DC - Savvas Savopoulos, family & Veralicia Figueroa murdered; D Wint Arrested **MEDIA LINKS ONLY**

New Posts

Mansion Murders: 2 witnesses testify they saw man resembling Daron Wint go into garage
18 Sept 2018

WASHINGTON - Two witnesses testified on Tuesday that they saw a man resembling Daron Wint ducking under the garage door of the house on Woodland Drive the day of the Mansion Murders.

They work at the Australian ambassador’s private residence. The home’s garage, rear terrace and lawn face 32nd Street, directly across from the driveway of the Savopoulos mansion.

Mark Geaghin is the gardener. He’s small and looks a little like the actor Michael Keaton with a slight five-o-clock shadow. He wore a coat and tie with his collar slightly open at the neck. Andrew Tierney is the residence manager. He’s tall with a chiseled chin and gray hair, cut tighter on the sides than the top. Tierney wore a light gray suit, silver shirt, and a gray and silver thin-striped tie. Geaghin and Tierney, in their Aussie accents, testified separately - but said basically the same thing.

There was a wallpaper contractor driving up Woodland Drive. His name is Donald Spence, who was an older gentleman with a long gray goatee and slightly shaggy hair parted in the middle. He wore a short-sleeved yellow button-down shirt. Spence said he finished work nearby at 12:45 p.m., then pulled over on Woodland Drive, two blocks down to eat his lunch.

After he ate, he drove up the street toward 32nd and Woodland and noticed “the white steamy curve” of smoke along the upper edge of the roof. He said it was “a thin veil, like eyelashes.” Spence testified that he got out of his truck, rang the home’s doorbell and pounded on the door. He could hear a dog barking, but no one answered.
Mansion Murders: 2 witnesses testify they saw man resembling Daron Wint go into garage
 
Oct. 1, 2018 — Day 11
Accused by the defense, Steffon Wint testifies
Steffon Wint, the younger brother of the Maryland man charged with torturing and killing three members of a D.C. family and their housekeeper in May 2015 testified for the prosecution Monday, seeking to rebut the claim from his brother's defense lawyers that he planned and carried out the killings.

Steffon Wint is the younger brother of 37-year-old Daron Wint, <snip>

Daron Wint's team of public defenders has claimed it was actually Steffon Wint and another younger half-brother, Darrell Wint, who carried out the killings.
Neither of the two younger Wint brothers has ever been publicly named a suspect and neither has ever been charged in connection with the killings.

Steffon Wint, who worked as a supervisor for a construction company, testified he was overseeing a paint job at a George Washington University dormitory building and other job sites on May 13 and May 14, 2015 — when the Savopoulos family was held captive in their Woodley Park mansion, extorted for $40,000 and then killed before the house was set on fire.

A handwritten company time sheet showed Steffon Wint working from 6 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on May 13 and between 6 a.m. until midnight — a total of 17 hours — on May 14. Steffon Wint testified a particular job that night ran late and he was required to stay until it was finished. <snip>

Steffon Wint flatly denied any involvement in the crimes and told jurors he had only learned in the past month, in part through news reports, that his brother's lawyers would try to tie him to the crime. <snip>

As a supervisor, Steffon Wint also acknowledged it was customary for him to travel throughout the day to various job sites, although he testified that he believed his supervisors could track his whereabouts using GPS devices on the white construction-company pickup truck he drove for work.

During one exchange, the defense lawyer claimed Steffon Wint borrowed Daron Wint's blue minivan during May 13 and May 14 when the Savopoulos family was held captive and killed. [BBM]

“Why would I borrow a van if I have a pickup truck?” Steffon Wint shot back.

“Because you didn't want it tracked back to you,” Pipe said.

Steffon Wint told jurors he has another car besides his work truck.

Pipe also suggested Steffon Wint was responsible for setting his brother's van on fire in a secluded industrial parking lot in Prince George's County a few days later, noting a white pickup truck was seen leaving the scene of the burning van.

Prosecutors introduced evidence showing the relationship between the two Wint brothers were strained before the killings — meaning it would have been unlikely Daron Wint would've loaned his younger brother his van. <snip>

(Under questioning from the defense, Steffon Wint did acknowledge trying to reach Daron Wint to offer him work painting the GW dorms but he never heard back).

