DC - Savvas Savopoulos, family & Veralicia Figueroa murdered; Daron Wint Arrested #1

[Aloysius]

His wife never stayed there overnight. So he might have had no reason to come to the house prior to this.

It wouldn't matter whether she stayed overnight or not, imo, she worked there and if he wanted to see her at work I'm pretty sure he wouldn't be knocking on the front door. Plus, this is his wife, she's supposed to be there. Wouldn't you go round the house looking in the windows trying the back door if you couldn't get any response? I found it really hard to believe he knocked, got no answer and went home. JMO.

 

[Indy Anna]

I wish we knew what was in the package delivered to the home Thurs. morning. Did the assistant who delivered the package receive a phone call from the home asking him to deliver it? From the wording in the article, it sounds like it was still outside the house when LE & firefighters arrived.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...140154-fbf7-11e4-9030-b4732caefe81_story.html

<<snipped>>

Also Thursday morning, one of Savopoulos’s assistants apparently left a package outside the Woodland Drive house, according to the police records.

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As to whether this was an "inside job" (committed by someone associated with the family) or random, I'd rank it a 7. I think the perp most likely knew the family. As to whether it was financially or personally motivated, I'd say it's a 5 because I think it's a combination. IMO, the perp was jealous of the family's achievements/wealth and felt he'd been wronged by someone in the family. A former business partner? A former employee?

I think Savvas and Amy were trying to get help by calling and texting NG. Maybe they didn't contact LE or request that LE be sent b/c the perp threatened to kill Philip if they contacted LE, and their calls and texts were being monitored by the perp. I do believe VF was already dead, and was the first murdered -- probably sometime early Wednesday soon after the perp arrived. Was he know to VF? Did she let him in?

 

[Hatfield]

I think the maid was involved. It is too weird that she was told twice not to come to work. Otherwise she wouldn't have a reason not to show up for work. It is too obvious that she was given an alibi.

Something is fishy about that story about the maid not having to be there so I do think it is possible she could be involved. JMO theory.

It sounds like the perps got their plan messed up and there was extra effort to ensure there was a record for her not to be at home. 1 simple text not to show up for work should have been enough but it went too far and seems very suspicious about that maid.

How would the perp even know to make sure she was called about work unless the perp knew her. Its not like the family would volunteer that information. Its almost like the perp knew her and her work routine.

All JMO and theory.

 

[dienermom]

I feel like the perp(s) had planned on being there overnight. I am just wondering if the theft has to do with a financial transfer. Why else would the perp(s) need to be there overnight. A transfer could have been placed sometime on Wednesday and then it went through on Thursday morning. There could have been a reason why Wed was chosen specifically. Like knowledge that transfers would happen faster then if on a Mon-Tues or Fri. IMO

One theory I saw floated somewhere (maybe here, can't recall) was that the package dropped off by Mr. S' assistant in the morning was a ransom payment. That could account for the timing.

 

[Chickaroo]

I have so many thoughts on this case.

1. The bucket the perp is carrying. I'm thinking it's a key clue and they did not want to leave it behind due to evidence. Here, you can not put gas in anything other than an approved gas can (2 litter bottles are out of the question, you use to be able to do so). I'm guessing this was preplanned and he bought the gas needed in cans, then transferred into the 5 gallon bucket. What would draw attention more...someone walking up to the house with multiple gas cans or someone walking up to the house with one lone 5 gallon bucket? Maybe the bucket played a role in getting the victims to let them in, thinking they were part of someone working at the house. A 5 gallon bucket would carry more than enough fuel to set a house on fire and a car.

2. Do you think the perp's choice of clothes says what generation he is from? The choice of skinny jeans is quite telling.

3. I'm thinking who did this watched the victims and knew their movements...who came and went. Maybe they were unaware of the recent change in the maid's habits and thought the maid would be in...had the victims text her. Maybe she came by in the mornings to check on little philip, since he was injured. I imagine she had a bond with him working with them for 20 years. For the maid that stayed...I wonder why her family did not report this earlier. I would not be prepared to stay anywhere overnight on the drop of a dime. I like clean clothes, using my comforts of home (underarm deo., toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.), and I have meds that I have to take, life or death, 3 times daily....a nightly dose being required. Wouldn't she ask her husband to send over some of those items, if they lived in the same town?

