DC - Savvas Savopoulos, family & Veralicia Figueroa murdered; Daron Wint Arrested #12

[rkf]

Tennis shoes? How do you know? If you are talking about the video of someone running, I can't make heads or tails of what kind of shoes that person is wearing.

Blood from at least one of the victims was found on DW's tennis shoes, according to CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/02/us/washington-mansion-fire-slayings-suspect/

 

[jjenny]

It's a hard decision to me to decide if they should plead with him. If he is the only one in on this then there is no reason for the state to plea. If they can prosecute all involved without his help no plea either. If there are others that the state cannot prosecute with his help then I think they may just have to plea. Don't get me wrong I think he deserves all the state can give him. I just also think all involved need the severest punishments possible.
The boot mark on the door, and the water bottle lead me to believe there was at least one more in the house. With DW's past history I believe he is capable of committing all of the crimes that night, but we don't know if another person did the most heinous ones. I would not want for that person to be walking free, if a plea could also catch that person.
Maybe a plea to a long prison sentence and a guarantee of immediate deportation.
I want all involved held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, but I know sometimes pleas have to be made.

I don't see DW getting a plea involving possibility of parole. Not for this type of a crime. Four people viciously killed, including a child. This type of crime deserves a death penalty, not possibility of parole.

 

[yepitsme]

By all accounts from locals it would not have been easy to case the joint. I've seen tall hedges in the front of the house. What about the remaining perimeter on the two sides? Did the hedge continue to the left and right? The house was so close to the road on 2 sides I'm inclined to think they tried to enhance their privacy some way? I've seen overheads but just don't remember.

I live nearby and as I posted before I do not think it would be easy to case the joint. This neighborhood is fairly deserted. People don't just walk around there and someone like Wint would absolutely stand out. He would have to be disguised at some kind of worker but then if he was on the Savopouloses property they would know he didn't belong.

I do wonder about that vacuum cleaner salesman.

 

[jjenny]

Blood from at least one of the victims was found on DW's tennis shoes, according to CNN. http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/02/us/washington-mansion-fire-slayings-suspect/

That article just says shoes. Nothing in there about tennis shoes. That if you believe something attributed to some anonymous sources to begin with.

 

[yepitsme]

That's really not fair to us DC residents. Neighbors don't have to be "intimate" to notice things. I think this is one of those unfortunate situations where things fell through the cracks. Doesn't mean that DC has neighbors that aren't intimate.

I don't think this is a slur on all of DC. Mass Ave Heights is different. I don;t get any sense of intimate neighbors. But I do think someone who didn;t belong would stand out.

 

[twomanywords]

The dogs do concern me. My dogs bark even if my son comes in the door. They bark at gardeners weekly and if left outside accidentally will bark too. My Golden would be very chaotic in the house if stuff was going on.... My Chihuahua would be trying to bite everyone's shoes and barking his head off.
So sad that their dogs couldn't do anything to alert others or even bite
I'm guessing they had that situation figured out prior to the event.

 

[yepitsme]

I live closer to the house next door than they did and I don't know if I would hear a window breaking next door, especially if I was on the other side of the house or watching TV. And wouldn't the dogs be barking at the same time?

My take on the neighborhood is that the emptiness of the place (and trust me on this, it is eerily quiet there) would allow someone to "do something" quickly and get away with it. But if someone was outside for any period of time, casing the place, they would be very noticeable.

 

[1&2&3]

Are you saying that the feed from the S's video was being recorded/watched elsewhere? TIA

That is what I am wondering? Where I was, the security company called and upon hearing no one was home, immediately pulled this house up at their center and could look at all the cameras to see if security had been breached - if anyone was on or in property. This made me wonder if the actions at the house are videoed at the main security center too.

Security systems are very different, therefore, who knows what these top systems can do?

 

[nikki80]

Think i'll take a break from posting for awhile. While I think Wint is a disgusting creature, I don't see how he looks like he doesn't belong. A person doesn't have to have a certain look to live somewhere guys.

 

[ohreally]

I don't see DW getting a plea involving possibility of parole. Not for this type of a crime. Four people viciously killed, including a child. This type of crime deserves a death penalty, not possibility of parole.

What else but a possibility of parole could they give him? DC doesn't have the death penalty, so they cannot offer to take that away. Let's say the have the fingerprint, but no match for it in the system. If they have something that proves there are two equally guilty killers (one being DW) I think they would. There is no way IMO would they not plea to get the other killer off the streets. They are working hard IMO to get all involved, and hopefully they will get them all without a plea.
I will look to see if I can find any other cases where this has been done for gruesome murders.

 

[blessedlife]

Interesting article about dogs and whether or not they are a deterrent for burglaries. It was conducted with inmates.......

