WASHINGTON — The man previously arrested in the killing and kidnapping of a wealthy D.C. family and their housekeeper was indicted Wednesday on 20 felony counts for the brutal crime.
Darron Wint, 35, of Lanham, Maryland, previously faced one murder count for the death of Savvas Savopoulos, the CEO of a Hyattsville construction supply company. Wint is now charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder for the slayings of Savopoulos and his wife Amy, son Philip and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, who were found inside the family’s $4. 5 million home last May.
Wint is also charged with kidnapping all four victims, plus theft, extortion, arson and burglary.
The indictment returned by a D.C. grand jury details three separate murder charges for each victim: first-degree murder during the attempt to commit or while in the act of burglary, first-degree murder during the attempt to commit or while in the act of kidnapping, and premeditated murder. The indictment also lists aggravating circumstances for each murder count, including that multiple killings were committed, and states that the crime was “especially heinous, atrocious and cruel.”
The aggravating circumstances act as enhancements to the felony murder charges and if substantiated by a jury, Wint could face up to life in prison instead of the mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison that a felony murder conviction carries in D.C., according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Wint faces up to 30 years in prison for each of the adult kidnapping charges but 45 years in prison for the count involving Philip. He faces another 60 years in prison if he were convicted of the remaining charges.
The Savopoulos family were held captive for almost a day in exchange for a $40,000 ransom. And once the cash was handed over to their captors, the family and their housekeeper were killed. The adults were stabbed and beaten to death. Philip was stabbed and burned to death; he was found lying on the charred remains of a bed.
Savopoulos, 46, Amy, 47, Philip, 10, and Figueroa, 57, were found by firefighters who arrived to the family’s burning house on Woodland Drive on May 14.
Police quickly identified Wint as a suspect based on DNA evidence left on a slice of partially eaten pizza found inside. A second sample of Wint’s DNA was found on a vest left inside Amy Savopoulos’ stolen car. Her burned Porsche had been left in New Carrollton with a neon green construction vest inside.
Initially charged and identified as Daron Wint, the indictment lists his name as Darron Dellon Dennis Wint and lists an alias of Daron Dylon Wint.
He is set to be arraigned Friday in D.C. Superior Court.
Investigators believed that Wint did not act alone and the crimes he is accused of “required the presence and assistance of more than one person,” court documents previously released said.
The investigation into the deaths continues, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office.
