NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — It’s been a few weeks now since the trial of . During her trial, loved ones of Jennifer Farber Dulos were in the courtroom every day.
“We became quick friends,” said Carrie Luft, spokesperson for the family and friends of Jennifer Farber Dulos. “I think mostly based on our sense of humor. The way you find someone who gets life in the same way you do.”
Luft met Farber in the fall of 1990. They were incoming graduate students in NYU’s dramatic writing program.
“It’s a quality of Jennifer’s. When she made true friends, they were friends for life,” she explained. “She has friends from kindergarten.”
Sitting down with News 8, Luft told News 8 she feels lucky to have had Farber Dulos in her life for so long.
Jennifer Farber and Carrie Luft“She always wanted to be a mom, and when she became a mom and built this wonderful group of kids, how extraordinary that was for her and for them,” Luft said. “That it was incredibly important to her that they knew how loved they were.”
But on May 24, 2019, the unthinkable happened. It’s believed . His then-girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, was recently convicted of conspiring with him and helping him cover up the crimes.
“It’s hard to remember what it was like before May 24 happened,” Luft said. “At the same time, I know it’s a cliche. It has all been very, very condensed.”
Luft has served as a spokesperson for Farber Dulos’ family and friends for years, providing updates throughout the investigation. While the rest of the world watched it all unfold, she was living it.
“When you tune into a story, over a period of time, and there are people involved that you see time and again, that they’re real people,” Luft said. “I think for some of us, it has been exceedingly strange to be characters in a story, but it’s important to remember this story is real. All of these people’s lives are real. Jennifer’s life is real.”
When Troconis’ case went to trial, Luft was in the courtroom with Farber Dulos’ loved ones daily.
“It mattered to us to show up for Jennifer and for her family and for her prosecutors and the investigators who have unfailingly devoted themselves to this case for five years,” Luft explained.
She was in the courtroom when .
“We linked arms and just were kind of suspended in time, waiting to hear what we would hear,” recounted Luft. “When the verdict came out as it was, for me, there was an incredible sense of relief.”
Troconis was found guilty on all six counts, including the most serious charge, conspiracy to commit murder. She has maintained her innocence from the start.
Kent Mawhinney, Dulos’ friend and lawyer, has also been charged in connection to Faber Dulos’ disappearance and death.
“We know that none of this is over,” Luft said. “This phase reached a milestone, then there’s the next phase, then there’s another trial. We just take this day by day.”
Luft said the prosecutors described it best. Those seven weeks felt like living on an island, and now, they’re working to re-enter daily life, which has been anything but normal since that day.
“In terms of Jennifer and how she’s present in all of our daily lives, I would say the most immediate way is through her children,” Luft said. “Her personality is reflected in each of them in a different and very specific way, and that is just a delight to see and experience—and her love, it comes through them. They’re amazing young people.”
For that, Luft credits the strength of Farber Dulos’ mother, Gloria.
“Her strength is astounding,” Luft said.
Luft said they remain focused on honoring Farber Dulos’ life and seeking answers to the questions that remain nearly five years later.