict has on the loved ones of the defendant. America as a whole is very black & white about trials. They’re probably the one instance where most believe The State are the “good guys” who are fighting for justice. The Defense are the baddies who deserve to hang at all costs. But the story doesn’t end in the courtroom when the jury retires for the final time.
Jennifer with her five children
Somewhere a 17 year old girl is likely scared out of her mind wondering what will happen to her when her mother, her primary caregiver, is unable to be there for her as she has for all of her life – just as the five Dulos children went to bed on the night of May 24th, 2019.
The actions that set into motion the series of events that delivered us to where we sit today have reverberated across multiple families, multiple generations, and inevitably caused varying degrees of trauma for all involved. The point is simply this: one phone call changed the lives of not only Jennifer, Fotis and Michelle, but many, many more.
The logistics of this new reality for a family as close as the Troconises is likely a tough pill to swallow. An argument can be made that they should be angry with Michelle due to the choices she made as related to Fotis Dulos, but as Jennifer’s loved ones know all too well, what was done can’t be undone no matter how much they wish it to be so. Like them, the Troconis family can only love and support one another as they learn to navigate their new normal. Regardless, we recognize they, too, are inevitably angry and grieving.
So are we.
We grieve for the five Dulos children who do not have the earthly embrace of either of their beloved parents. We grieve for Michelle’s daughter who is likely scared and questioning her future. We grieve for Lauren who must often think about the fact that had she arrived just slightly earlier she, too, may have been a victim. We grieve for Gloria Farber who is a beautiful and vibrant woman who lost her beloved husband in 2017, her beloved daughter in 2019, and at 85, found herself the sole guardian of 5 children aged 8-13. We could go on and on. Jennifer was the victim of a callous homicide, yet the violent crime Fotis and his coconspirators carried out was never going to end without impacting the lives of an untold number of people.
The undeniable truth is this: the human factor is always present, painful; in that sense, there is no real victory. Legal justice has prevailed, but legal justice has not returned Jennifer her rightful life. It doesn’t erase the trauma and scars of anyone close to Fotis Dulos. The human factor merely leaves people to have to determine how best to live with – or live around – a tragedy that has upended the lives that everyone involved believed they were going to have prior to May 24th 2019. For that, we are left with only a deep sense of sadness over what should have been.
The late Queen Elizabeth II once said, “Grief is the price we pay for love.” We cannot argue with that.
Today’s verdict is not the end of the pain, nor does it bring any answers. Tomorrow, March 2, 2024, marks 1,745 days since that fateful day of May 24, 2019. Jennifer has yet to be found. Despite the verdict – the justice for wrongdoing – Jennifer is still missing. So long as that’s the case, can we genuinely proclaim her story finished?
There were other individuals involved in the conspiracy to murder Jennifer Dulos, only one of whom will face a jury of their peers in court.
Kent Mawhinney, former lawyer and a close friend of Fotis Dulos, is scheduled to stand trial this May (Connecticut V. Mahwinney). Arrest warrants offer only limited information about what exactly the state believes Kent knows, leading us to anticipate his trial with the hope of getting additional answers.
Finally, the verdict handed down today will not prevent history from repeating itself with other people. It will not deter those who have the same plan in the future. Oh, how we wish it would.
– Sun and ΔΓ
NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE: https://www.thehotline.org/