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On the afternoon of Thursday, May 14, 2015, smoke & flames began billowing from a home in a neighborhood situated in the Northwest quadrant of Washington D.C. A passerby ran to the home & began banging on the door; there was no answer although he could hear an alarm ringing from inside the house. In response to a 911 call placed at 1:24 pm, first responders quickly arrived at the multi-million dollar home on 3201 Woodland Drive.
As firefighters entered the home, they found an upstairs bedroom engulfed in flames & began searching the second floor, unsure if the home’s residents were there. A firefighter began crawling across the floor of another bedroom, blinded by the thick, dark smoke, when he came upon what felt like a person sitting in a chair, but as he grappled to pick the person up, their body fell through his hands.
Once the smoke began to clear, the firefighter was horrified by what he saw & radioed that the home was a crime scene after discovering three adult victims in one room, each bound to a chair, one still clinging to life. Blood covered the floor of the bedroom where 46-year-old Savvas Savopoulos, his wife, 47-year-old Amy Savopoulos & their housekeeper, 57-year-old Vera Figueroa were found while a bloody bat lay discarded on the bed.
The odor of gasoline hung heavy in the air & it was obvious that the fire began in the bedroom where Savvas & Amy’s 10-year-old son, Philip, was found. Sadly, Savvas, Amy & Philip were all pronounced dead at the scene while Vera was given CPR, transported to a local hospital & later pronounced dead.
Investigators soon realized that Amy’s blue Porsche was missing, but soon located the torched car in a church parking lot in Maryland.
The medical examiner later testified that all four victims had been stabbed while the three adults had been beaten with a baseball bat that Philip had been given as a birthday present from his grandfather, restrained & doused with gasoline. Savvas & Vera were also strangled. Both Amy & Savvas died before the fire began though due to the extent of the burns on his body, it couldn’t be determined if this was the case for Philip. Firefighter Cory Goetz testified that he found the young boy on a mattress in an upstairs bedroom that nearly burned through the room’s floorboards. A team of fire investigators determined that the fire started on the bed where he lay & gasoline was used to intensify the flames. No gas can was found at the scene although they did find matches. He had been stabbed multiple times in the abdomen, likely with a sword from his father’s martial arts collection. Vera had the fewest injuries & with a history of heart disease, had likely suffered a heart attack during the incident.
Investigators likened the scene inside the home to that of a warzone & what happened that day shook the once peaceful community that was nestled along a leafy street within the nation’s capital.
In May of 2015, like many parents of school-age children, Savvas & Amy were looking forward to the school year winding down into summer break. They were excited for the calmer schedules which meant extra time together as a family of five. Weeks before their deaths, the couple chatted with friends at a get together & commented that time was flying by & the kids were growing up so quickly.
The couple’s two daughters, 19-year-old Abigail & 16-year-old Katerina, were away, attending high school at The Peddie School, a private boarding school in New Jersey. Abigail was looking forward to graduating high school while Katerina was a junior & beginning to look at colleges. 10-year-old Philip, who was fondly known to the family as Flip, was finishing fourth grade at the private, all boys school of St. Albans in Washington D.C.
Savvas & Amy met during their college days at the University of Maryland where Savvas was in a fraternity & Amy was in a sorority. He was immediately captivated by her & while Amy was more hesitant, Savvas remained persistent & pursued her throughout their four years of college. Nearing graduation, Amy finally agreed to a date & there was immediate chemistry. As soon as they began dating, it was clear they were meant to be together as friends described them as peanut butter & jelly & two peas in a pod.
The couple were married on June 4, 1994 at St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral, in what was described as a typical big fat Greek wedding & over the course of more than two decades, Savvas & Amy built a life together that was filled with happiness.
Despite the fact that Savvas went on to obtain a law degree from American University, his love of engineering & innovative ideas led him to becoming the CEO of his father’s lucrative company, American Iron Works, a leading manufacturer for custom-made metals & structural steel for building projects. He was also the CEO of Sigma Investment Strategies.
Meanwhile, Amy worked at an accounting firm for a number of years, but as their family grew, she became an active volunteer at her children’s schools as well as within the community. Known to be a very selfless, generous person, she organized many community fundraisers & neighborhood gatherings.
As the couple welcomed their three children into their lives, they were an exceptionally tight-knit group & despite their extensive schedules, Savvas & Amy were always hands-on & driven by their children & the greater good of their family unit.
