UConn Student Wanted in Murderous Rampage Nabbed in Maryland
Published Date: 5/28/2020
Source: news.yahoo.com
The University of Connecticut student suspected of killing two people during a bloody crime spree has been captured in Maryland after a five-day, multistate manhunt.Police announced late Wednesday that Peter Manfredonia, 23, was taken into custody at a truck stop in Hagerstown without any injury to him or law enforcement. Manfredonia allegedly hacked woodworker Ted Demers to death and severely injured an elderly man in Willington, Connecticut, on Friday. Police say he then broke into a nearby home, held the owner captive, and fled early Sunday with his truck and a duffel bag full of guns.Police say that after crashing the truck, Manfredonia went to the home of acquaintance Nicholas Eisele, 23, and shot him in the head—then kidnapped Eisele’s girlfriend and drove her to New Jersey.UConn Student Wanted in Murders May Have Stolen Another CarFrom there, he hopped in an Uber to East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was caught on video walking on some railroad tracks. Police said he apparently stole yet another vehicle—a Hyundai Santa Fe that was found Wednesday near a Sheetz convenience store in Chambersburg. Manfredonia was also captured on video making a purchase in that Sheetz.Pennsylvania State Police said Manfredonia then took an Uber to Hagerstown, where he was apprehended.“Doing the happy dance that all are safe," DeMers’ widow, Cynthia, told the Hartford Courant. “My Ted is at peace and will continue to watch over our family. We will all move forward and continue on as he has instructed us to do.”Manfredonia’s family had publicly urged him to surrender and said he suffered from mental health issues. “It’s time to let the healing process begin,” family lawyer Michael Dolan said at a press conference on Monday.In an effort to bring the manhunt to a peaceful conclusion, police issued a message directly to Manfredonia at a Tuesday press conference.“We have talked to your family, we’ve talked to your friends and your roommates. All of them have said the same thing: that this behavior is out of the ordinary for you. We know this is not who you are, Peter,” Connecticut State Police Lt. John Aiello said.“I want you to know that we are continuing our investigation. The one thing we are missing right now is you. We want you to be able to tell your story. We are here to listen to you.”Manfredonia is a former high school football player who grew up on the same street as Sandy Hook school massacre gunman Adam Lanza. He was enrolled at UConn but not living on campus.Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.