Prosecutors played voice messages from Daron Wint around the time he was thrown out of his brother's house. “This ain't over yet,” Wint said in the message.
by WTOP edited by WTOP News 11:04 AM

Savopoulos family killings: Daron Wint on trial
 
Keith L. Alexander Retweeted Keith L. Alexander

Correction. Steffon W. is Daron Wint’s full brother. Darrell W. is Daron’s half brother. This detail is critical re:DNA. Will explain in full story. Keith L. Alexander added,

Keith L. Alexander‏Verified account @keithlalexander
Daron Wint’s half brother Stefon, one of 2 two brothers Daron said was responsible for the quadruple slayings, is sked to take the witness stand today, but as a prosecution witness. #MansionMurders. #Savopoulos.

6:56 AM - 1 Oct 2018

Keith L. Alexander‏Verified account @keithlalexander
Prosecutors in quadruple murder case trial told judge their case is moving quicker than they had expected and could actually end up resting by Thurs. Oct. 4. But defense attorneys says they find that timing unrealistic based on their planned cross of witnesses. #MansionMurders.

1:47 PM - 26 Sep 2018

Keith L. Alexander‏Verified account @keithlalexander
Prosecutor played Walmart security video that showed Daron Wint and his brother Darrell buying items around 11:25 pm on May 14 hours after the 4 bodies discovered. Daron, who did not hav a job, pulls out multiple bills to pay. Even gives money to his brother. #MansionMurders

10:59 AM - 25 Sep 2018

Seattle1, Today at 11:20 AMReport
#37+ QuoteReply
 
Paul Wagner‏Verified account @Fox5Wagner
Brother of Daron Wint, Stefon, being grilled on stand by defense which has accused him of taking part in murders. He says he had nothing to do with it - was working on 13th & 14th supervising painting crew at GWU. Admits hair found in house cannot be ruled out as his or Daron’s.
10:19 AM - 1 Oct 2018
 
Legal Experts Say Prosecution Doing Well in Mansion Murders Trial
By Meagan Fitzgerald
Published at 6:19 PM EDT on Oct 8, 2018 | Updated at 6:25 PM EDT on Oct 8, 2018

Wint’s former fiancée, Vanessa Hayles, took an immunity deal to testify and told jurors that Wint stayed with her in New York after the murders. .....

Wint’s cousin George Elias also was called to the witness stand and told jurors Wint’s brother Darrell Wint asked for help to turn him in on May 21. Elias agreed and said he and Darrell Wint were in a box truck with Daron Wint behind them in a car with Darrell Wint’s friends when U.S. marshals moved in to make the arrest.

The prosecution is trying to show Darrell Wint wasn't involved with the murders and went out of his way to help turn his brother in to police.
Experts Say Prosecution Doing Well in Mansion Murders Trial
 
Stephen Tschida‏ @ABC7Stephen
have to look away. prosecution showing jury victim photos. Daron Wint on trial for mansion murders. victim’s injuries horrific. ⁦@ABC7News⁩
12:01PM 9 Oct 2018

Stephen Tschida‏ @ABC7Stephen
difficult day for jury and spectators in mansion murder trial. former dc medical examiner discussing victim’s injuries. this accompanied by photos of deceased. ⁦@ABC7News⁩
11:57AM 9 Oct 2018

Stephen Tschida‏ @ABC7Stephen
Defendant Daron Wint scoured local news websites in days immediately after mansion murders. He searched for stories and information about the killings. ⁦@ABC7News⁩
8:50AM 9 Oct 2018

Stephen Tschida‏ @ABC7Stephen
Investigator testifies defendant Daron Wint searched Internet for countries without extradition treaties with the US, and hide-out cities for fugitives shortly after the mansion murders. Prosecution getting close to wrapping up case ⁦@ABC7News⁩
8:42AM 9 Oct 2018

Stephen Tschida‏ @ABC7Stephen
Investigator testified the night of mansion murders Daron Wint searched the internet for ways to reset iPhone 6. The killer stole 2 iPhones 6 from victims. ⁦@ABC7News⁩
9:13AM 9 Oct 2018
 
Savopoulos family killings: Daron Wint on trial

Oct. 9, 2018 — Day 14

Mansion killings defendant's online searches: 'How to beat a lie detector,' '10 hideout cities for fugitives'

In the days after the bodies of four people were found beaten and stabbed inside a burning Woodley Park mansion, the man charged in their killings scoured online news coverage of the brutal crime, according to searches made on his phone.

