FARMINGTON, CT — Fotis Dulos, accused of killing his estranged wife Jennifer Farber Dulos, remained in critical condition Tuesday night after he suffered carbon monoxide poisoning in what is believed to be a suicide attempt at his home. Police found Dulos, 52, in distress in his car in his garage Tuesday morning. He was medflighted to Jacobi Medical Center in New York.
Dulos had been scheduled to appear in Stamford Superior Court at noon Tuesday for a hearing on the status of his $6 million bond. But at 11:54 a.m., Farmington police said a dispatcher received a phone call asking them to conduct a check of Dulos’ home, as he was late for the court appearance. The court-mandated GPS unit Dulos was wearing showed him to be at his home, police said.
“When officers arrived on scene, they could see Mr. Dulos sitting inside his vehicle in the locked garage,” police said in a news release. “Mr. Dulos was in obvious medical distress, so officers forced entry and immediately began life-saving measures.”
East Farmington Fire, UConn Health Fire, and AMR all responded and assisted. Dulos was initially taken to UCONN Health Hospital and then flown via LifeStar to Jacobi Medical Center in New York, police said.
Law enforcement was expecting to be at Dulos’ home for a few more hours as they processed the scene, Farmington police Lt. Tim McKenzie said. There are still some legal considerations that police were working through, he said.
When reached for comment Tuesday evening, Carrie Luft, spokesperson for the Farber family, told Patch that Jennifer’s family was not commenting at the present time.
“It would not be appropriate for us to comment at this time,” Luft said.
Conflicting and multiple media reports circulated earlier during the day on Tuesday that Fotis Dulos had died. Even one of his attorneys told the media that his client had died, reports stated. In addition, the Farber family had been notified that Fotis was dead, according to reports.
But about 20 minutes later, reports surfaced that Dulos was alive and that his other attorney, Norm Pattis, said his client had a faint pulse, according to Fox 61. Patch reached out to Pattis for comment but has not yet received a reply.
Carbon monoxide has no odor or color and is a byproduct of incomplete combustion. Higher-level CO poisoning can cause loss of consciousness and death. The effects can be reversed if caught in time, but permanent damage to the heart and brain are possible.
Dulos was scheduled to appear at noon for an emergency bond hearing in Stamford Superior Court. But moments before the hearing, it was learned that Dulos didn’t arrive at court, and a large police presence arrived at his Farmington home. An ambulance was seen rushing away from the residence Tuesday afternoon.
The bond hearing was scheduled Tuesday over some concerns about whether an insurance company would still back Dulos’ $6 million bond. It was possible that Dulos’ bond may have been revoked Tuesday afternoon due to concerns about the bond payment. A bond hearing is still a possibility on Wednesday, according to reports.
Dulos is facing murder charges in connection with the killing of Jennifer Farber Dulos, 50. She was last seen on May 24, and her body has never been found.
Jennifer and Fotis Dulos were in the midst of a contentious divorce and custody battle over their five children at the time of her disappearance. Soon after Jennifer vanished, Fotis Dulos and his then girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, were suspected of discarding bloody items, including clothing, sponges and other items, in the Hartford area, according to authorities. Some of those items tested positive for Jennifer Dulos’ blood, authorities said.
Troconis has been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, as was Hartford-area attorney Kent Mawhinney, a friend of Fotis.
Troconis is free on bond, but Mawhinney remains in custody, unable to post bond on his bail of $2 million. Both are scheduled to appear in February in Stamford Superior Court; how the current situation will impact their cases was not immediately known.
Dulos was placed under strict house arrest Thursday following a violation in the terms of his release on bond.
Superior Court Judge Gary White recently removed the condition that would allow Dulos to leave his Farmington home for business reasons but still allowed him to leave for meetings with his legal team, medical appointments or religious services.
Fotis Dulos and his attorneys were in court last week to waive his right to a probable cause hearing in the case, but also to answer a prosecution motion filed Wednesday that he had violated the terms of his release.
State’s Attorney Richard Colangelo said that on Jan. 17, Dulos made an unapproved stop on Jefferson Crossing in Farmington, the road where he lives, to remove items from a memorial to his slain wife.
“He had permission for three stops, and he made a fourth unauthorized stop,” Colangelo told Judge White. “I want it in clear black and white what he can and can’t do.”
Defense attorney Pattis argued that the memorial “is not an ordinary memorial, but is designed as a means of taunting Mr. Dulos.”
Patch will update the story. Please check back for updates.
Additional reporting by Rich Scinto, Patch staff