Fugitive UConn student Peter Manfredonia caught after 6-day manhunt following 2 murders and a kidnapping
CONNECTICUT: Fugitive student Peter Manfredonia who was wanted for the murders of two people has been caught in Maryland after authorities launched a massive multi-state manhunt, reveal authorities. The UConn student was taken into custody at a truck stop in Hagerstown close to the Washington County Sheriff's Office. The manhunt had gone on for six days and resulted in a multi-state manhunt which involved many law enforcement agencies.
Manfredonia is believed to have allegedly killed two men and fled from Connecticut on Sunday, May 24. According to the Hagerstown Police Department, an Uber driver dropped off the 23-year-old in the city on Tuesday, May 26. Manfredonia had reportedly started his crime spree on Friday, May 22, when local police were called in to check in a residential area in Willington over reports of a murder and assault, the Connecticut Post revealed.
He allegedly hacked 62-year-old Ted DeMers to death using a machete in Willington, Connecticut. He then went into another home where he held the homeowner hostage before he stole his guns and car.
He drove to Derby where he killed Nicholas Eisele, who was his former high school classmate. He then abducted Eisele's girlfriend and forced her into her 2016 Black Volkswagen Jetta and left the state. Eisele's girlfriend was found unharmed in Columbia, New Jersey. Authorities had found Eisele had been shot to death on Sunday, May 24.
We had earlier reported that Manfredonia had reportedly grown up on the same street as the Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza, with some claiming that he "snapped" in a similar manner. The South Passaic Daily Voice reported that Manfredonia had left an eery and chilling message before the murders. According to a student reporter at YourContent, one of these reported messages read, "We saw what happened when Adam snapped. Now they see what happens when I snap."
His family had urged Manfredonia to surrender through their attorney Michael Dolan. While speaking to the Connecticut Post, Dolan revealed Manfredonia had "mental health issues" but "no history of violence". "This really came out of nowhere," he shared. "This came as a total surprise to everybody based on Peter's past. He's been a kind-hearted person who has no history of violence or any trouble with the law," he added, according to a Fox News report.
UConn President Tom Katsouleas issued a statement and said, "The horrific and incomprehensible loss of life is reminiscent of so many other tragedies at so many other places around the country and the world." "Though rare, we have been sadly reminded that none are immune from such random acts and that they don’t always happen somewhere else," the statement continued. "No matter where they occur, such tragedy leaves us with overwhelming sadness for the victims and their families and struggling to make sense of how someone — in this case, someone from our own community — could be capable of such carnage."
We had also earlier reported that Manfredonia had stalked a woman who lived close to his first victim DeMers. Authorities had informed DeMers' wife, Cynthia, that Manfredonia was on their street as he had been stalking a neighbor's daughter, the New York Times reported. There have been no details regarding the woman who Manfredonia was stalking. DeMers' family has started a GoFundMe campaign to help with the funeral expenses.