Other searches made on the phone belonging to 37-year-old Daron Wint included: "How to beat a lie-detector test"; "10 hideout cities for fugitives" and "5 countries with no extradition treaties," a digital expert testified Tuesday in Wint's felony murder trial. Wint is accused of holding the Savopoulos family and their housekeeper captive in their home for several hours, extorting $40,000 from the businessman father, then killing the victims and setting their house on fire.

Wint's team of public defenders argue there's no way to tell Wint himself conducted the online searches found on his phone.

Wint's trial is now in its fifth week in D.C. Superior Court.

Special Agent John Marsh, a computer examiner in the U.S. Attorney's office, testified Tuesday that searches on Wint's phone on May 15 — the day after authorities responded to mansion on Woodland Drive for — included:

  • "how to beat a lie-detector test"
  • "tonight evening news fire in Wash DC
  • "tonight evening news fire Woodland Ave"
Cached images saved on Wint's phone showed multiple visits in the days after the killings to websites that captured photos of the victims: 46-year-old Savvas Savopoulos; his wife, 47-year-old Amy; their 10-year-old son, Philip; and Vera Figueroa, 57, the family's housekeeper.

Also of note, there were more than two dozen photos taken on the phone over the two days the four were held captive and killed that were later deleted.

On May 14, Wint's phone was used to search for doing a "master reset" on an iPhone 6. Police have said two iPhones, belonging to Savvas and Amy Savopoulos, were stolen from the family's home after the slayings. Wint messaged a photo of two white iPhones to his then-fiancee and asked her if cellphones could be tracked, the ex-fiancee testified last week.

On May 18 — after Wint had traveled to New York City to stay with his fiancee — Wint searched:

  • "10 hideout cities for fugitives"
  • "5 countries with no extradition treaties"

The digital expert also testified about searches Wint made on his phone before the killings. Marsh told jurors Wint searched YouTube extensively for luxury cars.

A blue 2008 Porsche 911 belonging to Amy Savopoulos was driven from the family's home after the house was set on fire and was later found set ablaze in a parking lot in the Lanham/New Carrollton area.

About two weeks before the killings, Facebook messages between Wint and his half-sister in Guyana, where Wint is originally from, indicated he had been asked to leave his father's house, where he had been living, by the end of the month.

LIVE TRIAL BLOG by WTOP edited by WTOP News 10:58 AM
 
  • Oct. 2, 2018 — Day 12

    'I jumped out of bed': Daron Wint's ex-fiancee testifies about night she saw his photo on TV

    One week after three members of a D.C. family and their housekeeper were killed and found inside their burning mansion in May 2015, Vanessa Hayles was watching the 11 o'clock news when an update on the killings flashed across her TV screen — and then a photo of her fiance, Daron Wint.

    “I jumped out of bed,” Hayles, now 32, said Tuesday, during her emotional testimony for the prosecution in Wint's murder trial in D.C. Superior Court. Wint is charged with killing D.C. businessman Savvas Savopoulos; his wife, Amy; their 10-year-old son, Philip; and the family's housekeeper Vera Figueroa after holding the victims captive and extorting $40,000 from the family.

    Hayles said Wint, who was visiting her house in New York City at the time, appeared shocked after his photo appeared on the news. He immediately jumped up to call his father, she said, and then left her house with his phone. When he came back, the couple decided to spend the night in a hotel; Wint was concerned about the police showing up at her house, she said.

    By that point, Wint had been staying with Hayles in New York for the past several days. He never mentioned the killings, she said, but he had taken her on shopping trips and out to dinner – always paying with $100 bills.

    Where was all that money coming from? Wint told her he won the lottery, Hayles testified. And while he was in New York, he plopped down more than $200 on additional lottery tickets, she said. One of those was also a winner, Wint claimed — $2,000.
    After the night in the hotel, Hayles told jurors she went with Wint to a taxi stand where he told her he was going to take a cab back to the Maryland-D. C. area to turn himself into police.

    During her gripping, emotional testimony, Hayles spoke in a soft voice, often looking down and wiping tears away with a tissue. At times during her testimony, Wint was also seen dabbing at his eyes with tissues — the first apparent display of emotion from the defendant during the trial so far.

    Hayles told jurors she and Wint had been dating for about two years before they became engaged in May 2015. It was a long-distance relationship, because she lived in New York, so the two stayed in touch via Facebook.