Abigail & Katerina were known to dote on their little brother, who was said to be mature beyond his years. Philip loved sports & played the outfield for his Little League baseball team, but his true passion was racing. He dreamed of one day becoming a professional Formula One racer, something that Amy & Savvas supported. Philip was a member of the Praga North American Karting racing team where he competed on tracks near Jacksonville, Florida & Phoenix, Arizona. In May 2015, he was actually recovering from a concussion he’d gotten while racing in Arizona on May 3.
Savvas’ professional successes afforded he & his family a $4.5 million mansion near the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., situated only a few blocks from the home of the Vice President of the United States as well as several embassies, in the affluent Woodley Park community. Their five-bedroom, six-bathroom home was surrounded by beautiful landscaping & had a library as well as a music room.
The house, once filled with laughter & love, was now a scene from the most unimaginable horror movie. As investigators began to sift through evidence & circumstances leading up to the murders, what they discovered painted an unthinkable picture. The four innocent victims had been held hostage & likely tortured over the course of more than 20 hours before their eventual violent murders, breaking into the home sometime between 11:29 am & 3:14 pm on Wednesday.
Savvas & Amy’s other housekeeper, Nelitza “Nelly” Gutierrez, who worked for the family for the past twenty years, was able to give new insight into the case’s mysterious circumstances. Based on a string of strange phone calls that began on Wednesday, May 13, she believes that the person or people responsible had likely broken into the Savopoulos home that day, one day before the fire.
Nelly became part of the Savopoulos family & had grown to love & adore them throughout the two decades she was a fixture in their home. She typically worked on Tuesdays & Thursdays, sometimes Wednesdays if Vera & Amy needed the extra help. Five years earlier, she’d gotten her close friend, Veralicia “Vera” Figueroa, a job with the family & the wife & mother of two used her income to help support her family back in El Salvador. In the time she’d been working with the family, they had grown to love her as well. According to Katerina, Vera was a constant in her life, someone who was incredibly strong, kind & selfless.
According to Nelly, Vera was always a happy woman who truly cared about her job & was incredibly responsible. The last time she spoke with her was two days earlier on Tuesday night, May 12. She said she’d be working at the family’s home on Wednesday until 3 pm, which was her typical schedule.
Wednesday began as a busy, but normal day in the Savopoulos home. Just before 7 am, Savvas was texting with his middle child, Katerina; the two were exceptionally close & since they both tended to be night owls, they often caught up with one another during middle-of-the night phone calls.
That morning, Katerina was texting her dad about her upcoming prom & the fact that she wanted to ask a boy to the dance & wrote, Gender roles are stupid. At 6:59 am, Savvas replied, Good job, remember to hold the door for him since gender roles are stupid. Really glad you’re going, have fun. Katerina went on to text her dad a few more times that day as well as the next, but sadly, that was the last response she ever received from him.
Savvas left that morning to head to the new martial arts studio he was preparing to open in Chantilly, Virginia, something he’d always dreamed of doing. Since they were rushing to prepare for the grand opening, Amy called Nelly on Mother’s Day, May 9th, but she was out to lunch with her son so she left her a voicemail, asking if she could help Savvas get the dojo ready that Wednesday.
Nelly headed over as planned on Wednesday & while Vera was supposed to go with her, she changed her mind at the last minute, something that was surprising since her friend was always so agreeable. Vera also preferred to work side-by-side with Nelly when possible since she assisted her with translating. However, when she called Vera, she never heard back from her.
Meanwhile, rather than going to school that morning, Philip was staying home for a dermatology appointment to address potentially removing a scar on his face. Amy took him to his appointment at an office 20 minutes away in Maryland where they were depicted on surveillance. Her Range Rover entered the parking garage at 9:09 am & left to head home 10:45 am.
Since his appointment was in the morning, there were questions as to whether Philip would go to school afterwards. His teacher texted Amy at about 12:30 pm saying that since it was getting late, it may not make sense to bring him in, but Amy never responded.
Amy left Philip at home with Vera sometime that afternoon to take a walk by herself & her friend, Margaret Pressler, saw her while she was driving by. Amy had gotten into fitness & walking over the past several years & often wore athletic clothing, so Margaret was surprised to see her wearing a khaki skirt with a cardigan over her shoulders, holding a brown, leather purse. Since Amy was a self-proclaimed coffee addict, she was likely grabbing something from the local Starbucks before Vera left at her usual time of 3 pm.
