STAMFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — State prosecutors were in Stamford court on Tuesday to drop the charges against Fotis Dulos. The accused killer died of an apparent suicide in January, but his lawyer tried to keep the case going.

In court, the state filed to drop the kidnapping and murder case but Dulos’ attorney Norm Pattis objected. The judge, however, sided with the state and the case has been dropped, effectively ending the case against Dulos.

With any other case, what happened Tuesday would not be newsworthy. When a defendant dies, usually, the case against him/her does too. But this is no ordinary case.

It was five weeks ago that Dulos was found in his closed garage, behind the wheel with the car running. A note said he couldn’t live being accused of a crime he did not commit. He was accused of killing his wife Jennifer Dulos. It’s been nine months since she was last seen dropping her five kids off at school in New Canaan.

The state was building a circumstantial case against Dulos involving forensic evidence of her blood in a truck Dulos had access to that day and surveillance video that allegedly shows him and his then-girlfriend dumping bags in Hartford trash cans.

PATTIS: explanation of ALBANY AVE TRASH BAGS—Fotis found debris in his yard and disposed of it—@WTNH — Sabina Kuriakose (@SabinaKuriakose) March 3, 2020

Recovered bags contained Jennifer’s bloody clothes and cleaning supplies. In his note, Dulos said, “My attorney can explain what happened with the bags on Albany Avenue.” In court, Pattis did just that.

“He left his home at one point that evening, he saw a third party known to the participants of this trial standing near a pile of debris in his yard. He panicked and disposed of the debris.”

Pattis claimed Dulos had suspicions about what was in the bags but didn’t know it was evidence.

WEB EXTRA: Dulos’ attorneys speak after court appearance

In court, Dulos’ attorneys maintained his innocence and claimed multiple people — excluding Dulos — killed Jennifer.

“Ms. Dulos came to a violent end at the hands of third parties unrelated to Mr. Dulos,” Pattis said.

The team refused to give names and when pressed by reporters Pattis said, “It takes time to recover from the loss of someone you care about when we’re thinking a little more clearly we’ll be in touch.”

Unpleased with the judge’s decision, Pattis said he wanted the estate of Dulos to become the defendant, and he wanted the state to try the case so that he can clear Dulos’s name. Dulos’ attorneys said they will appeal and try to go forward with a trial, or at least some kind of legal claim against the state.