    Hayles testified that she sent several Facebook messages to Wint on May 13, 2015 — during the time the Savopoulos family was held hostage in their home — but Wint didn't return any of the messages.

    “Baby, I haven't heard from u hope everything is good,” Hayles messaged at 1:41 p.m. that day, according to chat logs presented to the jury by prosecutors. At 11:22 p.m. Hayles wrote: “Hey babe, I know u said not to worry about you if I don't hear from you but can you call me and let me know you're okay.”

    Hayles testified she next heard from Wint sometime in the evening of May 14, when he called her. Later he messaged her a picture of two white iPhones and asked her if cellphones could be traced. Police have said two iPhones, belonging to Savvas and Amy Savopoulos were stolen from the family's home after the slayings.

    Wint also messaged Hayles a receipt from the office a Greenbelt, Maryland, immigration attorney showing he had paid the attorney $1,100 in cash. At the time of the killings, Wint, who was born in Guyana in South America, had an expired Green Card.

    In exchange for her testimony Tuesday, Hayles was given immunity by prosecutors, meaning it can't be used against her. She testified that after Wint was arrested, she handed over to police $1,500 in cash that he had left in her house after he visited her but that she she had used some of it to pay her rent.

    Hayles told jurors she is no longer in a romantic relationship with Wint.
LIVE TRIAL BLOG BY WTOP October 2 at 3:27 PM

Savopoulos family killings: Daron Wint on trial
 
Megan Cloherty‏Verified account @ClohertyWTOP
Defense said in opening statements that Wint’s brother gave him two iPhones presumed stolen from the Savopoulos home. That connection hasn’t yet been made. Though the analyst testified Wint didn’t respond to several messages during 5/13-5/14/2015 at time of hostage/killings

