WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – A Guyanese man charged in the deaths of a wealthy Washington businessman, his wife, son and housekeeper was arraigned today and ordered held without bond.
Daron Wint, 34, of Lanham, Maryland, is accused of holding construction business owner Savvas Savopoulos and the others captive until he got $40,000 in cash, then killing them and setting fire to their mansion, according to court documents.
Wint, who faces a charge of first-degree murder, was arrested late on Thursday in the U.S. capital. Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent Cohen Jr. said he was being held without bond.
A preliminary hearing was set for June 23.
“We will continue to investigate this case and bring all charges that are appropriate in the coming weeks,” he told reporters outside District of Columbia Superior Court.
Wint was wanted in the deaths of Savopoulos, who owned a construction materials company; his wife, Amy, 47; son Phillip, 10; and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57.
A court affidavit said that the crime needed more than one person to have been carried out.
When he was arrested, Wint was a passenger in a car that was traveling alongside a truck. Police also arrested three men and two women in the vehicles. Police Chief Cathy Lanier later told CNN they had been released.
The bodies were found on May 14 inside the Savopoulos mansion in an upscale neighborhood near the official residence of Vice President Joseph Biden. The house had been set on fire.
The affidavit said Savopoulos, his wife and Figueroa died from being struck and stabbed. Phillip died from “thermal and sharp force injuries,” it said.
The four were held captive on the evening of May 13. Savopoulos had an aide deliver $40,000 in cash to the house the next day, the court document said.
Police found more than $10,000 in money orders in Wint’s car and a stack of $100 bills and more money orders in the truck, the document said. Police have said Wint had worked for Savopoulos’ company, American Iron Works.
Police identified Wint from DNA found on the crust of a pizza that had been delivered to the house late on May 13, the affidavit said.
During the arraignment, defense attorney Natalie Lawson said
the government’s case was “based on speculation and guesswork.”
Prosecutor Emily Miller said: “Simply put, the defendant’s DNA was on pizza left in a room with three dead adults.”
An earlier story follows
(Reuters) A man accused of killing a Washington businessman, his wife, son and housekeeper faced arraignment today after authorities tracked him down overnight in the U.S. capital.
The suspect, Daron Wint, 34, of Lanham, Maryland, faces a charge of first-degree murder while armed at his arraignment some time after 1 p.m. EDT in District of Columbia Superior Court.
Members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force had tracked Wint to a Howard Johnson hotel in College Park, Maryland, just outside Washington, late on Thursday, only to see him leave as they arrived. Officers and a helicopter pursued Wint, who was in a car, and a small moving truck that was traveling with him.
“We did a vehicle pin maneuver on both vehicles and we were able to arrest everyone,” Commander Robert Fernandez of the U.S. Marshals Service told CNN.
Besides Wint, police arrested three men and two women in the vehicles, Fernandez said.
Wint was wanted for the slayings of businessman Savvas Savopoulos, 46; his wife, Amy, 47; son Phillip, 10; and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57. Their bodies were found on May 14 inside the Savopoulos mansion in a neighborhood near Vice President Joe Biden’s official residence.
Media reports said Savopoulos had an aide deliver $40,000 in cash to the home that day before it was set ablaze.
Fernandez told CNN that officers “barely missed” catching Wint late on Wednesday in New York.
The Washington Post quoted an official as saying that at least one of the men arrested with Wint was believed to be a relative. It said police found at least $10,000 in cash in the truck.
Police Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters on Thursday that Wint had worked for Savopoulos’ construction materials company, American Iron Works.
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that authorities began searching for Wint after his DNA was recovered from the crust of a pizza that had been delivered to the house.
In a statement, the Savopoulos family thanked police for the arrest. “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,” it said.
The earlier story follows:
A Guyanese man is suspected of murdering his former employer, the employer’s wife and child and the family’s housekeeper. The bodies were discovered on May 14 at the family residence in Washington D.C.
Police along with federal agents continue to search for Daron Dylon Wint, 34 years, who has been charged in a warrant with first-degree murder while armed. He is believed to be hiding in Brooklyn, New York.
According to the Washington Post, Savvas Savopoulos, 46, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47, their 10-year-old son Philip and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57, of Silver Spring were found dead after a fire was set at Savopoulos’ US$4.5M mansion located in one of the most affluent neighbourhoods which also counts the American Vice President Joe Biden as a resident.
Authorities believe that Wint, a resident of Maryland who moved to the United States in 2000 from Guyana, held the family hostage prior to committing the heinous act.
Wint had worked for American Iron Works, of which Savopoulos was the Chief Executive Officer.
The Washington Post said that Wint was identified through DNA found on a piece of discarded pizza that was delivered to the Savopoulos home the night before the bodies were discovered.
D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier is reported in the Washington Post as saying “What we can tell you right now is that we do believe there is a connection between the suspect in this case through the business. So right now it does not appear that this was a random crime.” The police have refused to provide further information as to a possible motive, however according to records Savopoulos’ assistant had dropped off US$40,000 in cash at the residence on the morning of May 14.
The Associated Press stated that Wint worked as a welder after joining the US Marines. He has a criminal record including an arrest for brandishing a 24” cutlass and a BB pistol outside of the American Iron Work headquarters in 2010 and a prior assault conviction in 2009.
Wint’s family has called on him to turn himself in and authorities are offering a US$25,000 reward for any information regarding his whereabouts.