New Evidence Links Other Suspects to 2015 Mansion Murders

In 2015, Washington D.C. was witness to one of the most heinous crimes of recent decades. It quickly became dubbed “The D.C. Mansion Murders.”

Now, the defense of the man convicted of the murders is arguing another suspect killed the victims. The trial began September 5.

The Crime

On May 14, 2015, a fire broke out at the Savopoulos family home. Firefighters rushed to the scene and found the bodies of the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper inside. All were tortured, beaten and killed.

Using evidence compiled from that period, officials slowly pieced together what they believe occurred.

On May 13, it’s suspected the perpetrator entered the house and took control of the family. That night, Mr. Savvas Savopoulos requested $40,000 in cash be delivered to the house the next day. During this period, the hostages were brutally tortured.

After the money was provided the next day, a fire erupted out of 10-year-old Philip Savopoulos’s bedroom. Afterwards, firefighters discovered it was intentionally started.

Eventually, Daron Wint was arrested as the suspect.

The Suspect

A pizza crust found at the crime scene was taken to a lab for DNA testing. It produced a match to Daron Wint, who worked as a welder at American Iron Works, which was owned by Savvas Savopoulos. According to the prosecutors, several other articles at the scene were also linked to Wint.

After a 48-hour manhunt, Wint was captured by officials along with a caravan of possible accomplices. In Wint’s car, officials found the ransom money that was dropped off to the Savopoulos’s house.

The Trial

Officials have long believed Wint had accomplices. An eyewitness described a man with different characteristics from Wint fleeing from Savopoulos’s blue Porche, which was intentionally burned. Additionally, Wint’s cousin also worked at American Iron Works and threatened to burn it down when he was fired, resulting in a restraining order.

Even so, Wint was the only individual accused of the crime. He was charged with 20 felony offenses, including premeditated murder. “The major difference between murder and manslaughter is that the latter involves taking life without forethought,” explains an attorney from Goldman Wetzel.

However, new information from Wint’s defense indicates that another person may have committed the actual murders, which may drop Wint’s sentence. The defendant’s lawyers argue Wint’s brother and half-brother tricked him into going into the house, where he ate the pizza without being aware it was a crime scene.

They further explain that Jordan Wallace, Mr. Savopoulos’s assistant, was acquainted with Wint’s half-brother and familiar with the family. Wallace was a past suspect in the case but was released without any charges.

There may also be indication that evidence at the crime scene was improperly collected or ignored, although statements are controversial.

Further Investigations

Wint faces a minimum of 30 years in prison for each murder charge without the possibility for release. Although most speculate Wint was involved in the crime, other acquaintances may still be at large.