Live Radio
Home » Washington, DC News » 22 Hours: An American…

22 Hours: An American Nightmare – Episode 3: The Money Drop

June 24, 2019, 9:21 AM

EPISODE 3: THE MONEY DROP

Hours after the victims are taken hostage, a ransom is delivered to the mansion on Woodland Drive. But it doesn’t save the victims — the calls, text messages and voicemails end, leaving key parts of the timeline unexplained. But after the trial, a new theory emerges explaining how the killer got inside the house.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Podcast One and Google Podcasts.

Looking for another episode?: Episode 1: The Fire | Episode 2: Taken Captive | Episode 4: The Pizza Crust | Episode 5: ‘A Murder Trial is a Play’ | Episode 6: On the Stand | Episode 7: Cross | Episode 8: The Breakdown Q&A #1 | Episode 9: Brother vs. Brother | Episode 10: The Verdict | Episode 11: Life Without

Vera Figueroa's stepdaughter Claudia Alfaro went with her dad to Woodland Drive on Thursday May 14, 2015 to try to find Vera. While her dad, Bernardo Alfaro, was knocking on the front door, she noticed a flash sports car on the street. The 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo was Amy's. What happened to that Porsche ended up being a major part of the crime. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.)
Vera Figueroa’s stepdaughter Claudia Alfaro went with her dad to Woodland Drive on Thursday May 14, 2015 to try to find Vera. While her dad, Bernardo Alfaro, was knocking on the front door, she noticed a flash sports car on the street. The 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo was Amy’s. What happened to that Porsche ended up being a major part of the crime. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.)
Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
The authorization from Savvas Savopoulos to American Iron Works' CFO Ted Chase to withdraw $40,000 from the company checking account.(Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.)
The authorization from Savvas Savopoulos to American Iron Works’ CFO Ted Chase to withdraw $40,000 from the company checking account. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.)
Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
While the family was held hostage, they communicated -- via phone calls and text messages -- with several people, whohad no idea what was happening inside 3201 Woodland Drive. In this text message, Amy Savopoulos asks the other family's housekeeper, Nelly Gutierrez, not to come to the house. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.)
While the family was held hostage, they communicated — via phone calls and text messages — with several people, who had no idea what was happening inside 3201 Woodland Drive. In this text message, Amy Savopoulos asks the other family’s housekeeper, Nelly Gutierrez, not to come to the house. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.)
Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
Savvas Savopoulos’s assistant Jordan Wallace and Ted Chase, the chief financial officer of American Iron Works, were directed to a Bank of American in Hyattsville, Maryland, to withdraw $40,000 from the company account. Neither Chase nor Wallace, who was asked to drop off the money, knew it was a ransom payment. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney for D.C.) (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.)
In the first few hours after police learned of the killings, Savvas Savopoulos’ assistant, Jordan Wallace, was under scrutiny. Detectives didn’t believe his story about going to the bank to pick up the $40,000 and then dropping it off at the house on Woodland Drive. This photo shows part of a transcript of the police interview with Jordan. This is before detectives learned of all the calls that had gone into arranging the money drop. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.)
Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
The Savopoulos family's red Mosler sports car. Savvas Savopoulos instructed his assisant to leave the $40,000 ransom inside the car. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.)
The Savopoulos family’s red Mosler sports car. Savvas Savopoulos instructed Jordan Wallace to leave the $40,000 ransom on the driver’s side seat. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.)
Courtesy U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C.
The downstairs formal living room is seen here heavily damaged from the firefighter response. On the black baseball bat near the No. 13 evidence marker, investigators found Vera Figueroa's DNA on the handle. Prosecutors believe she tried to fight back against the intruder. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney for D.C.)
The downstairs formal living room is seen here heavily damaged from the firefighter response. On the black baseball bat near the No. 13 evidence marker, investigators found Vera Figueroa’s DNA on the handle. Prosecutors believe she tried to fight back against the intruder. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney for D.C.)
Courtesy U.S. Attorney for D.C.
(1/7)
Vera Figueroa's stepdaughter Claudia Alfaro went with her dad to Woodland Drive on Thursday May 14, 2015 to try to find Vera. While her dad, Bernardo Alfaro, was knocking on the front door, she noticed a flash sports car on the street. The 2008 Porsche 911 Turbo was Amy's. What happened to that Porsche ended up being a major part of the crime. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.)
The authorization from Savvas Savopoulos to American Iron Works' CFO Ted Chase to withdraw $40,000 from the company checking account.(Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.)
While the family was held hostage, they communicated -- via phone calls and text messages -- with several people, whohad no idea what was happening inside 3201 Woodland Drive. In this text message, Amy Savopoulos asks the other family's housekeeper, Nelly Gutierrez, not to come to the house. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.)
The Savopoulos family's red Mosler sports car. Savvas Savopoulos instructed his assisant to leave the $40,000 ransom inside the car. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.)
The downstairs formal living room is seen here heavily damaged from the firefighter response. On the black baseball bat near the No. 13 evidence marker, investigators found Vera Figueroa's DNA on the handle. Prosecutors believe she tried to fight back against the intruder. (Courtesy U.S. Attorney for D.C.)

Related News

Recommended

Related Categories:

Latest News

Tags:

22 Hours
Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up