Margaret knows for sure that she saw Amy at 3:25 pm based on a phone call she was on as she watched her friend cross the street & prepare to walk up the hill toward her house & was likely the last person to see Amy alive. This would mean that, had it been a normal day, Vera would have been about 30 minutes late in ending her shift.
Investigators believe that while Amy was out walking, an intruder broke into the home, held Vera & Philip captive & cut the phone lines. Had he not missed school that day, Philip would have been at an after-school activity. Based on evidence found in the home, as Amy came in through the front door, she set her Starbucks cup on the wooden bureau off their entryway, placed her purse on a nearby chair & was taken hostage by the intruder in her home.
Amy & Savvas recently installed a new, sophisticated home security system, but it may not have been armed during the day while the family was out & about. Investigators also questioned if the perpetrator had either been willingly let in or had knowledge of the house.
It’s unclear exactly when the phone lines were cut, but it was sometime before Amy returned home. The family often took their two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers to a pet resort & a receptionist called the house that day at 3:14 pm to confirm an upcoming reservation for the Memorial Day holiday. She was unable to get through & noted in their log book, home phone disconnected. They called a second time at 4:20 pm, this time to Amy’s cell phone, but there was no answer.
The dogs were found unharmed after the fire & it’s unclear how the intruder entered the home & made it past them since the eldest of the dogs, Ginger, was known to be aggressive toward strangers.
Meanwhile, Savvas was busy with a frenzy of activity at the martial arts studio where not only Nelly was helping him, but also his personal assistant, Jordan Wallace, who he met at the racing track where he coached Philip. Two months earlier, Jordan texted Savvas that he could no longer coach Philip since he was fired after asking for a $1/hour raise. The next day, Savvas hired him to work as his assistant; not only would he pay him what he was asking for at the race track, but he’d also give him benefits & a 401k.
According to cell phone records, Amy called her husband at 4:38 pm & asked him to come home. While they spoke, Nelly said he was cracking jokes, teasing that he was behind schedule since Nelly was lazy & had shown up late that day. Regardless, he was very reluctant to leave since he had so much work ahead, but he eventually agreed & told Nelly that Amy had plans to go out with friends so he needed to go home to be with Philip which he did at 5:30 pm.
Savvas left Nelly with instructions of locking up the studio before she left for the night & once he was gone, the group discussed amongst themselves how strange it was that Amy would call her husband away, knowing that he was pressed for time with the studio opening in two short days. Nelly cannot shake the last image she has of her boss, who she’d grown so fond of over the years, walking out of the studio that evening. Looking back, it was clear that Amy’s captor forced her to make that phone call that lured the love of her life to his eventual death.
Only minutes later, Amy called the pet resort back & spoke with a receptionist who later testified that the normally bubbly, happy woman didn’t sound like herself. She sounded sleepy as she explained that they wouldn’t need any extra services during the dogs’ stay & they could charge it to the credit card on file. The call was otherwise unremarkable & didn’t give the receptionist any cause for alarm.
Reflecting on texts that were sent, phone calls that were made & voice mails that were left while the family was being held captive, they were remarkably calm despite the circumstances. There is absolutely no doubt that they were utterly terrified, but somehow managed to hold it together with the goal of protecting their child, hoping their kidnapper would allow them to live once they got whatever it was they came for.
Shortly before 6 pm, about an hour & a half after Savvas talked to Amy at the dojo, the home’s security system sent out three quick alerts. The system recorded the sound of breaking glass at 5:56, 5:57 & 5:59 pm, but the system wasn’t fully activated & alerts weren’t being actively monitored at the time.
The studio in Chantilly was about a 45 minute drive home & cell phone data indicated that Savvas would have arrived home right around 6:30 pm. It’s unclear exactly what happened when he entered the home, but it’s likely that he was attacked as he came through the kitchen door at the back of the house as traces of his blood were found on that door. His red briefcase was found toppled over near the front hall, just off the kitchen while his keys were dropped on the floor.
