News

Suspect In D.C. Mansion Murders Arrested

by Melissah Yang

According to authorities, D.C. mansion murder suspect Daron Dylan Wint was arrested Thursday evening shortly before 11 p.m. in northeast Washington. Police took Wint in custody after the 34-year-old was named a suspect in the killing of four people in a gruesome slaying and arson case in the nation's capital. Wint is charged with first degree felony murder while armed, according to ABC News.

A massive manhunt for Wint began after the bodies of 46-year-old American Iron Works CEO Savvas Savopoulos, 47-year-old wife Amy, 10-year-old son Philip, and the family's housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa were found charred and allegedly bound at the Savopoulos' home in an affluent neighborhood of northwest Washington. Firefighters responded to a fire at the house on May 14 and discovered the grisly scene. There were reports Wint might have been in Brooklyn, New York, before he was taken into custody late Thursday.

The Savopoulos family, through a spokesperson, released a statement thanking law enforcement for arresting the person who is suspected of the brutal killings.

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. We are blessed to live in a community comprised of close circles of friends who have supported us and grieve with us.

Wint was identified as a suspect due to unusual circumstances: Officials said they discovered Wint's DNA on a pizza crust found at the scene. Authorities sought to assure the public the incident was not a random crime. Wint, a certified welder, reportedly was a former employee at Savopoulos' company, though officials have yet to confirm a motive. In 2009, Wint was convicted of second degree assault in Maryland, according to local ABC affiliate WJLA, as well as pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property in 2010.