Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Suspect in DC Mansion Murders in Custody

Daron Dylon Wint, 34, was arrested Thursday evening in DC. Officials surmise that Wint had help with alleged crimes.

DC Police took Daron Dylon Wint, 34, into custody Thursday night in D.C. on charges of First Degree Felony Murder in the DC mansion murders. Wint is a resident of Lanham, Md.

Police were tracking leads since last Thursday when firefighters found the bodies of Savvas Savopoulos, 46, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47, son, Philip, 10 and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57. All were found dead last Thursday in the family’s multimillion-dollar mansion, where firefighters were called to put out a blaze at the home in the 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW. The area is an exclusive neighborhood near the National Cathedral that includes the home of Vice President Joe Biden.

Police are investigating whether there are more suspects in addition to Wint, according to a report Friday by The Washington Post. Detective Jeffrey Owens, in an affidavit, says he believes the crimes “required the presence and assistance of more than one person.”

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Last week, police quickly surmised the family was killed before what they called the intentionally set fire. Three of the four bodies showed signs of blunt force trauma injuries, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

The manhunt for Wint led them to Brooklyn, Lanier said Thursday. Wint’s girlfriend reportedly lives there.

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The arrest Thursday night took place at about 11 p.m., when members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force located and arrested Wint in the 1000 block of Rhode Island Avenue, in Northeast Washington. There were reportedly 25 unmarked police cars that converged on a white Chevy Cruze, according to media reports.

The Washington Post reported that Wint was in the back seat and a woman was driving the car, with another woman in the front passenger seat. They had just left a Howard Johnson’s motel in Maryland.

Wint made an appearance Friday afternoon before a DC Circuit Court judge and was ordered to give a DNA sample, Acting US Attorney for District of Columbia Vincent H. Cohen Jr. said in a news conference. Wint is being held in jail without bond.

It was DNA left on a crust of leftover pizza at the mansion that led police to Wint, according to the Washington Post. Domino’s PIzza was delivered last Wednesday night to the DC mansion while the family was reportedly being held captive, according to police.

An assistant to Savopoulos brought $40,000 in cash to the home while the family was being held captive last Thursday. Shortly after, the home went up in a blaze and someone was seen driving the family’s blue Porsche away from the home.

Police say Wint had ties to Savopoulos, who was the CEO of American Iron Works. Wint worked at the company from 2003 to 2005 as a welder.

Wint has a record that includes charges of assault, carrying concealed weapons and theft in Prince George’s County, according to several media reports. His home address is near where the family’s blue Porsche was found burning late Thursday, the day the bodies were found. Police released a grainy video of a suspect caught on surveillance video near where the car was found.

Police said that during Thursday night’s arrest, $10,000 was found in a truck that was traveling with the Chevy Cruze.

The Savopoulos family released a statement Friday, thanking law enforcement: “While it 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. Our family, and Vera’s family, have suffered unimaginable loss.”

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