WASHINGTON — The suspect in one of the most gruesome crimes the area has seen was again in court Friday, as the slow process of bringing the case to trial moves forward.
Daron Wint is accused of killing four people in a Northwest D.C. home not far from the Naval Observatory in 2015, after holding them captive and getting $40,000 in ransom money. Wint also is accused of setting the home on fire.
He had once worked for the company owned by one of the victims, Savvas Savopoulos, who was killed along with his wife Amy, their 10-year-old son Philip, and their housekeeper Vera Figueroa.
Friday’s court hearing was brief, with the prosecution and defense saying they were not ready to take up issues relating to DNA evidence.
Prosecutors had prepared an overview of the forensic evidence, though. It states there is a possible DNA link between Wint and a knife found in the basement of the burned home.
The summary of the evidence collected and analyzed by D.C. police, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and other agencies also mentions a piece of duct tape recovered from the driveway, pieces of pizza crust and a hair sample found in a piece of bedding. It also states the evidence includes thousands of photographs.
During the appropriate hearing, prosecutors would like the judge to ask Wint if he has gotten a chance to review the evidence in its entirety. The defense also has the right to do its own DNA testing before trial in many cases, and Wint could be asked if he is waiving his right to have some items tested, if they were not mentioned specifically by his lawyer.
The sides are due back in court in October. Wint’s trial is not scheduled to start until September 2018.
He faces 20 counts, including multiple counts of felony murder and kidnapping, as well as charges for arson, extortion, burglary and theft.
The home where the four were found dead was demolished in April.
