Conn. Man Accused of Killing Wife Violated House Arrest by Removing Items from Her Memorial
A Connecticut man accused of killing his wife removed items from a memorial that had been set up for her, leading a judge to tighten the terms of his house arrest.
“What he did was stupid,” Judge Gary White said during a hearing in Superior Court, reports the Hartford Courant. “Don’t do it again.”
White’s enhanced restrictions on the movements of Fotis Dulos, who was charged January 7 with murder in the presumed death of his estranged and still-missing wife, Jennifer Dulos, followed the prosecutor’s complaint that Fotis had violated the earlier terms of his house arrest, reports CBS New York.
In court Thursday, Fotis pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, reports the Stamford Advocate.
RELATED: Husband of Missing Mom Jennifer Dulos — Along with His Lawyer and Girlfriend — Charged in Death
While wearing an electronic monitor after posting his $6 million bond, Fotis previously was allowed to leave his house for activities that included going to his job as a home builder.
But last Friday, Fotis was observed stopping at the edge of a private road into a development where the couple formerly lived to “get out of his vehicle and remove items from a memorial that was set up” at the site to honor Jennifer, according to a motion filed by State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo, reports the Courant.
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Fotis’ action was wrong, his attorney, Norm Pattis, said in court. But he added, “This was no ordinary memorial. It was a means of taunting him,” according to the newspaper.
The judge was unmoved. “He has strict requirements to follow,” said White, who noted that Fotis earlier had been warned about allowing the battery that powers his electronic monitoring device to run low, reports the Advocate. “He messed up one time. He messed up two times. If he messes up a third time, I’m going to raise his bond.”
The judge’s stricter conditions now prevent Fotis from leaving his house for work, while still requiring him to wear his GPS monitor inside the residence.
Fotis was charged with murder in Jennifer’s presumed death seven months after the Connecticut mother of five vanished from her New Canaan home after dropping her children off at school. His girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, and his civil lawyer, Kent Mawhinney, also were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, according to Connecticut State Police. The Courant reports Mawhinney has pleaded not guilty, and Troconis has not yet entered a plea to that charge.
Fotis and Michelle Troconis earlier were charged with evidence tampering in connection with Jennifer’s disappearance. Both have pleaded not guilty to that charge.
Jennifer last was seen on May 24. Bloodstains were found in the garage of her home, indicating a violent struggle, say police. Shortly afterward, her black Chevy Suburban was found abandoned near a local park several miles away.
She and Fotis were involved at the time in a contentious divorce and custody battle. Police allege that Fotis was “lying in wait” and attacked his estranged wife in her garage on the day she died, court documents show.
After the murder charge was filed, Pattis told PEOPLE: “A preliminary review of the warrant leaves us relieved and saddened. We’re relieved that there was nothing we didn’t expect or have heard about; saddened because it’s obvious the state police really have no idea what became of Jennifer. This remains an open case in our view.”
An attorney for Troconis did not immediately return PEOPLE’s calls for comment.
• With reporting by KC BAKER
