Fotis Dulos, charged in wife’s murder, dead after suicide attempt

UPDATE for 2020

Fotis Dulos, charged with kidnapping and murder in his wife’s disappearance, has died. He had been in critical condition due to carbon monoxide poisoning after an apparent suicide attempt. Read the article:

Fotis Dulos, Connecticut man charged in wife Jennifer Dulos’ murder, dead after suicide attempt, lawyer says, on Foxnews.com.

Original Lovefraud story — June 5, 2019:

Jennifer Dulos disappearance: Warning signs in the custody battle

Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five from New Canaan, Connecticut, has been missing since May 24, 2019. Since her blood was on clothing and sponges found in 30 garbage bags that her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, was allegedly trying to dispose of, I fear that this case is not going to end well.

Jennifer and Fotis Dulos were in the midst of a bitter divorce and custody battle. The Stamford Advocate examined court documents of the case. Here’s the story:

Divorce documents: Jennifer Dulos feared her estranged husband, on StamfordAdvocate.com.

Jennifer’s descriptions of her husband’s behavior, and the charges leveled by Fotis Dulos against is wife, are classic examples of psychopathic behavior in a divorce and custody battle.

Jennifer Dulos had been awarded sole physical custody of the couple’s five children, ages 8 to 13. Last year, the judge decided that Fotis Dulos was an unhealthy influence on the children.

Consider this case a warning. If you see any of the following behaviors in your divorce or custody battle, you need to be very careful.

What Jennifer Dulos said in court filings

• Her husband was verbally abusive.
• She worried he would attempt to take the children from her.
• “I know that filing for divorce and filing this motion will enrage him. I know he will retaliate by trying to harm me in some way.”
• Her husband exhibited “irrational, unsafe, bullying, threatening and controlling behavior.”
• “I am afraid for my safety and the physical safety and emotional well-being of our minor children.”
• Fotis Dulos had threatened to kidnap the children and take them to his native Greece or somewhere else. He said, “You will never find us.”
• She became afraid after her husband purchased a handgun two years ago.
• “I am terrified for my family’s safety, especially since discovering the gun, since my husband has a history of controlling, volatile and delusional behavior.”
• Fotis Dulos was obsessed with water skiing, and he insisted on their children training to be world-class water skiers. He had them on a strict training program, sometimes training from 8 am to 7 pm.
• In June 2017 she scheduled activities for the children on a Saturday morning, when Fotis Dulos thought they should be water skiing. He became enraged. “He got within inches of my face and berated me.”
• “We were all terrified to disobey my husband.”
• Fotis Dulos almost struck her in her driveway with his Suburban while picking up the children.
• Her husband said to her: “You should be locked away.” “Why don’t you pop another pill?” “You’re insane.” “You should be put in an insane asylum.” “You are an unfit mother.” “I can do whatever I want. You don’t have a restraining order.”

What Fotis Dulos said in court filings

• His wife was unfit to be the sole parent of the children.
• She lost one of the children, including once on a trip to London.
• He denied threatening to take the children out of the country.
• He had previously discussed the possibility of purchasing a gun with his wife. He turned the gun into the police.
• He denied forcing the children to water ski. He said they wanted to compete.
• His wife tried to alienate the children from him by scheduling non-essential activities during his parenting time.
• Jennifer Dulos made disparaging comments about him, including, “Your father did not work enough to make more money.” “Your dad is a psychopath.” “You are your father’s slave.” “Your dad does not care about you.”

Court finds Fotis Dulos pressured his children to lie

In 2017, Jennifer Dulos asked to have full custody of the children, but her request was denied. But as the custody battle continued, less than a year later, Judge Donna Heller found that Fotis Dulos lied to the court and put the children in danger. The custody decision was reversed.

According to the Stamford Advocate, 

The judge concluded that Fotis Dulos was pressuring his children to lie in order to advance his argument, and that in at least one instance, his actions constituted “emotional abuse.”

In the communication, Heller wrote, “the court does not find the defendant to be credible.”

Further, she wrote, “the defendant does not seem to appreciate in any respect the consequences of lying under oath and willfully violating a court order. His facility in testifying falsely to the court suggests that he is equally comfortable in encouraging the children to lie to achieve his desired outcome.”

The court found that the children would be in “physical danger” if Fotis Dulos were allowed to have unrestricted and unsupervised contact with them, and that such interaction would be an “immediate and present risk of psychological harm” to the children.

He was ordered to only interact with them in supervised settings and could only speak to them on the phone through speakerphone, so the conversation could be monitored.

Fotis Dulos and girlfriend arrested

Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis were arrested and charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and hindering prosecution, according to CNN.

Attempting to dispose of bags of bloody clothing certainly sounds like psychopathic behavior. So does failing to pay almost $2 million in loans — that’s what Fotis Dulos owes Jennifer’s mother and late father.

But what really reveals the level of the man’s disorder is the court record in the Fotis divorce and custody battle. If you are involved with someone who exhibits similar behaviors, you must be on high alert. Get a tough attorney and learn how to work with law enforcement.

For more information, check out Lovefraud’s webinars:

Court and divorce with sociopaths, narcissists, psychopaths