8:50 AM - 9 Oct 2018 from Washington, DC
 
From Mansion Murders FB page—-

To get you caught up before today’s cross examination, Paul Wagner FOX 5 DC ‘s notes on Daron Wint’s testimony yesterday: Fox 5 DC

~~~~

On the morning of May 13, after Daron said his brother changed the plan and said he didn’t need Daron’s help on a drywall job - only his van... Wint told the court he asked Darrell to take him to a neighborhood where he has gotten tires for his van before. Defense Attorney Judith Pipe shows him a map with a Freddy’s Used Tires on Mississippi Ave SE and his friend “Ed” who lived at ‪16 Atlantic street SE.‬ That’s where Wint says Darrell dropped him off. He says he left his phone in the van and stayed at Ed’s house all day long.

Wint says he had been to the house 3 to 4 times and Ed works on cars in his front yard. He said “always a lot of people hanging out there”

They then backtracked for a minute—Pipe asked him about a stop they made on the way. Wint says they went to a house in Silver Spring where Darrell went inside for a minute and came out by himself.

Then, on the trip to SE Wint says Darrell is driving and he did not see him with a phone. It’s possible he had one he said. They stopped for something to eat before getting to Ed’s. Said it was early morning. Not sure of the time.

Darrell then drove off in the van with Daron’s phone. Was there WiFi at the house Pipe asked —“not sure”.

He expected Darrell to come back for him but he never did. Started drinking around 5–got sick to his stomach and laid down on the couch and passed out. Woke up ‪at one AM‬—went back to sleep and got up around 10am.

Darrell then pulled up with the Porsche. Darrell gets out and he asks him where the van is. Darrell says its parked—then oddly he began to cry. Kind of a whimper and rubs his eyes and grabs some tissues.

“Darrell then asks me to go with him. I get in the passenger seat.“
Daron asks where the van is. Asks Darrell for a pen to write down directions. Darrell instead hands him his phone and he opens Facebook Messenger to put the info in. Darrell then tells Wint he has thirty minutes left in the job and needs his help.

Wint says he then wrote in Messenger “ 24th and K” where the van is parked.

Darrell wouldn’t say where they were going. There were no stops.

“We got to Woodland Drive and Darrell parked out front. We went in the front door. Darrell had a key. Once inside I stepped to my left and sat down at table with blue chairs.” Pipe shows diagram of the house to show small dining room.

Darrell then goes upstairs, gets a box of pizza and comes down. Daron says Darrell is wearing surgical gloves.

“I was not wearing gloves—I ate a piece of pizza and put the crust back in the box. I asked if house had WiFi and I went to get my phone in the Porsche. I wanted to contact Vanessa to tell her where I was. I went out the front door and Darrell then told me to meet him in the garage.”

“I got the phone and my drawstring back pack.” At this point Pipe says “Do you remember the two men from Australian ambassadors house who testified?” “Yes” “Was that you they were talking about?” “Yes.”

“The garage door opened and I went in. It was ‪around 11:45 AM‬.”

“I tried to get WiFi but couldn’t. Darrell then came into garage and gave me vest and hard hat. Told me to put them on. I thought it was strange to wear such things in a home. Usually they are worn at construction sites.”

Wint says Darrell then told him he was “unloading the house”, slang for robbing it. “I told him to take me home. Darrell said I need your help and cannot take you. I threw the hard hat down. “

Pipe said “Did you know that there were people in the house?” “No.”
“Did you go into the basement?“

“No. I never left the garage.” “How did your DNA get on the knife in the basement?”
“I don’t know.”

Wint says he then left the house to walk to the bus stop (apparently still wearing vest) but before he could get on, Darrell pulled up in the Porsche and the two of them drove out to Maryland. Wint says Darrell did the driving.

Says Darrell took him to La Fontaine Bleue where he confirmed the earlier testimony of the witness who worked there. Daron said he was pacing back and forth because he was looking for a WiFi signal.

Wint says Darrell then gave him cash and two iPhones. “Darrell was wearing a vest too”, and before he pulled off in the Porsche - Wint says he threw his vest in anger at Darrell. He was angry that Darrell would not take him to his van. That’s when he saw a tow truck driver and made two calls on the driver’s phone to Darrell, looking for the keys to the van. “I also called my step mother to say I was coming home.”

Wint then says he had the van towed to the parking lot behind La Fontaine Bleue , and Darrell was supposed to meet him there with the keys. He says he sat in the van and then looked in glove box where he found the keys and drove home.

Pipe then asked about the two IPhones. He says Darrell told him he had found them in a park. Wint said he didn’t think they were from the house. Wanted no part of it.

Then he saw the news that people were killed and he did some Google searches.

They then talked about going to Walmart with Darrell.

Wint said Darrell bought jeans and gloves. He didn’t buy anything and Darrell paid. They then went back and Wint bought a backpack because his backpack he left at the house and Darrell failed to take it with him when he left.

“I then looked up news about the house on my phone. ‪Friday morning‬ the van was still at the house. I went to gym with Godfrey. Then called Darrell and asked him to take the van.”

