Fotis Dulos, suspect in Jennifer Dulos murder, in 'dire' condition after suicide attempt, bond increased

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Wednesday, January 29, 2020
Fotis Dulos, suspect in Jennifer Dulos murder, in 'dire' condition after suicide attempt, bond increased
Marcus Solis reports on murder suspect Fotis Dulos' condition after suicide attempt in Connecticut.

FARMINGTON, Connecticut -- The Connecticut man accused of murdering his estranged wife is said to be in "dire" condition following a suicide attempt, his attorney said at an emergency bond hearing Wednesday.

The judge increased Fotis Dulos' bond from $6 million to $6.5 million in the death of Jennifer Dulos after the company that originally posted for him learned that two properties offered as collateral were subject to foreclosure and a third was overvalued by over $300,000.

Authorities say he was found unresponsive inside his car in the garage of his Farmington home Tuesday, suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning, after he failed to show up for a previously scheduled bond hearing.

Attorney Norm Pattis agreed to waive extradition in order to make it possible for his family to see him, and Dulos will be rearrested if he is released from the hospital.

The "situation is grim," Pattis said, adding he is "hoping (his client) will recover."

As a part of their continued investigation, the Connecticut State Police Western District Major Crimes detectives obtained a search warrant at Fotis Dulos' home.

He is accused of killing the mother of his five children, Jennifer Dulos, whose body has never been found.

Officers performed a wellness check when Dulos didn't show up for court to face the possibility of his bond being revoked, meaning he could have been sent to jail to await trial.

Dulos was later transported by helicopter to Jacobi Medical Center to be treated in their hyperbaric chamber.

After emergency responders found Dulos in medical distress, Pattis and others initially said that he was dead. Pattis later said he was told his client had a pulse.

With Dulos still alive, the bail hearing happened Wednesday, without him present.

Mark Motuzick, who works at Capitol Bail Bonds in Hartford, said Fotis Dulos called him Tuesday morning and asked whether the company could take over the bond. Motuzick said Dulos sounded out of breath when Motuzick called him back around 10:30 a.m. and said taking over the bond would not be easy and would require the court's approval.

Fotis Dulos has denied the allegations and has pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnapping charges.

Dulos' ex-girlfriend Michelle Troconis and attorney Kent Mawhinney, who represented Fotis Dulos in a civil matter, were also arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

Jennifer Dulos was last seen on May 24 driving a 2017 black Chevrolet Suburban shortly after dropping her kids off at school in New Canaan.

Her body has not been found, but Connecticut State Police said there has been no activity on any of her financial accounts since the day before she went missing, no activity on her cell phone, and no one has seen or heard from her.

Fotis and Jennifer Dulos were embroiled in a contentious divorce battle, and state police have alleged in court papers that Fotis Dulos was "lying in wait" for Jennifer Dulos at home and that a violent assault took place in the garage.

Previous court documents revealed that clothing and sponges soaked with Jennifer Dulos' blood were found in trash cans in Hartford, where surveillance cameras captured a male appearing to be Fotis Dulos wearing a baseball cap and disposing of garbage bags in more than 30 different receptacles along a four-mile stretch of Albany Avenue.

The children are currently being cared for by Jennifer Dulos' mother, who had been seeking full custody.

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