The judge in the Michelle Troconis case had to decide Monday on whether a juror who recognized the name of a witness testifying in the case could remain on the jury and he decided the juror could stay on.
This comes after one juror and an alternate were dismissed last week.
Troconis is accused of helping her boyfriend cover up the murder of his estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos. Troconis has denied any involvement.
During the lunch break on Monday, one juror told the court that he had recognized a witness’ name and the court brought him in to determine the nature of the relationship.
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The juror said he and the witness went to the same high school, they didn’t really know each other at all and hadn’t been in communication in more than 20 years.
The juror told the court that he could remain impartial and the judge decided that he could remain.
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Judge Kevin Randolph had received an unsigned note from a juror, accusing another member of the panel of making the comment in the presence of other jurors.
The juror “discussed something about the case and it was all over social media,” the note read, Randolph said. “Said it was like ‘Gone Girl' — a brief mention. Several other jurors said, ’Don't discuss this.'"
Randolph then cleared the courtroom to question jurors about the comment. He ultimately dismissed the juror, identified only as “Juror 186," who the judge said acknowledged making the “Gone Girl” comment.
“Every (other) juror indicated that they would be able to afford the state and defense a fair and impartial trial,” Randolph said after reconvening the trial.
“Gone Girl,” a 2012 novel by Gillian Flynn that was turned into a 2014 film starring Ben Affleck, is about a woman who fakes her own disappearance and her husband, who becomes a suspect.
That was the second case of alleged juror misconduct in the trial.
On Wednesday afternoon, Randolph dismissed an alternate juror who reportedly said “We love you” to two prosecutors involved in the case outside the courtroom during a lunch break. Randolph said the comment gave the appearance of favoring the prosecution.
The trial now has three alternates remaining, along with six regular jurors.
Troconis, 49, has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes on allegations that she helped her then-boyfriend, Fotis Dulos, cover up the killing of his wife, Jennifer Dulos, in 2019.
Troconis has pleaded not guilty and denied any involvement.
Police believe Fotis Dulos attacked his wife in the garage of her home in New Canaan, Connecticut in May 2019, after she dropped off the children at school. Then, authorities said, he drove off in her own SUV with her body, which has never been found.
Fotis Dulos denied having anything to do with her disappearance. He died by suicide in early 2020, shortly after being charged with murder.
Testimony on Friday focused on the patterns of what police said appeared to be blood stains that had been cleaned from the garage of Jennifer Dulos' home.
At the time she vanished, Jennifer and Fotis Dulos were going through a contentious divorce and child custody proceedings that had limited his time with the children.
Jennifer Dulos had moved out of the family home in Farmington, Connecticut, and Fotis Dulos was living there with Troconis and her daughter.
The case drew widespread attention and was itself the subject of a made-for-TV movie, titled “Gone Mom.” Jennifer Dulos, 50, was a member of a wealthy New York family whose father, the late Hilliard Farber, founded his own brokerage firm. She also was a niece by marriage of fashion designer Liz Claiborne. Fotis Dulos was a luxury home builder originally from Greece.
How to watch the trial
Our daily special, airing weekdays at 9 a.m. on the NBC Connecticut free streaming channel is available on Roku, Samsung TV plus, Freevee, and a number of other platforms. Here is more on how to watch.
Watch full episodes of "Inside the Trial of Michelle Troconis"
Watch the full episodes of":Inside the Trial of Michelle Troconis" here.
