DC Mansion Slaying: Questions Remain on Day of Family's Funeral
— -- As mourners gathered at funeral services today for Washington, D.C., businessman Savvas Savopoulos, his wife Amy and their son, Phillip, there are still questions surrounding why the suspect allegedly terrorized and killed the family and housekeeper Vera Figueroa at the Savopoulos' upscale home.
Here is a look at some of those questions surrounding the case:
Who is the suspect, Daron Wint?
Daron Wint was arrested after authorities found his DNA on the remains of pizza left behind at the crime scene. The 34-year-old is accused of quadruple homicide and arson. He has not yet entered a plea.
In 2010, Wint was arrested after carrying a machete and a BB pistol outside the American Iron Works headquarters, where Wint once worked as a welder for CEO Savvas Savopoulos, the Associated Press reported.
Prosecutors cited Wint’s record as a reason he should be held on the murder charges. He was convicted of assaulting a girlfriend in Maryland in 2009, according to The Associated Press.
In 2010, he pleaded guilty to malicious destruction of property after he allegedly threatened to kill a woman and her daughter, then broke into her apartment, stole her television, and vandalized her car.
But attorney Robin Ficker, who has represented Wint in the past, said Wint is a "gentle person" who wouldn't kill anybody and who feels the pain of the surviving family members because he has a family of his own.
"I have completed 30,000 cases in the Maryland courts and I've met a lot of criminals and of course people who aren't criminals in my life," Ficker told ABC News this past Saturday. "... I don't believe that he is capable of killing anybody... He's not the type, he's not a street thug, he's a gentle person. I believed that when I represented him 10 years ago and I believe it after talking to him for two hours today."
He told ABC News that Wint's mother is devastated and in disbelief. "She's distraught," Ficker said. "She can't believe he would have done anything like this at all."
Wint is due in court on June 22.
What happened inside the house?
Firefighters found three adults, two of them pronounced dead at the scene while the other died at the hospital, in one of the second floor bedrooms.
A fourth victim, 10-year-old Phillip Savopoulos. was found in an adjacent bedroom where the blaze was largely contained, according to the affidavit. The medical examiner later determined that the child's death was caused by the fire and sharp force injuries.
The affidavit states that Phillip Savopoulos "was located on the charred remains/mattress spring of a queen sized bed."Firefighters found "the presence of an ignitable liquid on the stairs and in the room in which the three adults were located. Several matches and a matchbox were found at the top of the stairs," the affidavit states.
The Savopoulos' two daughters were away at school at the time and survived.
Are other people involved?
While Wint is the only suspect in custody, police say they believe the killings "required the presence and assistance of more than one person."
According to a criminal complaint, an employee referred to as "W-1," or Witness 1, was Savopoulos' driver, tasked with handling "daily assignments" for him. W-1 delivered $40,000 in cash to the Savopoulos home before it was set ablaze.
W-1 initially told police Savopoulos called him to deliver a package the day of the fire, but later said Savopoulos sent him those instructions by text the day before.
Police say W-1 "admitted that [he] lied" when he told police the car where the money was to be dropped was locked.
W-1 has not been arrested and has not been charged with any crime.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