"II. Dogs and Home/Office/Neighborhood Security

Improving home security is relatively easy. Increasing your security outside the home imposes additional constraints. Let's consider home security first. (Much of the information in this section applies, with obvious modifications, to the workplace, and you may want to keep it in mind if you work outside the home at times when most others do not.)

A. Ask the experts about home security. Jack MacLean (Secrets of a Superthief) reports the results of a survey of over 300 prison inmates who'd been convicted of burglary or other residential crimes. Three of the questions were about dogs and home security:

Would dogs scare you away?
65% said that dogs of good size and unfriendly persuasion would scare them away
35% said no dog would scare them away.

Based on reassessment of responses, MacLean concludes that over 95% would indeed be scared away.[5]

What kinds of dogs scare you away the most?
35% Dobermans
30% "pit bull dogs"[6]
25% all dogs
10% German Shepherd Dogs

What would scare you away from a residence more than anything?
59% people in the house
32% almost any dog[7]
9% replies from night-time only burglars, who'd be deterred by spot or flood lights lighting up a yard

In another study, the following question was asked of 589 convicted property offenders:

How effective is each of the following likely to be in preventing burglary, breaking and entering and grand theft?

0 - not effective 1 - somewhat effective 2 - very effective

Monitored burglar alarms[8] 1.51
Electronic sensors in windows 1.35
Closed circuit TV cameras in stores 1.31
Private security patrols 1.14
DOG IN HOUSE 1.11
Weapons in home 1.10
Guardhouses protecting homes 1.07
Random police foot patrols 1.05
Better exterior lighting 1.02
"Neighborhood Watch" programs 0.98
Safes/strong boxes 0.83
Local burglar alarms 0.83
Deadbolt lock 0.79
Timed interior lights 0.78[9]

And a police officer wrote:

...you are concerned for your family's safety, and you want a nice pet, too. Fortunately..., you can have the best of both worlds. I speak as a dog enthusiast, and as a police officer who specializes in Crime Prevention. ...Professional criminals dislike: 1. time 2. noise 3. light. [TIME:] Most thieves like to be into a house in less than 15 seconds; if a criminal needs more than that he probably won't break into your house. This tells us that good quality, re-enforced doors [and windows] with heavy duty locks are an answer. LIGHT: if you keep the area around your house lighted (sensor lights are good and inexpensive, too) this will help greatly. NOISE: ... [a small, alert dog], while not intimidating to most people, is a problem to a burglar - he does not want to hear that barking! So, you can improve your home security without adding a... [larger] dog.... BUT, like a lot of things, sometimes more is better, and in this case, having more physical security, more light or more noise is going to be in your favor.... Also, having a big dog on the property lets the pros know when they are looking for an easy mark that perhaps your house is not an easy mark.

But, there are still the matters of neighborhood and car safety, and not just any barking dog will help with these."

Kind of long


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[blessedlife]

I live nearby and as I posted before I do not think it would be easy to case the joint. This neighborhood is fairly deserted. People don't just walk around there and someone like Wint would absolutely stand out. He would have to be disguised at some kind of worker but then if he was on the Savopouloses property they would know he didn't belong.

I do wonder about that vacuum cleaner salesman.

I remember a few years ago there was the traveling magazine salesman who murdered a 90 year old woman. Again, opportunists. Three are plenty of crimes committed by door to door sales. Here's one for Kirby vacuum sales just this year.

http://pvtimes.com/news/police-home...ld-vacuums-door-door.html#.VXeTh-Zm_h4.mailto


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[rkf]

Some good points raised in the recent "Security Weekly" publication that we get at work. Here's excerpt on "The Known Threat" (i.e., DW):

The Known Threat

"As noted last week, the man arrested and charged in the Savopoulos murders, Daron Wint, was employed at American Iron Works from 2003-2005 before being fired. But Wint's termination was not his last contact with the company. According to the AP, Wint was arrested outside the headquarters of American Iron Works in 2010. At the time of the incident, he was reportedly armed with a BB pistol and a machete. The weapons charges were reportedly dropped when Wint pleaded guilty to possessing an open container of alcohol. Based on my experience in dealing with angry and mentally disturbed former employees, it would seem very unusual for a person to suddenly develop an unhealthy focus on their former employer after a five-year period of no contact. It is even more unusual to target the company's CEO after 10 years with no other contact."

https://www.stratfor.com/weekly/savopoulos-case-study-protective-intelligence

I'm still not sold that Wint hanging out behind the dumpster at the shell across the highway from American Iron Works was related to AIW. Of course, it could be, but it could also be close to a girlfriend's house or a home he planned to rob. I've attached a screenshot of the distance between the Shell and AIW. DW was found with a machete and I believe a pellet gun or bb gun in his backpack and an open can of beer. He pled down to open alcohol in public (paraphrasing). It makes me think LE's didn't feel DW had plans for the concealed dangerous weapons, but just had them in his bag when stopped. I also don't believe LE would have informed AIW or SS about DW's arrest, because he hadn't worked there for 5 years, so no immediate, obvious connection between the two at the time.