It’s unknown if the four victims were held in the same location in the house for the majority of the 20+ hours they were held captive, but first responders found Savvas, Amy & Vera in Abigail’s bedroom while Philip was in Katerina’s bedroom. Based on residual adhesive found on the chairs in the room, Vera & Amy’s hands & ankles were bound to a chair with duct tape while Savvas was bound with zip ties. Based on bruising to their arms & legs, it was clear they all struggled against their restraints. Bruising to Amy’s right middle finger was consistent with her attacker pulling a ring off.
Based on text message & call logs, it was clear the motive behind it all was money. Shortly before 8 pm, Savvas called his sister, Debra Masser, who lived in Sarasota, Florida & worked remotely for the family business, handling a lot of the finances. He explained that he needed to withdraw somewhere between $35,000-$50,000 immediately, something that, according to Debbie, wasn’t a very unusual request since her brother often needed to purchase expensive pieces of equipment for the business. Despite the fact that she suggested doing the withdrawal as a cashier’s check, he insisted it would need to be cash, something she found strange, but nothing else seemed concerning & her brother sounded just like himself. She explained since the banks were closed, he’d have to wait until the next morning.
When Savvas left a message for his assistant, Jordan Wallace, at 8:27 pm, he sounded completely normal & even made a joke that he needed to update his voicemail since it still said he worked for the race track. He explained the change of plans for the following morning.
Minutes later, Jordan texted back, confirming he’d call him for further instruction once he got the package the next day.
At 9:14 pm, Amy called Domino’s & ordered two pizzas; one cheese, one pepperoni as well as a bottle of soda, paying for the order, including a $5 tip for the driver, with her credit card. She instructed the driver to just leave the order by the front door because she was caring for a sick child. The driver later testified that when he arrived at the home, the lights inside were off, but the porch light was on. He did as instructed, placing the order on the porch before leaving the property. The fact that the killer had taken the time amidst the violence & torture to enjoy a slice of pizza was another chilling detail in this case.
Based on a series of calls to the company that installed the home’s security system both that night & early the next morning, it’s believed that when the intruder went out to the front porch to retrieve the order, the motion engaged the security camera above the front door. When Savvas got through on Wednesday night, he asked many questions about how the cameras are activated & where the videos were stored & he was told that the security system is set to record when motion is detected which is stored to the home’s computer hard drive in a utility room on the third floor. Whether the camera did capture video of the intruder is unknown since the hard drive was stolen from the house & never found.
The number of phone calls placed to the company did seem strange, not only because of the volume of calls, but also the late hour they came through, but once again, because Savvas sounded so calm, nothing more was suspected.
At 9:35 pm, Savvas left a voicemail for Nelly, explaining that Amy had been in bed, sick that day so Vera was staying overnight to help out. In an enhanced version, a commotion can be heard in the background with the sounds of someone potentially yelling.
When Nelly finally listened to Savvas’s voicemail the following morning, she was very puzzled because in the nearly five years that Vera had been working for the family Monday through Friday, she’d never once spent the night. It also conflicted with the reason that he had to leave the dojo so suddenly only hours earlier, because Amy was going out with friends. However, Savvas sounded completely normal in tone so despite the red flags that may have started to rise, she didn’t think anything was wrong. Concerned though, she called Vera twice, but each time, it went to voicemail.
When Savvas spoke with his sister again on Thursday morning, he clarified that he would specifically need $40,000 in cash. Shortly before 8 am, he also got in touch with a woman at Bank of America he routinely worked with through his company. Something about the request didn’t sit right with her since he wanted it all in cash; he sounded rushed, but overall fine & since she didn’t feel it was her place to question anything further, she put her concerns aside.
Since Savvas wasn’t handling the withdrawal in person, he had to electronically sign the necessary documents. Meanwhile, Jordan met with Ted Chase, the company’s chief financial officer (CFO), at the bank & $40,000 was withdrawn, all in $100 bills. Surveillance from the bank depicted the men inside, retrieving the money over the course of twelve minutes.
Throughout the multiple phone calls regarding the money, Savvas continued to hold things together as those he spoke with each testified that nothing about his tone was alarming.
Meanwhile, Nelly was getting ready to head to work at another house she cared for when she decided to call Vera at 8:30 am with no response from each of the three calls she placed. She felt unsettled about what was going on, but had no real reason to worry & figured Vera might be on the train with no reception.
