Report of Jennifer Dulos’ bloodstained shirt is ‘desperate speculation,’ Pattis says

Fotis Dulos, left, is accompanied by his attorney Norm Pattis, after making an appearance at Connecticut Superior Court in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Fotis Dulos, left, is accompanied by his attorney Norm Pattis, after making an appearance at Connecticut Superior Court in Stamford, Conn. Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 212 Caption Close Report of Jennifer Dulos’ bloodstained shirt is ‘desperate speculation,’ Pattis says 1 / 212 Back to Gallery

A report published Wednesday saying a bloodstained T-shirt Jennifer Dulos was believed to be wearing the day she disappeared was found in the area her estranged husband was allegedly seen ditching trash “sounds like desperate speculation,” his lawyer said.

Police recovered the Vineyard Vines shirt and other items stained with Jennifer Dulos’ blood from a Hartford garbage bin, according to the Hartford Courant, citing law enforcement sources.

That’s where Jennifer Dulos’ estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, was seen on surveillance videos throwing several bags into trash cans and dumpsters the night of May 24, around the time the 50-year-old mother of five was reported missing, according to arrest warrants.

In a statement, Fotis Dulos’ lawyer Norm Pattis said the revelation was news to him.

“I am unaware of any evidence about what she was wearing when she disappeared,” he said. “This sounds like desperate speculation.”

Police on Wednesday declined to comment on the report.

“As this remains an active and dynamic investigation, no comment will be provided on any evidence that has been collected nor will information be provided regarding the results of any forensic testing,” New Canaan Police Lt. Jason Ferraro said in a prepared statement.

“Additionally, no active searches are occurring,” Ferraro said. “We remain committed to bringing justice to those responsible for Jennifer’s disappearance.”

Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, who police say was also seen on the video, have been charged with evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in connection with the disappearance.

Fotis Dulos was scheduled to appear Friday at the Stamford courthouse for the next hearing in his criminal case, but it has been postponed to Aug. 9 due to a scheduling conflict for his attorney.

Pattis said he’s handling a trial in Waterbury that necessitated the change. In that case, Pattis is defending a man accused in August 2017 of misdemeanor assault and breach of peace charges, according to court records.

Pattis has also requested to withdraw from the Fotis Dulos divorce case to focus on the criminal proceedings.

In a motion to dismiss the charges against Fotis Dulos, Pattis said prosecutors turned over discovery to him last week consisting only of 26 CDs containing videos “purporting to show the defendant.”

Pattis, who said the defense team couldn’t open some of the videos and would need them copied again, said he wasn’t troubled by what he did see on the footage.

“I didn’t see him on an avenue discarding material in a clear video,” he said during a radio interview last week.

The discovery did not include any DNA evidence, Pattis said, nor anything related to Jennifer Dulos’ home where police said they found blood spatter and blood stains as well as evidence that she was the victim of a “serious physical assault.”

The CDs did include video of Troconis at a store in Farmington around 10 a.m. May 24, Pattis said, indicating she could not have been in New Canaan when Jennifer Dulos went missing.

Pattis has called for the charges to be dropped against Troconis, who he claims can provide an alibi for his client. Troconis is next scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 19.

A judge has not ruled on the motion to dismiss, and prosecutors have not yet responded with any filings of their own.

The five Dulos children, who are between 8 and 13 years old, have been staying with Jennifer Dulos’ mother since the disappearance. A judge last week allowed Gloria Farber to intervene in the contentious two-year divorce that will at least temporarily keep the children in her custody.

Her lawyer, however, filed a motion this week for the 85-year-old to be granted sole custody.

Rich Rochlin, a lawyer representing Fotis Dulos in the divorce case, said in a prepared statement Wednesday that they’ll see Farber and her lawyer in court.

“It is our intention to contest any and all attempts to remove Fotis from his children’s lives,” he said. “We look forward to a full hearing on the merits where we will learn whether the presumption of innocence is real or merely a legal fiction.”