Wint said he thought it was part of the crime and he didn’t want any part of it.. “I then asked Godfrey to help me burn it but he said no.”
Pipe: “Why did you want to burn the van?”
Wint: “Because I didn’t want to be part of a crime. I have seen people get convicted of crimes they didn’t commit.”

‪Saturday morning the van was gone. He said he did not report it to the police.‬

Wint said he paid $1100 dollars to an immigration lawyer for help in getting his green card renewed. Then he went to NY with $6000 cash he said Darrell gave him.

Pipe said “You bought an iPhone?” “Yes.” “Dinner?” “Yes.“
“Shoes?” “Yes.”

“Did you still have the two IPhones with you?” “Yes.”
“Did you use them?”
“No, they were locked.”

“Why look up countries with no extradition treaty with US?”
Wint: “I have seen people convicted of crimes they didn’t commit.”

Daron then went through what happened in NY when his picture came on news.

Says he left Vanessa $2000 in cash and then they both went to a hotel.

Outside the hotel, while making a call to Darrell, he saw the police. An officer tried to get him to come over but he ran. “I jumped over a fence and cut myself.” Pipe: “Get blood on you?” “Yes.”
“Were these the same clothes you had on when you turned your self in?”
“Yes.”
“Why run?”
“I wanted to turn myself in in Maryland. “

Once back in Maryland, Wint says he got back with Darrell and gave the phones back.

The tow then went to a house in Silver Spring where they met a man named “Garnett”. Daron described him as “black with dreds.” They got something to eat and went to hotel.

Called a lawyer. Called Vanessa.

He says he thought they were going to lawyer when they got pulled over. He admits trying to give money orders to the girls during felony stop.

Pipe then asked - “Did you kill Savas?” “NO!”
“Did you kill Amy?” “Absolutely not”
“Phillip? Vera?”

“Burn the Porsche? Burn the van? Break into house? Help Darrell with anything?”

“Absolutely not” to all questions.”

Courtesy of Fox5DC
 
Prosecutor accuses man charged with D.C. quadruple killing of fabricating story
By Keith L. Alexander and
Michael Brice-Saddler
October 11 at 6:36 PM

On Thursday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Bach suggested that Wint crafted his account on the basis of testimony he has heard in D.C. Superior Court in the past five weeks and the thousands of pages of documents prosecutors provided to the defense before trial.

“You had this information from what other witnesses said and knew what they were going to say before they even came into this courtroom,” Bach said.

“I didn’t come up with a timeline, ma’am. I’m just saying the truth,” Wint responded.

Bach asked Wint what he did for work in 2015. He said that family members gave him money and that he found day jobs. Wint said he struggled financially. He said his brother gave him a cellphone, and Bach asked him who paid his cellphone bills.

“I don’t know, ma’am,” Wint replied.

“You don’t know? Did the fairies pay it?” Bach responded.

“I don’t know, ma’am,” Wint said.
Prosecutor accuses man charged with D.C. quadruple killing of fabricating story
 
Oct. 11, 2018 — Day 16 LIVE BLOG

Wint's cross-examination: Prosecutor seeks to poke holes in alibi

In a second day of explosive testimony, the man charged with torturing and killing three members of a D.C. family and their housekeeper in 2015 took the stand Thursday, facing a barrage of sharp questions from a federal prosecutor, who accused him of lying and sought to poke holes in his testimony.

Daron Wint, 37, had testified earlier that he was at a friend's house drinking in May 2015, during the time the four victims were held captive in the family's Woodley Park mansion and that it was actually his younger half-brother, Darrell Wint, who is responsible for the killings.

But, under intense questioning from Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Bach, it was revealed that the man Daron Wint had cited as his alibi — a friend identified only as Ed — apparently died last year. Bach also revealed for the first time that the brother, Darrell Wint, had been working with police and prosecutors, providing phone records and other evidence against Daron Wint.

Daron Wint is accused of killing D.C. businessman Savvas Savopoulos; his wife, Amy; their 10-year-old son, Philip; and the family's housekeeper, Vera Figueroa, in May 2015 after taking them hostage and extorting $40,000 from the family. The bodies of the four victims were later found inside the burning house. Daron Wint has pleaded not guilty, and his team of public defenders has sought to pin the blame on Darrell Wint and another brother. Neither of the other brothers has been charged, and prosecutors dismissed the defense's theory.

In fact, Bach said Darrell Wint had turned over phone records to police and prosecutors. Cell tower location records show Darrell Wint's phone was never near the Woodley Park mansion where the victims were held on either May 13 or 14, Bach said. Darrell Wint also took police to the area where Daron Wint's blue minivan was found burning a few days after the killings and showed investigators a pile of debris that he said his brother had burned. (Daron Wint's other brother, Steffon Wint, testified for the prosecution last week, denying any involvement.)

Bach also accused Daron Wint of making up his story on the witness stand, tailoring it around the evidence and testimony introduced over the four weeks as prosecutors made their case. Daron Wint insisted he was simply telling the truth.

For example, two witnesses said they saw a man matching Daron Wint's description slipping inside the home's garage on May 14 about an hour and a half before the house's upstairs rooms were seen engulfed in smoke, and Daron Wint's DNA was found on the crust of a pizza that had been delivered to the house at the time authorities believe the family was being held captive.

