DNA belonging to the estranged husband of a missing Connecticut woman was found mingled with her blood in her home, a prosecutor revealed Tuesday during a court hearing in which the man and his girlfriend pleaded not guilty to charges of evidence tampering and hindering prosecution.
Fotis Dulos, 51, was arrested with his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, on June 1, more than a week after Jennifer Dulos, 50, disappeared.
New Canaan police said they found blood at Jennifer Dulos's house along with "evidence of attempts to clean the crime scene." Investigators also found her blood on items Fotis Dulos was seen on surveillance video with Troconis stashing into garbage cans in Hartford on the day Jennifer Dulos vanished.
In an effort to have Fotis Dulos' bond of $500,000 increased, a prosecutor revealed that his DNA was found mixed with a solution and Jennifer Dulos' blood on a faucet in her kitchen sink.
Fotis Dulos' lawyer, Norm Pattis, had earlier asked that his client's bond be lowered to $100,000, arguing that his whereabouts on the day Jennifer Dulos went missing could mostly be accounted for, and that there was "no evidence he was at the home."
After the prosecutor shared the new evidence of Fotis Dulos' DNA at the home, Pattis said that his client had been there days earlier to visit with his children.
"How long is my client going to sit in a jail cell unable to assist in his defense?" Pattis asked.
The judge denied any reduction or increase in bond.
Pattis also asked if Fotis Dulos' 401K retirement account could be used for bond, without actually withdrawing the funds. The judge denied the request.
Troconis posted her $500,000 bond shortly after she was arrested and has since spoken with investigators. She is due back in court July 18, while Fotis Dulos is due back in court Aug. 2.
Pattis asked Tuesday if Fotis Dulos' trial could begin next month, arguing that prolonged media attention might prevent him from getting a fair trial.
“We’re ready,” Pattis said. The judge denied his request.
On Monday, New Canaan police launched a website specifically dedicated to sharing and obtaining information about Jennifer Dulos' disappearance. "We will not rest until we find Jennifer, Chief of Police Leon Krolikowski said.
Police have focused their search efforts on a waste-to-energy plant in Hartford and properties Fotis Dulos, a real estate developer, owned.
Last week, police appealed to New Canaan residents to turn over private surveillance video taken from homes and businesses between May 22 and May 25. Police said Monday that 75 people have responded with footage, and that authorities have received another 310 tips regarding Jennifer Dulos' disappearance.
The mother of five had filed for divorce from Fotis Dulos in 2017, and the pair has been embroiled in a contentious divorce and child custody case for the past two years. They had been married since 2004.
“I am afraid of my husband. I know that filing for divorce, and filing this motion will enrage him. I know he will retaliate by trying to harm me in some way,” Jennifer Dulos wrote in her application for custody in 2017.
The children, ages 8 to 13, including two sets of twins, are with her mother in New York City.