I also have not seen it confirmed that Wint was fired. His brother or cousin was fired from AIW.

 

[Paulas88]

Yeah, and it makes you wonder why LE would release information about "forced entry" after initially saying "no forced entry". I can't believe they hadn't done a thorough dusting of all exterior doors before the press conference where they announce "inside job" (paraphrasing). So is this old evidence being released with a new spin. Is it possible they're trying to give POIs the opportunity to incur lesser charge if they come forward? Would the fact that it was a forced entry imply less premeditation regarding the ensuing events?

I 100% agree, there's no way the LE's wouldn't have known if there was forced entry.
I think a ploy to lure an accomplice.

 

[passionflower]

O/T we used to have a German Shepherd that looked like he could bite you and think nothing of it. His growl scare many people. (very docile)
LOL, we also had a poodle, cute, fluffy and no one was afraid................
well, I used to warn people, she could look like an angel and bite you at the same time. (guard dog)

 

[nikki80]

My Yorkie is 5 lbs and raises hell when my husband and I hug. I guess he thinks he's hurting me. He will yap until I tell him "Mommy's ok". If I leave him outside too long, he will yelp. He's a noisy boy packed in a little body.

Their dogs may have been very laid back. Maybe DW occupied them with treats? It may sound crazy but he could have packed a bag of pupperoni. Or someone familiar was around. TBH I don't think they did much screaming. DW probably told him, "scream and ill cut your sons throat" I mean just think about it, this guy made several calls and sounded extremely calm.

 

[rkf]

wonder if his gf noticed he had blood on his shoes? or if she noticed anything else that could have linked him to the crime? i remember reading that she didn't contact the police, that they tracked her down. makes me think she wasn't in too much of a hurry to turn him in even if she did suspect him...just speculating. this case is so disgustingly horrible. Everything about it.

I suspect the blood spots were not obvious enough for DW or his girlfriend to notice them. Otherwise, even an idiot would know to ditch them. The spots could be minute or caught in creases or ridges that wouldn't be seen if you weren't looking for it. JMO

 

[rkf]

"Originally Posted by Willow Knight Exactly. The perps would not want the dogs outside barking. Maybe they did drug the dogs. It wouldn't surprise me if they had easy access to drugs." bbm

Agreeing w above that drugging the dogs is a good possibility.

Respectfully w ~one hr actual time, ~$50, and a (borrowed?) dog, a vet visit c/h yielded Doggie Downers without any criminal activity. No need to slither into the criminal underworld.

Why would the perp(s) take the time to get doggy downers, so as not to harm the dogs, but torture, mutilate and murder the humans? Sounds like a lot of effort to spare the dogs, and my general opinion about DW is that he likes to exert as little effort as possible. My personal opinion is that someone was involved who was known to the dogs.

 

[rkf]

A lot of good that will do... "If convicted, ICE would not take him into the agency’s custody until after he served his sentence."

Pfft... big deal... he'll get to eat and sleep on the dollars of taxpayers and THEN be deported.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...arron-wint-flagged-for-deporta/#ixzz3cbtPoOYG
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

I'd rather have him in jail here, so we know he's in jail, than released to another country that has less incentive to lock him up. I'm happy to donate extra tax dollars.

 

[Peliman]

Also, DC does not execute criminals and this case is highly unlikely to be made federal.

More importantly, as Amnesty International notes in its 2014 report, about a third of the world may have a death penalty, but only nine nations across the globe still regularly execute citizens. As one of those nine nations, the United States finds itself in the company of those bastions of human rights like Iran, China, Somalia, Sudan and North Korea.

While the United States has the third highest population in the world, by a large margin, no nation has more of its citizens incarcerated than the United States...we're #1 in that category and our lead is big.

Troubling to say the least..

I was hoping not to get into the DP debate but this case IMO is good reason it shouldn't be taken off the table. I believe this crime was so heinous it cries out for the DP for those responsible in the deaths of the family.

It would be one more tool in negotiations if a plea deal were considered. Not that I think Wint would cooperate but just maybe. Yes it would be years away if ever but from my view it's about the punishment that fits the crime.

I could deal with life with no possibility of parole if wint proffered to testify about others, if there are others. I'd also make a lousy juror because I'd convict him for the DNA and Blood on his shoe along with the cash found at his arrest. (if proven true) JMO & MOO