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Judge Orders Fotis Dulos To Home Confinement After 'Stupid' Decision To Take Items From Missing Wife Jennifer's Memorial
Fotis Dulos removed items from a makeshift memorial created for Jennifer Dulos at the edge of his property. The judge in the case warned Dulos that this was his second strike and could have his bail doubled to $12M with another infraction.
Fotis Dulos, the estranged husband of presumed dead Connecticut mother of five Jennifer Dulos, has been ordered to home confinement just two weeks after posting $6 million bail.
Authorities accused Dulos of taking items from a memorial set up for his wife and violating his terms of release.
Dulos, 52, of Farmington, was arrested on murder and kidnapping charges earlier this month in connection with what authorities say was the killing of Jennifer Dulos, of New Canaan. Jennifer has not been seen since she dropped her children off at school on May 24. Dulos denies any involvement in Jennifer's disappearance or death.
A judge told Dulos Thursday that he’s now under strict house arrest for taking items from a memorial dedicated to his missing wife – an action he doesn't deny, local news outlet WFSB reports.
The memorial was set up at the edge of Dulos’ property, and his lawyer Norm Pattis told reporters Thursday that the items were placed there to taunt Dulos, according to WFSB.
"On Jan. 17, 2020, the defendant left his home, on the way back home he was observed stopping at the end of Jefferson Crossing, get out of his vehicle and remove items from a memorial that was set up," stated a motion filed by state's attorney Richard Colangelo Jr. in Stamford Superior Court, according to WFSB. "This is in violation of the term of his release."
The judge called Dulos’ action “stupid” and altered his conditions so that he can no longer leave his home for work reasons, NBC Connecticut reports.
"What he did was stupid," Judge Gary White said. "Don't do it again."
He threatened to increase Dulos’ bond to $12 million if he did something like this again, calling the memorial removal his "second strike." The first was when the court had to talk to Dulos about charging his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet batteries late last year.
Pattis also waived his client's right to a probable cause hearing Thursday in an attempt to more quickly arrange a trial date where he will have to address the murder and kidnapping charges against his client according to WFSB.
Dulos is not the only one facing charges in his wife's murder. Dulos’ (possibly former) girlfriend Michelle Troconis, 45, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder as was Dulos' former civil lawyer Kent Douglas Mawhinney the same week that Dulos was charged.
Both Dulos and Troconis were initially charged with evidence tampering – charges both pleaded not guilty to months ago.
