Fotis Dulos’ ex-lawyer Kent Mawhinney arrested in Jennifer Dulos case, allegedly dug makeshift grave
Lawyer Kent Mawhinney — who was arrested Tuesday alongside Fotis Dulos in the murder of Jennifer Dulos — allegedly dug a makeshift grave prior to the Connecticut mother’s disappearance, according to his arrest warrant.
Mawhinney, 54, a “close friend” of Fotis who represented him in a civil suit, was charged with conspiracy to commit murder in connection with Jennifer’s May 24 disappearance.
About a week earlier, on May 18, two members of the Windsor Rod & Gun Club in East Granby came upon a large hole, a blue tarp and two bags of lime in a restricted area on the grounds, the arrest warrant states.
Club member Jim Lawlor described the hole — which was about 2 feet wide, 6 feet long and 3 feet deep — as “100 percent a human grave.”
But Lawlor “shrugged it off” until he later heard that Mawhinney was “involved in that Dulos case,” the warrant says.
State police searched the area with K9s in August but found nothing suspicious. Mawhinney had founded the club but was no longer a member. In March or April, he’d allegedly asked a member about getting access to the property and was told of a hidden key.
His cellphone records put him near the site of the hole on March 29 and May 31, the warrant states.
Mawhinney was allegedly in close contact with Fotis the day Jennifer disappeared.
Fotis called his former lawyer while allegedly dumping evidence the night Jennifer went missing, according to phone records cited in his arrest affidavit.
When questioned in June, Mawhinney claimed he hadn’t been in touch with Fotis and that he suffered a concussion after falling down stairs May 25 and had to replace his broken phone, the court docs state.
In a second interview with cops, also in June, Mawhinney reiterated that he had no memory of talking to Fotis Dulos that night.
“I don’t remember having contact with him [Dulos]. If there’s a phone call I guess I did. But I don’t remember having contact with Fotis,” he told police, according to the affidavit.
It’s not the first time Mawhinney has faced legal troubles.
He was busted last year after Fotis reached out to the lawyer’s estranged wife, allegedly offering up a room in his home as a sex pad so the two could repair their relationship.
Mawhinney, of South Windsor, was arrested on Jan. 21, 2019, for allegedly sexually assaulting his wife, according to NBC Connecticut.
He was arrested that year for violating a protective order put in place in his own divorce. Mawhinney was accused of having Fotis contact his estranged wife on his behalf, the Stamford Advocate reported.
Mawhinney had been representing Fotis in the $2.5 million civil lawsuits brought by his estranged wife’s mother, Gloria Farber.
In one case filed in 2018, Farber claimed Fotis Dulos owed her $1 million in loan payments. The mother-in-law and her late husband lent Fotis money for his real estate development company, her suit alleged.
Mawhinney requested to be removed as attorney after Fotis was originally charged in Jennifer’s disappearance.
On Tuesday afternoon, Mawhinney was arrested at gunpoint during a traffic stop in Tolland and taken into custody, sources told The Hour newspaper.
He was being held on $2 million bond. He is expected to appear in court Wednesday.
Lee Gold, who represented Mawhinney in the 2019 cases, told NBC Connecticut he expects to represent him on any new charges. He couldn’t be reached by The Post on Tuesday night.