STAMFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — The mother of Jennifer Farber Dulos took the stand Wednesday as the state’s last witness in the trial against Michelle Troconis.

Gloria Farber took the stand briefly and answered questions about her daughter Jennifer Farber Dulos, who disappeared on May 24, 2019, and was officially declared dead in October 2023.

She testified that on the afternoon of May 24, Farber Dulos and her children were set to meet Farber at her apartment in New York City. The children arrived with their nanny, Lauren Almeida, who previously testified, but Farber Dulos never showed up.

“Have you seen your daughter since she failed to show up at your apartment on May 24, 2019?” asked Michelle Manning, assistant supervisory state’s attorney.

“No,” Farber said.

The state rested its case after a short cross-examination from Troconis’ defense attorney, Jon Schoenhorn.

Farber still lives in New York City and has custody of the five Dulos children, who were also in court on Wednesday.

Schoenhorn made a motion for acquittal on Wednesday morning. The judge denied the motion.

The defense began calling witnesses to the stand Wednesday, with Schoenhorn telling the jury that the state must prove that Dulos and Troconis agreed to restrain and kill Farber Dulos.

Troconis faces charges of second-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and conspiracy to commit murder in connection to the disappearance and presumed killing of Farber Dulos.

Troconis was Fotis Dulos’ live-in girlfriend when he allegedly killed his estranged wife at Farber Dulos’ New Canaan home.

Troconis is accused of being with Dulos when he drove around Hartford disposing of evidence in bags and was with him when he washed a truck to clear it of evidence. Video also allegedly shows Troconis discarding a package that contained old license plates in a storm drain.

Troconis has said she didn’t know what was in the bags and has denied any involvement.

Farber Dulos’ body has never been found. Dulos died by suicide after being charged in January 2020.

Schoenhorn said “the evidence is uncontested” that Dulos threw garbage into trash bins on Albany Avenue in Hartford. He also said that Dulos was alone when he went in to get a vehicle detailed and washed after he allegedly killed his estranged wife.

Assistant State’s Attorney Sean McGuinness said the vehicle was so clean afterward that there were no DNA profiles on it.

McGuinness said that a jury can infer that Dulos wanted to kill Farber Dulos because of their ongoing, “highly contentious divorce. McGuinness said blood spatter indicates that Dulos hit her with at least two blows.

“During [Troconis’] interview, the defendant said it was two years of torture,” McGuinness told the jury, adding that Troconis talked about getting a restraining order against Farber Dulos and that her relationship with Dulos was suffering because of the divorce.

He pointed to comments Troconis allegedly made about Farber Dulos, such as “That [expletive] should be buried next to the dog.”

If Troconis was at home while Dulos was in New Canaan killing Farber Dulos, then she could have manipulated Dulos’ phone, the state argued. That included what McGuinness said was a planned call.

“They could have thought she’s not under investigation, but he was,” he said.

McGuinness also accused Troconis of lighting fires inside the home she shared with Dulos as a way to destroy evidence. The prosecution has pointed out that smoke could be seen rising from the home’s chimney the day Farber Dulos disappeared — and that it’s odd that they would have lit a fire during the summer. Schoenhorn has called the claim that she was burning evidence “pure speculation.”

“It’s speculation, upon speculation, upon speculation,” he said.

He reasserted that Troconis did not know anything about the crime, including why Dulos was having a vehicle cleaned.

“Whatever he was doing inside that Tacoma, there is zero evidence she knew,” Schoenhorn said.

Part of the the defense’s strategy is expected to include that Troconis’ faced a language barrier during her interviews with police. Her first language is Spanish, and the interrogations were conducted in English.

Robert “Hutch” Haines, a member of a private ski club that Dulos was a member of, outlined his relationship with Dulos and Troconis — and touched upon the possible language barrier. When asked if Troconis ever had a “struggle with the right words” and asked what things meant, Haines said she did.

Haines became emotional during his time on the stand.

“It was probably one of the most painful times of my life,” he said.

The defense is expected to provide its last witness on Monday.