US: Husband’s Lawyer Held On Murder Charge In Case Of The Kidnapping & Disappearance Of Jennifer Farber Dulos

One of the arrests Tuesday in the case of a missing Connecticut mother surprised even the main suspect’s  lawyer:

Kent Mawhinney 

In addition to the woman’s estranged husband and his former girlfriend, charges were filed against another of the husband’s lawyers.

Fotis Dulos, 52, was charged with murder, felony murder and kidnapping in the case of Jennifer Farber Dulos, who disappeared on May 24.

Charged with conspiracy to commit murder were  former girlfriend Michelle Troconis and Kent Mawhinney,  a friend of Dulos’ who also acted as his attorney in a civil case.

“That was the only time we’ve been surprised in this file,” said Norm Pattis, Fotis Dulos’ current attorney. “We did not contemplate an arrest of Mr. Mawhinney.”

Fotis Dulos and Jennifer Dulos, 50, had been involved in divorce proceedings and a custody battle over their five children. She was last seen dropping the children off at school near their New Canaan home, police said. Her Chevrolet Suburban was found abandoned in a nearby park, and state police detectives found traces of blood at her house, the Hartford Courant reported. Her body has not been found.

Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis were arrested in June on charges of tampering with or fabricating evidence.

Mawhinney’s name came up as investigators worked to detail the activities of the couple on  the day Jennifer Dulos went missing.

The lawyer had reported spoken on the phone with Fotis Dulos that evening. And weeks later, Connecticut state police learned of Mawhinney’s apparent connection to a sinister discovery in the woods.

Two men who had been hunting on the private acreage of the Windsor Rod and Gun Club came forward to report that, on May 18, they had found a hole that was 6 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet deep, containing two bags of lime and a blue tarp. It had been hidden, covered with barbecue grates and piles of branches.

It was still there on May 22, they reported, but when they went back in early June, it had been filled in. Police who investigated the report found nothing but dirt, and their dogs gave no indication of suspicious odors.

Mawhinney was a founder of the Windsor club and in March or April had asked about the whereabouts of a key to access the acreage. His phone records show he was in the area on March 29 and on May 31.

Windsor is about a 20-minute drive from Fotis Dulos’ home near Farmington.

Last year, Mawhinney was arrested twice by South Windsor police. One  arrest was for domestic violence. The second was for violating a protective order: Fotis Dulos had contacted the man’s wife, and she believed it was at Mawhinney’s request.

Both Troconis and Mawhinney are being held on $2 million bonds. They are scheduled to face a judge in Stamford on Wednesday, along with Fotis Dulos.

Source:  https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/01/08/jennifer-dulos-murder-case-why-husbands-lawyer-was-arrested/