 

[jjenny]

One theory I saw floated somewhere (maybe here, can't recall) was that the package dropped off by Mr. S' assistant in the morning was a ransom payment. That could account for the timing.

Then presumably assistant would have told this to the police.

 

[Hatfield]

One little perp doing all that? I find that very unlikely. Especially with a husband who is very fit.

If the perp kept promising everyone would be all right if they just cooperate then it is easy for 1 person to hold a whole family at gunpoint and even have themselves tie themsevles up sometimes and things like that.

 

[Inthedetails]

I have a hinky feeling about the 2nd maid too.

I am not, at least not at this point. I think NG (2nd maid) knows the perp as I suspect it was a household staff member, but I think she wasn't aware of the plan and wasn't part of the crime.

JMO

 

[Elley Mae]

"Gutierrez said in the interview that Savvas Savopoulos had asked her to help at the studio on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, instead of at the couple’s home on Thursday."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...140154-fbf7-11e4-9030-b4732caefe81_story.html

I'm getting a better picture now of how crazy these messages are. The housekeeper normally worked at the home on Thursdays, but the week of the murder, she was hired to work at the martial arts studio INSTEAD of working at the home on Thursday. She never intended to be at the home on Thursday so all the messages to keep her away were unnecessary.

She was with SS at the studio on Wednesday and he told her Amy had plans to go out that night (reference the link above - it's in the article). Then, she receives a voicemail that night from SS telling her the family is sick and not to come on Thursday, which she found tense and strange.

And he asked her to call the other housekeeper's husband because she was staying overnight. Can you imagine getting a call from your spouse's co-worker to tell you your spouse is staying overnight at the employer's home which has never happened before?! That's weird.

On Thursday, she received the blunt text from Amy's phone, which she also found strange.

The messages are indeed strange!

It's my opinion at the moment that the weird/unusual messages were a reaching out if you will for someone to realize that something was wrong and they needed help, and the people that received them looked at them as such and carried on. IIRC the husband of the house keeper that spent the night stopped by ad did not get an answer.

If by chance someone had called the police and said that the housekeeper spending the night had never been done before and that the wife was suppose to one thing and then that changed and then if the boys school had called with him being absent. jmo idk JMO i think it was there it was not taken seriously enough in the short time that it happened in. jmo idk

 

[Hatfield]

I have so many thoughts on this case.

1. The bucket the perp is carrying. I'm thinking it's a key clue and they did not want to leave it behind due to evidence. Here, you can not put gas in anything other than an approved gas can (2 litter bottles are out of the question, you use to be able to do so). I'm guessing this was preplanned and he bought the gas needed in cans, then transferred into the 5 gallon bucket. What would draw attention more...someone walking up to the house with multiple gas cans or someone walking up to the house with one lone 5 gallon bucket? Maybe the bucket played a role in getting the victims to let them in, thinking they were part of someone working at the house. A 5 gallon bucket would carry more than enough fuel to set a house on fire and a car.

2. Do you think the perp's choice of clothes says what generation he is from? The choice of skinny jeans is quite telling.

3. I'm thinking who did this watched the victims and knew their movements...who came and went. Maybe they were unaware of the recent change in the maid's habits and thought the maid would be in...had the victims text her. Maybe she came by in the mornings to check on little philip, since he was injured. I imagine she had a bond with him working with them for 20 years. For the maid that stayed...I wonder why her family did not report this earlier. I would not be prepared to stay anywhere overnight on the drop of a dime. I like clean clothes, using my comforts of home (underarm deo., toothpaste, toothbrush, etc.), and I have meds that I have to take, life or death, 3 times daily....a nightly dose being required. Wouldn't she ask her husband to send over some of those items, if they lived in the same town?

