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A man suspected of slaughtering four people in their wealthy Washington D.C. home was captured Thursday night after a manhunt that involved "just about every law enforcement officer in the country," according to Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier. Daron Dylon Wint, 34, has been charged with first-degree felony murder for the killings of Savvas Savopoulos, the 46-year-old CEO of American Iron Works, his wife, Amy, 10-year-old son Philip, and housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa.
Police believe Wint, who has been arrested numerous times in the past for domestic violence, theft, assault, and alcohol violations, held the family captive in their 4.5 million home on May 13 before ultimately bludgeoning Savopoulos, his wife, and Figueroa, and burning the little boy beyond recognition. He allegedly torched their house and possibly drove off in Savopoulos' Porsche, which was discovered two miles away from the home.
The family was survived by two teen daughters, who were away at boarding school at the time.
Wint's DNA was reportedly detected on a pizza crust after two Dominoes pizzas were delivered online on that tragic day. The deliveryman left the pizzas outside of the home, where an envelope with money had been placed.
That same day, one of Savopoulos' personal assistants dropped off an envelope with $40,000 outside of their home — money the CEO was planning to use to open a martial arts center. When police arrived at the scene, the money was gone.
Police have not released a motive for this crime, but Wint has connections to American Iron Works. He reportedly worked for the company as a welder for an undetermined amount of time and — even more chilling: he was arrested in 2010 outside of the company's headquarters in Maryland with a BB pistol and a 2-foot-long machete. His weapon charges were dropped after he pleaded guilty to possession of an open container of alcohol.
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What's more: police say there was no sign of forced entry into the family's very secure home. They suspect Wint had studied the family's routine and knew how to gain access to their home.
The search for the suspect took police to New York, where they believed he might be hiding out with his girlfriend in Brooklyn. Confusing matters even more, the unidentified girlfriend, who is in police custody, told cops Wint was planning on surrendering.
Federal marshals tracked Wint down Thursday night in the parking lot of a Howard Johnson Express Inn in College Park, Maryland. He and two women were found in a white Chevrolet Cruze trailing a white truck with two men inside, one of whom is believed to be Wint's relative. Police reportedly found at least $10,000 cash in the truck.
All of the suspects were taken into custody. Perhaps the only positive thing to come from this story is that the arrests sound as if they were relatively peaceful and, after learning more about the suspect's violent past and the nightmare this poor family endured, it's a relief that police officers were not harmed while capturing the suspects.
Wint is originally from Guyana. After he moved to the United States 15 years ago, he joined the Marine Corps but received an honorable discharge for medical reasons. Something must have happened after his release because he soon began committing crimes. He was convicted of second-degree assault in 2009 and pleaded guilty in 2010 to malicious destruction of property in Maryland.
Prior to that, while living in Oswego, New York, between 2006 and 2008, he was booked into jail three times for unknown reasons, but the charges were all eventually dropped.
This arrest provides relief and closure, of course, but it certainly won't bring back this family and their trusted housekeeper. Their surviving daughters released the following heertbreaking statement:
While (the arrest) does not abate our pain, we hope that it begins to restore a sense of calm and security to our neighborhood and to our city. We are blessed to live in a community comprised of close circles of friends who have supported us and grieve with us. Our family, and Vera's family, have suffered unimaginable loss, and we ask for the time and space to grieve privately.
Image via Metropolitan Police Department
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