Fotis Dulos, Connecticut man charged with killing wife, dies by suicide
Fotis Dulos, the Connecticut man charged with killing his estranged wife, has died by suicide, according to his lawyer.
Dulos was found unresponsive in his garage after a suicide attempt on Tuesday.
He had been in "dire" condition in a hospital in the Bronx, New York, for two days after being flown there by helicopter from UConn Health Center.
"Fotis Dulos was declared dead tonight at 5:32," his lawyer, Norm Pattis, said at a press conference Thursday. "His family came in from Greece and decided today to donate his organs so that he will live on in some form -- in the assistance that he can provide to others in their own individual struggles."
Pattis called it a "truly horrific day for the family."
"As to those who contend that Mr. Dulos' death reflects a consciousness of guilt, we say 'no,' we say it was more a conscience overworn with the weight of a world that was too busy to listen and that wanted a story more than it wanted the truth. We're not bitter and we're not accusing anyone of having driven him to his death, we wonder why -- in the court of public opinion -- the presumption of innocence was so quickly satisfied."
Dulos' estranged wife, Jennifer Dulos, disappeared in May 2019 amid a contentious custody battle. Her body has never been found. The two have five children together.
Authorities allege Jennifer Dulos was killed at her home on May 24, 2019 between 8:05 a.m. and 10:25 a.m -- after she returned from taking her children to school, according to an arrest warrant.
Police claim he bound Jennifer Dulos with zip ties, put her inside her own car and cleaned the garage, according to an arrest warrant.
His lawyer said he will continue the fight to clear Dulos' name.
"The family is adamant that his name be cleared," Pattis continued. "As we are speaking we have filed an unusual motion in the Connecticut courts asking to substitute an estate for Fotis Dulos for him as a defendant to force the state to show its hand in a trial filled with evidence, we think amounts to no more than innuendo and unsupported suspicion. ... It will be a difficult challenge to persuade the state of Connecticut to go forth with a trial in the absence of a defendant, but having maligned the man for all time from coast to coast, and if not there, around the world, we're asking for the right to clear his name. We intend to proceed on as if he were alive to vindicate him, because we think he's wrongfully accused.
No suicide note was found in the home of Fotis Dulos nor any other evidence of significance, law enforcement sources told ABC News.
However, police did find a document in which Dulos reiterates his innocence, the sources said. It’s unclear when that was written.
"Upon information and belief, in the course of executing a search of Fotis Dulos's car, law enforcement officials recovered a note in which he declared his innocence of the infamous and heinous crimes that the State has accused him of and claimed his lawyers have the evidence to prove it," a motion to preserve evidence filed Thursday in superior court said.
The Connecticut State Police said Thursday they searched Dulos’ home as part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of Jennifer Dulos.
CTSP declined to comment, citing the gag order imposed on the case.
Pattis also released a statement to ABC News calling it an execution: "Mr. Dulos was tried and convicted in the court of public opinion. Now he has been executed. We remain committed to demonstrating he did not murder Jennifer.”
ABC News' Aaron Katersky and Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
