Michelle Troconis, right, confers with her lawyer Adele Patterson during the habeas trial at Rockville Superior Court Jan. 13, 2026, in Vernon. Troconis is asking the state Appellate Court to order a lower court to rule on her motion to be released on bond while her appeal is spending. 

STAMFORD — The public defender representing Michelle Troconis in the appeal of her conviction in the death of Jennifer Dulos is asking the state's Appellate Court to order a lower court to decide whether she can be released on bond while the appeal case is pending. 

A state Superior Court judge in Stamford heard arguments in late January on Troconis' bid to be released on bond while she appeals her conviction and 14½-year sentence. But the judge has not yet issued a ruling on whether she can be released on bond, according to Supervisory Assistant Public Defender Pamela Nagy, representing Troconis in the appeal. 

"There is no question that her appeal will not be resolved for a long time," Nagy said in the motion to have the Appellate Court intervene filed last week. "The state's brief is not due until October 30 and even if filed on time, the appeal most likely will not be argued until January or February 2027. Realistically, given the length of the trial and the number of issues raised on appeal, the appeal might not be resolved until 2028. Although there is no guarantee that an appellate bond will be set, it is only fair that the court render a decision on the pending motion so that if it is going to be granted, arrangements can be made for Ms. Troconis to post bond as soon as possible."

Troconis, convicted in the death of Dulos, a mother of five who hasn't been seen since May 24, 2019, is appealing her conviction on several grounds, including that there was a lack of evidence to show she was guilty of the crimes. She was convicted at trial of several charges including conspiracy to commit murder. 

Troconis is accused of acting as an alibi for her then-boyfriend Fotis Dulos, the estranged husband of Jennifer Dulos, and of working with him to cover up the murder. Jennifer Dulos' body has never been found and she is presumed dead by police and her family. Fotis Dulos died after a suicide attempt in January 2020. 

Nagy said in a December motion seeking the release of her client on bond that Troconis has been a model prisoner while incarcerated after her conviction in March 2024 and participates in programs that help other inmates. Troconis has been certified in transcribing Braille books for children and is involved in Defy Ventures, a prison entrepreneurship program, starting her own company, Fully slippers. 

Prior to her trial, Troconis met all of the conditions of release and she has no other criminal record, Nagy said in the motion.

According to Nagy, if Troconis were to be released on an appeal bond, she has been granted permission to stay in the parsonage house of the Avon Congregational Church, which she attended prior to her incarceration. The December motion includes several letters from Avon community members attesting to Troconis' good works and character. 

But Supervisory Assistant State's Attorney Michelle Manning, who was on the prosecutorial team that gained a conviction in the case, said Troconis would have more incentive to "abscond" if she were released on bond and that her conduct while incarcerated was "irrelevant" as to whether she should be released. 

Manning said two other requests by Troconis to be released on bond while her appeal is pending have been denied by the trial Judge Kevin Randolph and by the state's Appellate Court. 

Troconis has filed paperwork asking that the appeal be heard directly by the state Supreme Court. That request is pending. 

Troconis also challenged the conviction in a separate habeas case on the grounds she had ineffective counsel. That case was the subject of a trial in January before Rockville Superior Court Judge Carl Schuman, who denied her habeas bid to have the conviction and sentence overturned. The state Supreme Court has agreed to review the ruling. 

In the habeas case, Troconis contends that attorney Andrew Bowman, who represented her prior to February 2020, never told her about the downside of speaking with investigators who were trying to find Jennifer Dulos, never prepared her for speaking with police, and never asked her whether she had any relevant information for law enforcement. 

The videos of the discussions with state and New Canaan police were shown to the jury during her trial. 

June 29, 2026