Daron Wint's version of events: He claimed his brother lured him to the Savopoulos home with the false promise of a painting and drywall job, and that he ate a slice of pizza while he was inside, but that he stayed downstairs and had no idea anyone was being held captive upstairs.

Daron Wint also told jurors it was his brother who drove the Savopoulos family's blue Porsche from the home on May 14 and to a parking lot in New Carrollton, where it was later found set on fire. A green construction vest found inside the car had Daron Wint's DNA on it, forensics experts testified. Daron Wint said he put on the vest inside of the Savopoulos garage when he initially thought he would be doing painting work, and that he didn't realize he still had it on when his brother Darrell drove him to New Carrollton.

Bach reacted incredulously at times to Daron Wint's testimony.

Traffic cameras and witness testimony indicated that a tow truck driver gave Daron Wint a ride from the New Carrollton area into downtown D.C. on the afternoon of May 14, and then towed his blue minivan back to New Carrollton — near the area where the blue Porsche was later found burning.

Daron Wint testified he had the van towed back to New Carrollton because Darrell Wint had borrowed it and then dropped him off there without the keys. Daron Wint said he then discovered the keys inside the van's glove compartment after it had been towed back.

Bach noted that a few months before the killings, Daron Wint was pulled over for driving an unregistered vehicle — his blue van — and suggested he wanted the van towed on May 14 so he wouldn't be pulled over again, in case there was anything incriminating inside. (Bach also noted that when Wint was pulled over in March 2015, he initially lied to police and gave his brother Steffon's name and date of birth to police.)

That same van was later found set ablaze shortly after midnight on May 16 — about an hour after Daron Wint called his brother-in-law asking for help burning it. But, Daron Wint insisted he had nothing to do with actually burning the van. He said he woke up one morning and it had disappeared. He said he suspected his brother, Darrell Wint, had something do with the missing van, but he didn't go to police.

The van was found burning in an industrial parking lot near a metal working plant where Daron Wint had worked for several years.

by WTOP edited by WTOP News October 11, 2018
DC mansion killings: Daron Wint on trial
 
Oct. 17, 2018 — Day 18 LIVE TRIAL BLOG

Brother of mansion killings defendant testifies; pizza receipt, YouTube video key to alibi
In another surprise turn, the brother of the man on trial in the killings of four people inside a D.C. mansion in 2015 took the stand Wednesday, denying that he framed his brother for the killings or that he had any part in the crime as his brother's lawyers contend.

In gripping testimony, Darrell Wint laid out an alibi — partly corroborated by phone records, a pizza delivery receipt and a YouTube video timestamp — and said his brother, Daron Wint, “should be ashamed of himself for real” for trying to pin the killing on him.

Darrell Wint is the younger half-brother of Daron Wint, the lone suspect charged in the killings of Savvas, Amy and Philip Savopoulos and the family's housekeeper, Vera Figueroa.

In his testimony Wednesday during the prosecution's rebuttal phase of the trial, Darrell Wint laid out an accounting of his whereabouts during the time authorities have said the victims were taken captive and later killed.

Darrell Wint told jurors he had a job interview May 13 and then spent the day hanging out at a friend's house in Gaithersburg, Maryland, before picking up his son from school that afternoon.

On May 14, Darrell Wint said he took his younger children to the house of a friend in Silver Spring who also had young children. His alibi for that day is backed up by a receipt for a pizza that was delivered to his friend's house. The receipt shows his phone number and debit card were used to make a purchase from a Silver Spring Domino's at 12:16 p.m. on May 14 — just over an hour before firefighters responded to the burning Savopoulos house where the bodies of the victims were discovered inside.

The use of a pizza-delivery receipt to buttress Darrell Wint's alibi is an ironic twist in a case that began three years ago with evidence recovered from a pizza crust.

Daron Wint was arrested a week after the killings after authorities said his DNA was found on the crust of a pizza that had been delivered to the Savopoulos home while the victims were held captive.

In contrast to Daron Wint, whose phone went dark over the two days the victims were taken captive and later killed, prosecutors showed call records for Darrell Wint that showed a steady stream of incoming and outgoing calls on May 13 and May 14.

But Wint's defense team sought to raise questions about whether Darrell Wint was the one actually making the phone calls because, on the stand Wednesday, he was unable to identify all of the numbers.

Under pointed questioning by Judith Pipe, with the District Public Defender Service, Darrell Wint was fuzzy on many of the details surrounding his whereabouts over the two days of May 13 and 14. She pointed to all the gaps in his account of his whereabouts over those two days. For example, Darrell Wint said he can't remember if he stayed out late drinking at Silver Spring bars on the night of May 13.