Agree about the bucket. Maybe it was used to cover and transfer gas cans into the house. Like maybe there were 2 1/2 gallon smaller metal gas cans that were inside that white bucket.

By using the bucket, nobody would know there was gas being transported into the house and that person would look like one of the help leaving the house. Except he panicked and looked to be running almost to me.

 

[privateaye]

I am sure the lawn service people are being interviewed for what they saw. The perp could have used gasoline from their truck. Lawn Services always carry enough gas for the day's jobs.

 

[Indy Anna]

One theory I saw floated somewhere (maybe here, can't recall) was that the package dropped off by Mr. S' assistant in the morning was a ransom payment. That could account for the timing.

I was very curious about the package, but from the article I linked above, I presumed the package was still outside the home when LE arrived since it was in the police report. But, LE knew who delivered the package, so they must have already spoken to the assistant who delivered the package. I wonder if the package was missing when LE arrived and they learned about its delivery from the assistant. I imagine the assistant was terribly alarmed when he learned what had transpired, and may have realized that the package he was requested to deliver, especially if it did contain money, was related to the family's demise and so he contacted LE about it early on.

 

[doubt]

that HK had basically been hired right before the birth of the oldest daughter. wonder how much of her duties involved being nanny? wonder how close she was to the girls. maybe clues as to why she was spared, and also the family dogs? moo

 

[privateaye]

Agree about the bucket. Maybe it was used to cover and transfer gas cans into the house. Like maybe there were 2 1/2 gallon smaller metal gas cans that were inside that white bucket.

By using the bucket, nobody would know there was gas being transported into the house and that person would look like one of the help leaving the house. Except he panicked and looked to be running almost to me.

The bucket, alternatively, could have been used to take off with valuables.

 

[jjenny]

If the perp kept promising everyone would be all right if they just cooperate then it is easy for 1 person to hold a whole family at gunpoint and even have themselves tie themsevles up sometimes and things like that.

They were killed with blunt force trauma. Doesn't even look that the perp had a gun.

 

[jjenny]

The bucket, alternatively, could have been used to take off with valuables.

Why would you use a bucket and not a backpack or something like that?

 

[Hatfield]

I am not, at least not at this point. I think NG (2nd maid) knows the perp as I suspect it was a household staff member, but I think she wasn't aware of the plan and wasn't part of the crime.

JMO

I had considered that too that the perp knew the maid but maybe the maid did not know of the plan.

Its possible. Time will tell because if she knew of the plan beforehand then surely some evidence can tie her to the crime.

I think the perp planned on burning the house and victims right from the start of the plan.

Dumb criminals still think by burning all the evidence they can get away with things. The criminals forget that Forensics these days is just incredible and down to microscopic elements.

Seldom is there not some clue left behind even when trying to burn down a structure.
It may make LE job harder but usually evidence is always found even in fires set to conceal crimes.

 

[Inthedetails]

that HK had basically been hired right before the birth of the oldest daughter. wonder how much of her duties involved being nanny? wonder how close she was to the girls. maybe clues as to why she was spared, and also the family dogs? moo

I think the fact that the dogs were spared also points to someone familiar with the household. The perps didn't feel threatened by the dogs or worried the dogs would alert others to the crime in progress.

JMO.

 

[jjenny]

I think the fact that the dogs were spared also points to someone familiar with the household. The perps didn't feel threatened by the dogs or worried the dogs would alert others to the crime in progress.

JMO.

Where were the dogs found, considering the house was burned down?

 

[Indy Anna]

The bucket, alternatively, could have been used to take off with valuables.

It's possible the perp used the bucket to transport gasoline to the house, and then after the deed was done used it to stash money and jewelry taken from the victims. Once he had abandoned and set fire to the car (if one metal 1/2 gallon of gas remained, he could have taken it out of the bucket and placed it in the car), the bucket was easy enough to grab and flee with it. The items inside the bucket, if cash and jewelry, would have been lightweight enough for the perp to run while carrying it.