Shortly before 9 am, a technician from the sprinkler system rang the doorbell for a planned appointment, but no one answered. At 9:12 am, Amy called the manager of the company & explained that she needed to reschedule since her son was injured & she was at the hospital. He later testified that Amy sounded very nervous during the call.
Meanwhile, Vera’s husband, Bernardo Alfaro, started to worry when she wasn’t back from work on Wednesday afternoon. He continued to call her phone until it ultimately stopped ringing altogether, but never got a response from her. After he came home from his overnight shift & on Thursday morning, his concern skyrocketed when she still wasn’t home.
Bernardo & Vera’s step daughter, Claudia, drove to the Savopoulos home & while Claudia waited in the car, he went & knocked on the door. Despite the fact that no one answered, Bernardo got the sense that someone was inside since he heard a little noise like a chair scraping the floor.
Knocking for nearly twenty minutes, Bernardo walked back to the car, highly concerned & considering his next move. As he began to walk back toward the front door, his phone rang & it was Savvas, profusely apologizing that he forgot to call him the night before. He explained that Amy had gotten sick & Vera went with her to the hospital. He said he’d call him back after he spoke with the hospital staff to see how long they’d be, but he never did & when Bernardo called Savvas, he didn’t answer. Despite this explanation, he felt unsettled, it didn’t make sense since Vera spoke little English, but unsure of which hospital they may have gone to, Bernardo went back home. Call logs later proved that Savvas misdialed Bernardo’s number three times before he got it right.
Savvas called Jordan at 9:51 am & instructed him to call when he was within ten minutes of their home. Once inside his car, Jordan took a photo of the bundle of cash, texted it to his girlfriend & promptly deleted the text. He later commented that he’d never seen such a large amount of cash before.
At 9:56 am, Amy texted Nelly despite the fact that she hadn’t planned to go to the house that day, but likely fearful she could potentially pop by & let herself in with her set of keys, I’m making sure that you do not come today. If you could come from or Monday that would be great. Nelly texted her back at 10:38 am confirming that she would see her Monday.
Katerina texted her dad a silly text message around this time about prom, but received no response. It’s haunting to reflect that she had no idea that her family were being held prisoners in their own home.
Within ten minutes of the house, Jordan called at 10:15 am & Savvas explained that he was on an important call & instructed him to leave the package on the driver’s seat of the car in the garage & head to the dojo.
Jordan parked on the street across from the driveway, saw that the garage on the right was raised & placed the manila envelope that held the cash on the seat of the rare $700,000 red Mosler sports car. He later testified that while he was in the garage, he never heard anything strange or alarming. As he pulled away at 10:26 am, he sent a text that read, Package delivered. He saw the dots indicating that Savvas was typing, but no response came through.
It’s likely that Savvas, Amy, Vera & Philip were killed shortly after the money was dropped off. At 11:54 am, Savvas’ phone pinged off a tower ten minutes away closer to downtown. Shortly after noon, two employees from a home across the street saw a man going into the Savopolous’s home through the garage; he wore a drawstring backpack & had dreadlocks. This was the only time the perpetrator was seen.
At 1:07 pm, the security system alerted to the sounds of breaking glass upstairs & minutes later, the carbon monoxide system alerted while additional alarms sounded. Smoke began to pour from the second story of the home at 1:24 pm when the first call was placed about the fire.
Despite the killer setting the house on fire in an attempt to erase evidence, first responders were able to extinguish the fire quickly enough to allow investigators to recover vital evidence that led them to the person responsible.
DNA was found in multiple areas; a discarded piece of crust in a Domino’s pizza box in the bedroom where the three adult victims were found as well as on a construction vest, a knife used to prop a basement window open & a piece of clothing found in Amy’s car. Two hairs were also recovered from both a hard hat found in the garage as well as the bedding from the bedroom where the adult victims were held. Not only was the DNA processed incredibly quickly, but it was also a match to a person in the CODIS database.
Within one week, authorities arrested a suspect, 34-year-old Daron Dellon Dennis Wint, a Guyana-born former Marine recruit who moved to the U.S. in 2000 & had done some work in the past for Savvas’s firm. After a 48 hour manhunt, he was charged with first-degree murder while armed.
Investigators learned that one day after the murders, on Friday, May 15, Wint went to the gym with his friend & showed off $1200 in $100 bills. He called him later that evening & asked if he could help with burning his minivan, but the friend declined. Shortly after, firefighters found his minivan on fire.
