- Michelle Troconis was arrested earlier this month in connection with the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, a Connecticut mother who went missing in May.
- Troconis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
- One of Troconis’ alibis on the day of Dulos’ disappearance involves an alleged trip to a Simsbury Stop and Shop, where Troconis claims to have taken a photo with Marty, the googly-eyed clean-up assisting robot that roams the aisles of hundreds of Stop and Shop stores.
- Stop and Shop and the Connecticut State Police could not comment about Marty’s involvement in the case.
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One suspect in an unresolved murder case has an unusual alibi that involves a grocery store robot named Marty.
Jennifer Dulos, a Connecticut mother of five, was last seen on May 24, 2019. Jennifer’s estranged husband Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, were both arrested earlier this month in connection with the disappearance of Jennifer.
Fotis Dulos was charged with murder and Troconis was charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Both were initially arrested on charges of tampering with evidence in June.
Troconis gave three alibis for her whereabouts — recorded in her arrest warrant — on the day that Jennifer went missing. Troconis said that she visited a Stop and Shop store in Simsbury, Connecticut on the day that Jennifer was last seen, which was her secondary alibi for her whereabouts.
Troconis said she took photos of herself with Marty, the googly-eyed robot which alerts employees about potential hazards and spills in store aisles.
Marty was rolled out to 172 Giant Food Stores and 325 Stop and Shop locations beginning last January.
According to a website that was recently launched for the robot, Marty has cameras to take photos of floors to identify hazards, though he does not take videos of customers. The website also says that Marty does not monitor for any security threats.
Stop and Shop could not comment on whether Marty’s possible surveillance records would be subpoenaed and if Marty or Stop and Shop could corroborate Troconis’ alibi. The Connecticut State Police could also not comment about Marty’s involvement in the case, as the investigation is ongoing.
Since his introduction one year ago, Marty has become popular among customers, mostly children. Marty is celebrating one year since the start of his roll-out last January with a birthday party in all 325 Stop and Shop stores on Saturday.