Fotis Dulos, 52, has remained a prime suspect in his estranged wife's disappearance and probable murder ever since she vanished back in May. The following month, Dulos was arrested along with his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, for charges related to hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence. But although both have remained free on bail since June, Connecticut State Police leveled new charges at the dad of five on Wednesday -- this time, after finding some incriminating evidence in a vehicle he was driving.
Jennifer Farber Dulos, 50, was last seen on May 24 after dropping off her children at their exclusive private school in New Canaan.
After missing several appointments that day, friends alerted police, who discovered her black Chevrolet Suburban at a nearby park. Jennifer, however, was nowhere to be found.
Friends and family say the devoted mother of five would never have left her children, whom she loved dearly. In fact, she'd been fighting to maintain sole custody of the kids, who range in age from 8 to 13, for several years. But ending her 13-year marriage to Fotis Dulos was proving to be an impossible and exhausting fight that had dragged on for several years.
In August, police revealed that bloody clothing of Jennifer's had been recovered from a trash bin her estranged husband had used.
The bloody clothes included a Vineyard Vines T-shirt Jennifer was reportedly last seen wearing, as well as a bra. Even more incriminating? Mops and sponges were also found in the trash bin -- and both had traces of Dulos' blood on them, according to police.
Investigators were led to the trash can, which was in Hartford, Connecticut, after scouring local surveillance footage that captured Fotis Dulos' movements in the hours and days after his wife's disappearance. Noticing he'd discarded several black garbage bags around the city of Hartford, cops set out to see if they could recover what he'd left there. And luckily, they made it before the trash was hauled away.
During his second arrest Wednesday, police said they believe Dulos transported his wife's body from her home in the back of her own vehicle.
On that very same day, Dulos allegedly borrowed the truck of an employee at his construction business, which police later combed for evidence. According to the New York Times, traces of blood found in the back of the truck were a match to Jennifer and are what ultimately led to this new arrest.
In the 43-page arrest warrant, investigators laid out a rough timeline of events they believe transpired on the morning of May 24 -- starting with Dulos borrowing the truck, driving to Jennifer's home, and lying in wait while she dropped off the kids at school.
Once she returned home, cops say he murdered Jennifer in her own home, cleaned up the evidence, and hauled her away in the back of her SUV before ditching it at a nearby park. Investigators previously found evidence of an extensive "cleanup" in the garage of the home and in a sink, where they detected traces of Jennifer's blood mixed with Dulos' DNA.
Both Dulos and his lawyer, however, seemed unfazed by these new charges.
“There’s not much here that we hadn’t heard before, and I question the wisdom of these charges at this late date,” Dulos' lawyer, Norm Pattis, told reporters outside the courthouse.
As Dulos stood by, at times appearing to smirk, he mostly remained silent. His only comment to the press was, "It's an exhausting fight. I love my children. That's about it."
Dulos remains free once more, after being released on $500,000 bail, and plans to plead not guilty to all charges.
He is also expected to appear on an upcoming episode of Dateline, airing September 9, where he gave an exclusive interview professing his innocence.
In a clip from the episode, Dulos is asked by host Dennis Murphy if he had anything to do with Jennifer's disappearance. His response?
"I did not, but I'd like to leave it at that," the father said, before adding that he believes she is still alive.