Darron Dellon Dennis Wint, 37, (also known as Daron Wint), formerly of Lanham, Md., has been sentenced to four consecutive sentences of life in prison, with no possibility of release, for the May 2015 slayings of Savvas Savopoulos, his wife Amy Savopoulos, their son Philip Savopoulos, and household employee Veralicia Figueroa.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu, Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and Ashan M. Benedict, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Wint was found guilty by a jury of 20 felony charges, including multiple counts of first-degree murder while armed, on Oct. 25, 2018, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
(Learn More. Courtesy of WUSA9 and YouTube. Posted on Oct 18, 2018.)
At sentencing, the Honorable Juliet McKenna declared that the defendant’s conduct was “incomprehensible” and agreed with a jury finding that the crimes were heinous, atrocious and cruel.
“Today’s sentence holds Darron Wint accountable for kidnapping, torturing and ultimately murdering four innocent people, including a 10-year-old child, in an unspeakable ordeal that extended over almost 24 hours,” said U.S. Attorney Liu.
“Our hearts go out to the Savopoulos and Figueroa families, and we hope that they can take some comfort in knowing that this dangerous man has been brought to justice.”
“Our hope is that today’s sentencing brings closure to the Savopoulos and Figueroa families, as well as the community who were all affected by this heinous crime,” added Chief Newsham.
“MPD worked tirelessly with our local and federal law enforcement partners to bring justice and I believe that today we can all move forward.”
“I commend the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their efforts that led to the conclusion of this case.”
Over the course of nearly six weeks of testimony, the government presented testimony from more than 60 witnesses, including some that linked Wint to the crime scene through DNA on a pizza crust and other items.
(After narrowly missing Daron Wint at his girlfriend’s apartment in Brooklyn, New York, the manhunt for the killer finally came to an end in the D.C. area. Hear how authorities were able to track and catch Wint. Courtesy of CBS Evening News and YouTube. Posted on May 22, 2015.)
The jury found Wint guilty of all charges that were filed against him in an indictment, which included the murder counts, kidnapping, burglary, extortion and theft.
The charges involved a series of crimes which took place on May 13 and May 14, 2015, during a home invasion of the Savopoulos family residence in Northwest Washington.
On May 13, 2015, Wint entered the Savopoulos home and seized and kidnapped the four victims, according to evidence presented at trial.
The following day, he stole $40,000 through means of extortion, murdered the victims, and set fire to the house.
After responding to reports of the fire, authorities discovered the bodies of Savvas Savopoulos, 46, Amy Savopoulos, 47, Philip Savopoulos, 10, and Veralicia Figueroa, 57.
(The Savopolus family of three and their housekeeper are murdered in their suburban Washington DC home; questions such as the who and why remain. CNN’s Pam Brown goes inside the gruesome DC Mansion murders. Courtesy of CNN, ConstantlySporadic and YouTube. Posted on Jun 24, 2015.)
In the aftermath of the murders, Wint performed a series of Internet searches for subjects such as “how to beat a lie detector test,” “10 hideout cities for fugitives,” and “five countries with no U.S. extradition treaty.”
He fled to New York after he was publicly identified as a person of interest in the case and hid in a hotel, according to the government’s evidence.
He eventually returned to the area and was arrested on May 21, 2015, and has been in custody since that time.
Wint was found guilty of a total of 12 counts of first-degree murder while armed, all with aggravating circumstances.
The charges include:
- Four counts of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) in the course of a kidnapping
- Four counts of first-degree murder while armed (felony murder) in the course of a burglary
- Four counts of first-degree premeditated murder while armed
- Four counts of kidnapping, and
- One count each of first-degree burglary, extortion, arson, and first-degree theft
“The tragic and horrific events of May 2015 are a grim reminder of why investigating violent crime is a top priority for ATF,” said Special Agent in Charge Benedict.
“Today we take another step closer to justice for the victims and their families and another step closer to helping this community try to heal.”
“ATF is committed to working with our law enforcement partners every day in our ongoing priority to reducing violent crime and securing the safety of our communities.”
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Assistance was provided in the case by the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Secret Service, the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, the Prince George’s County Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, (MD) and the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences.
The case was investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Laura R. Bach, Christopher Bruckmann, and Emily A. Miller, and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bach and Bruckmann.
Assistance was provided by a team at the U.S. Attorney’s Office which included:
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- Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker
- Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegeris
- Deputy Chiefs Chrisellen Kolb, John Mannarino, and Elizabeth Danello, of the Appellate Division
- Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation
- Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman
- Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite and Meridith McGarrity
- Former Paralegal Specialist Kendra Johnson
- Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling
- Litigation Technology Specialist Anisha Bhatia
- Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin
- Criminal Investigator John Marsh
- Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington
- Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames
- Former Forensic Operation/Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie
- Law Clerks Siri Palm and Julie Bessler, and former Law Clerk Jim McNally
Darron Wint sentenced to four consecutive terms of life in prison – with no possibility of release – for murders of four people in NW DC in May 2015; killed 3 family members and a household employee in home invasion. @DCPoliceDept @ATFHQ https://t.co/qEPmrtP8g3
— U.S. Attorney DC (@USAO_DC) February 1, 2019
