A judge on Friday dismissed a juror of a 海角换妻 woman accused of helping her boyfriend cover up the murder of his estranged wife, after the panelist likened the case to the novel and movie 鈥淕one Girl.鈥�
Judge Kevin Randolph received an unsigned note from a juror in the trial of Michelle Troconis Friday morning, accusing another member of the panel of making the comment in the presence of other jurors.
The juror 鈥渄iscussed something about the case and it was all over social media,鈥� Randolph said the note read. 鈥淪aid it was like 鈥楪one Girl' 鈥� a brief mention. Several other jurors said, 鈥橠on't discuss this.'"
Randolph then cleared the courtroom to question jurors about the comment. He ultimately dismissed the juror, identified only as 鈥淛uror 186," who acknowledged making the 鈥淕one Girl鈥� comment, the judge said.
鈥淓very (other) juror indicated that they would be able to afford the state and defense a fair and impartial trial,鈥� Randolph said after reconvening the trial.
鈥淕one Girl,鈥� 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.
Troconis, 49, is 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, 海角换妻 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. in early 2020, shortly after being charged with murder.
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, 海角换妻, 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 鈥淕one Mom.鈥� 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.
This is the second case of alleged juror misconduct in the trial. On Wednesday afternoon, Randolph an alternate juror who reportedly said 鈥淲e love you鈥� 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.