Michelle Troconis’ trial is almost over. A jury will decide if she conspired to kill her lover’s ex-wife

After 27 days of dramatic testimony in the murder conspiracy trial of Michelle Troconis, jurors now have to decide whether she was involved in the killing of her lover’s estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos.

The Connecticut mother-of-five was last seen alive on 24 May 2019 as she waved her children off to school in the wealthy enclave of New Canaan. And while her body has never been found, she has been officially declared dead – with police finding that she died a violent death at the hands of Fotis Dulos, the man she had filed for divorce from just two years earlier.

In January 2020, Fotis died by suicide after being charged with her murder, leaving his girlfriend Ms Troconis to take the fall.

The Venezuelan socialite, now 49, has been on trial since January and faces charges of conspiracy to commit murder, hindering prosecution, two counts of tampering with physical evidence and two counts of conspiracy to commit tampering of physical evidence.

She has pleaded not guilty and insists she did not know Fotis was doing anything nefarious as she watched him toss garbage bags into random bins, or as she helped him write up a timeline of their whereabouts on the day his estranged wife disappeared.

On Friday, Ms Troconis’ defence team rested its case after three days of testimony from a handful of witnesses, including two experts. Ms Troconis decided not to testify in her own defence.

In closing arguments in Ms Troconis’ trial at Connecticut Superior Court in Stamford on Tuesday, the court heard from the state how she was a murderous conspirator who wanted her boyfriend’s estranged wife dead and helped him cover up her killing.

They also heard from the defence that she was an innocent bystander who unwittingly became ensnared in one of Connecticut’s most enduring missing person and alleged homicide cases.

How will the jury decide? Deliberations continue for a third day as jurors are tasked with going through 27 days of testimony and over 200 exhibits before making their decision.

If Ms Troconis is found guilty of all charges, she could face up to 50 years in prison in the death and disappearance of Jennifer Dulos.

The jury could find her guilty on all counts, not guilty on all counts, or a combination. If the jury is deadlocked and cannot come to a unanimous decision, it would result in a mistrial.

Ms Troconis could face between 1 and 20 years if the sentences ran concurrently, or up to 50 years if consecutive. A judge would make that decision during sentencing.

Here’s what happened