Two days after the murders, Wint fled D.C. & went to New York where he stayed with his girlfriend, Vanessa Hayles. She later testified that he paid for their various shopping sprees using $100 bills. His cell phone also proved that he was searching for information about the murders as well as, hideout cities for fugitives.
While Wint & Vanessa were sitting in her apartment watching the news, they saw his face & once again, he went on the run & took a $900 taxi back to D.C., telling Vanessa that he was going to surrender. From here, he went to stay at his father’s house. With the help of the U.S. Marshals, Wint was tracked down at a Howard Johnson hotel, while he fled in a car & was eventually captured. They found $7,300 in cash in the second car his brother, Darrell was riding in.
Despite the damning, concrete evidence, Robin Ficker, Wint’s former attorney, was very outspoken with the media regarding his innocence & what a gentle, kind, non-aggressive person he was; someone you wouldn’t mind your grandmother going to lunch with & by the way, he doesn’t even like or eat pizza. This is a man who not only left his DNA in multiple places at the scene of a horrifically violent quadruple murder, but had a slew of past assault charges.
Twelve years before the murder, Wint secured a job as a welder at Savvas’s company, but left for unknown reasons after two years. Around this time, things began to take a downward spiral in his life & his own father obtained a protective order against him after he threatened to shoot him. Another relative said he was known for his hostile, arrogant nature & his short fuse.
During an altercation with his cousin after Wint refused to leave his home, things quickly escalated to violence & Wint began to stab him with a knife, catching him in the arm. He was arrested & ordered to stay away from his cousin, but while awaiting trial, he attacked him a second time & stabbed in the neck. According to doctors, had the knife entered only a little lower, he would have died from blood loss. Wint was convicted & sent to jail for a short time, but quickly assaulted a couple on his release.
Wint was arrested after threatening to kill his girlfriend, her daughter & her friends, telling her that he was good with a knife & could kill them easily. Despite these threats, he was only convicted for smashing the windows of her car.
In 2010, after the passage of five years, Wint made a sudden reappearance back at American Iron Works where he was found outside the building with a machete, a BB gun & a can of beer. He was charged with concealing a deadly weapon, but was fined only $919 after he pleaded guilty for having an open container of alcohol.
As the next five years went by, Wint managed to avoid the system, but in the meantime, his own siblings kicked him out of their homes & he became increasingly more desperate.
During the trial, which began in September 2018 & lasted six weeks, Wint pleaded not guilty & testified over the course of about five hours & claimed that his brothers, Darrell & Steffon, were the actual perpetrators.
According to Wint, he left his house early on Wednesday, the day of the kidnappings, to meet up with Darrell, who asked for his help in painting a drywall project that he & Steffon were working on. When he met up with Darrell at 6 am, he was told that plans had changed, they no longer needed his help with the project, but they did need to borrow his minivan. Wint said he ended up spending the day & night at his friend’s after he fell asleep from drinking too much alcohol.
When Darrell picked him up on Thursday morning, rather than driving his minivan, he was driving a Porsche. They drove to the job site because they needed his help after all. As they entered the Savopouloses’ home, he sat at the dining room table downstairs while Darrell went upstairs. He came back down with a pizza box so Wint took a bite, but put the rest back since the pizza was cold. He realized he left his phone in the Porsche so he went out to get it & when he came back in, Darrell gave him a hard hat & construction vest & told him they were going to unload the house which he took to mean, rob the home. He told Darrell he wanted no part in it, left & tried to find a bus.
Defense attorney Jeffrey Stein agreed that yes, DNA doesn’t lie, but since the siblings shared the same mother, they would have the same DNA hair profile. Wint’s DNA wasn’t found on the baseball bat or the samurai sword, both of which were used as murder weapons.
Stein also suggested that more than one man was likely responsible since Wint alone couldn’t have cut the phone wires, destroyed the home security system, silenced the two family dogs all the while holding four people captive. There was suggestion that Jordan Wallace was responsible & said that when his car was searched, the passenger side smelled heavily of gasoline, but since he was at the dojo on Wednesday & on surveillance at the bank on Thursday, his alibi was solid.
Meanwhile, prosecutors maintained that Wint acted alone in the entirety of the crime.