Repeatedly, when asked to describe his whereabouts, his responses were punctuated with “maybe” and “probably.”

However, another witness called during the rebuttal phase of the trial backed up part of Darrell Wint's alibi. The friend who lived in Gaithersburg, Anthony Anderson, testified that Darrell did, in fact, stop by at some point on May 13. Anderson, who worked as a videographer, testified he remembers Darrell visiting because it was the same day a music video Anderson had been working was posted on YouTube. The video for “Haters Hate” was posted May 13, 2015, according to the time stamp on YouTube. Prosecutors entered a screenshot of the rap video into evidence.

Darrell Wint — who was previously convicted of possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and of first-degree assault in Maryland — did not testify during the prosecution's initial case, and there was intense speculation about whether he would take the stand during the rebuttal phase. Darrell Wint has not been offered immunity in exchange for his testimony, according to prosecutors.

After an intense back and forth between prosecutors and the defense before the jury entered the room, the defense was given permission to question Darrell about the 2007 assault conviction that Pipe, the public defender, described as an attack on a man for “snitching” on one of Darrell Wint's friends.

On the stand, Darrell Wint admitted the conviction but said the man who was attacked had “blatantly lied.” The attack involved a knife, and Darrell Wint was initially charged with attempted murder, neither of which the jury heard during testimony.

Elsewhere in testimony, Darrell Wint told jurors he met up with his brother, Daron Wint, on the evening of May 14 — several hours after the fire at the Savopoulos house — to make a trip to Walmart. Darrell Wint was due to start a painting job the next day, and he needed to buy painter's pants and other supplies, he said.

Later that night, Darrell Wint said Daron Wint directed him to an industrial area off Kenilworth Avenue in Prince George's County because he said his van had run out of gas. Daron Wint carried a bucket full of gas off into the dark along with a bag, Darrell Wint told jurors. A few minutes later, Daron Wint returned — but without the bag, and when Darrell drove away, he said he saw smoke.

Darrell Wint testified the incident didn't sit right with him.

"It just seemed suspect to me," he said. Despite having plans to meet up the next day, Darrell Wint said that never happened.

"I didn't like the vibes that I caught the night before," Darrell Wint told jurors.

Prosecutors say Darrell Wint later took police to the spot where he drove his brother on May 14, where they found burned debris. The location is also near where Daron Wint's van was found set ablaze a few days later.

Daron Wint's team of public defenders also claims another younger brother — who shares a key DNA signature with Daron Wint — took part in the killings as well. Steffon Wint testified earlier in the trial, rebutting the allegations and providing time sheets showing he was working as a construction supervisor at the time.

Neither brother has ever been charged, and prosecutors have dismissed the defense's theory.

Closing arguments in the nearly six-week trial are expected Monday.

by WTOP edited by WTOP 10:14 AM
DC mansion killings: Daron Wint on trial
 
Emotions erupt as closing arguments get underway in the DC Mansion Murders case
After about one month a three weeks, a jury will soon start deliberations in one of the District's most notorious trials: the DC Mansion Murders.

Author: Stephanie Ramirez
Published: 4:47 PM EDT October 22, 2018
Updated: 7:08 PM EDT October 22, 2018

WASHINGTON -- An emotional day for friends and family as closing arguments began in the notorious D.C. Mansion Murders case on Monday.

Even a few D.C.-area reporters sitting behind the family broke down in tears.
Emotions erupt as closing arguments get underway in the DC Mansion Murders case
 
Questions Linger in DC Mansion Murders Suspect’s Trial
Published at 1:12 PM EDT on Oct 22, 2018 | Updated at 1:30 PM EDT on Oct 22, 2018
Prosecution_Cross_Examines_DC_Mansion_Murders_Suspect.jpg


More than 70 witnesses testified in the trial of the lone suspect charged in the D.C. mansion murders — but as the case is poised to go to the jury, questions remain.

Could one person have acted alone? Why wasn't one of the brothers of the suspect thoroughly investigated when the suspect says he was the one who did it?
Questions Linger in DC Mansion Murders Trial
 
Emotional Closing Arguments in DC Mansion Murders Trial
By Meagan Fitzgerald
Published at 5:26 PM EDT on Oct 22, 2018 | Updated at 6:36 PM EDT on Oct 22, 2018

Family members wept and some jurors teared up as prosecutors showed graphic autopsy photos of the D.C. mansion murder victims during closing arguments Monday.

The defense responded by trying to create reasonable doubt, telling jurors the prosecution cherry-picked the evidence they presented to try and prove their theory. The defense argued detectives never fully investigated Wint’s brothers, and their whereabouts at the time of the murders have never been confirmed. The jury will get the case Tuesday after the defense wraps up its closing arguments.
Emotional Closing Arguments in DC Mansion Murders Trial
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Staff online

Members online

... and 171 more.
Total: 3,860 (members: 172, guests: 3,688)

Online statistics

Members online
172
Guests online
3,688
Total visitors
3,860
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,297
Messages
17,966,890
Members
228,735
Latest member
dil2288
Back
Top