Wint said later that night, he saw news coverage of a house fire turned homicide & recognized the house as the one he’d been at earlier that day. He began doing online searches as to how to pass a lie detector test so that he could protect his brother if investigators tracked him down. He claimed he did searches regarding where a fugitive can hide & burned his minivan because he feared he would be blamed for a crime he didn’t commit.
Steffon testified that he was working on both May 13 & 14 & provided records to prove this while Darrell, Wint’s half-brother, also testified & denied having any role in the murders & had a solid alibi.
Many of Wint’s family & friends testified against him. His stepmom testified that she had no idea where he was for the entire day of Wednesday, May 13 & part of the day on Thursday.
After two days of deliberation, the jury returned with a verdict & Daron Wint was found guilty of twenty counts, including first-degree murder & kidnapping. On February 1, 2019 he was given four life sentences without the possibility of parole.
For a time, the brick mansion that stood at 3201 Woodland Drive was a constant reminder of the horrors that four innocent victims endured for nearly 22 hours until they met their violent end. The windows were boarded, char marks scarred the brick while a chain-link fence enclosed the property. Six months after their deaths, the property was put on the market for $3.5 million, the address was changed to 2802 32nd St. NW & the listing noted that the home was fire damaged. The property was quickly purchased for $3 million, the home was torn down in 2017 & in its place, a newly built, six-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom modern mansion priced at $8.5 million hit the market nine years after the brutal murders in 2024.
Despite the passage of ten years, the weight of one of D.C.’s darkest moments lingers when four innocent people were taken from this world. Savvas was a hard working, dedicated father, Amy, a devoted mother, Philip, a 10-year-old wise beyond his years who had dreams of being a race car driver & Vera, a sweet soul caught in the wrong place. They were robbed of their dreams & their futures by a monster driven by greed & opportunity, leaving two teenage daughters behind to forever feel the loss of those they loved the most.
Katerina recalls the moment a dean pulled her away from practice on Thursday, May 14, 2015 & brought her into his office. At the time, she could only wonder if she’d done something wrong when he said the words, There was a fire.
Weeks later, she & Abigail went back to the home they called home for nearly fourteen years, where so many memories had been created, a place they’d only just come together to celebrate Easter. As they made their way upstairs with dread, Katerina found the room that was once her bedroom, now blackened & burned, knowing it was the spot their brother had been tortured & ultimately died in that very space, was too much to imagine.
Two weeks after they became orphans, Abigail graduated; not only did they miss this incredible moment, but they weren’t there to see her get married or meet their grandchildren. Katerina last saw her mom when they were out college hunting; when Amy dropped her daughter back at school, she gave her a necklace, something that she cherishes.
Despite her immense loss, in her victim impact statement, Katerina reflected that chooses not to fight hate with hate & thinks that maybe if there was more love & human decency around, something this horrific wouldn’t have happened. She chooses to spend her time trying to forgive those who have wronged her rather than prolonging the pain & sees forgiveness as a choice, sometimes the only thing you have control over.
References:
- People: D.C. Mansion Murders: Friends remember Savvas & Amy Savopoulos’ love story
- ABC 7 News: Savopoulos housekeeper adds new details to mysterious timeline in D.C. mansion murders
- D.C. mansion murders: A look at the evidence that helped convict the killer
- Daron D. Wint v. United States
- Peddie: The Peddie education
- St. Albans School
- Apple Podcasts: S1E2: 22 Hours: An American Nightmare: Taken Captive
- Apple Podcasts: S1E3: 22 Hours: An American Nightmare: The Money Drop
- American Iron Works
- Oxygen True Crime: Man held D.C. family captive & tortured them in shocking ‘Mansion Murders’
- People: Inside the D.C. mansion murders, when a home invasion shattered a family’s idyllic life
- People: D.C. mansion murders: Friends remember Savvas & Amy Savopoulos’ love story
- The Washington Post: Trial in 2015 quadruple slaying of Savopoulos family members, housekeeper set to begin
- D.C. Witness: The trial begins for Mansion Murder
- Obituary: Savopoulos Family
- Realtor.com: Luxury estate built on site of infamous ‘Mansion Murders’ property hits the market for $8.5 million – 9 years after horrifying killings
- Wtop news: Jurors in Savopoulos family murder trial shown graphic photo of youngest victim
- Scribd: Victim impact statement – Katerina Savopoulos
