DC - Savvas Savopoulos, family & Veralicia Figueroa murdered; Daron Wint Arrested #15

[TexMex]

This is a pretty heinous crime, including the torture and murder of a child. Any adult obstructing the investigation should expect very serious consequences.

JMO

JW has not been charged with obstruction of anything. He admitted his first account was wrong and corrected it.

 

[MyBelle]

JW has not been charged with obstruction of anything. He admitted his first account was wrong and corrected it.

I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations has not expired.

It is not known if his second version is the truth.

JMO

 

[Paulas88]

What can we EXPECT to hear at the preliminary hearing on July 2nd?

Hey Y'all, I'm reposting this, as I really relish all of your opinions! Amazing posts today! You're all so smart.

 

[TexMex]

I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations has not expired.

It is not known if his second version is the truth.

JMO

IMO JW has been eliminated by LE. He did lie, Day 1. He was a crucial witness, communicated with SS, delivered the ransom..and the bonehead lied. So...that moved him into a bad spot. He's now at the top of the list to be investigated. They had to get independent verification and check out each and every aspect of his final accounting. IMO the police verified through text history and context, video, phone history, searches and interviews with other witnesses...and it has apparently, IMO, checked out. Once Wints DNA was found and he was arrested and charged LE has had six weeks to determine if any link exists between them. Nothing. The search of the car? LE again has not named this man a suspect nor charged him with any crime. So IMO his story has checked out

 

[popsicle]

Hey Y'all, I'm reposting this, as I really relish all of your opinions! Amazing posts today! You're all so smart.

If the defense waives the prelim...nothing. If the prelim happens it will be like a mini trial.

 

[FelicityLemon]

Yes. This is going to sound like JW-trashing, so those of delicate temperament should skip to the next post.

Earlier, someone said "This 'kid' has lost a lot of ground in his life because of this nightmare." I think he was losing ground before this nightmare. He was fired from a job that provided him opportunities to talk to the press, supported his racing aspirations financially and otherwise, allowed him to start a high school racing program that had been one of his dreams since high school (even though he tried racing for the first time when he was 18, after "one too many concussions forced Wallace to leave behind the gridiron as a member of the football team at Annapolis High"). In March 2014 he said "As a racer, this job, this opportunity, this place - it has been a godsend and a dream. I've been really blessed to have this happen to me at this point in my life." In February 2015, he gave interviews to CBS Baltimore News and Press Box Online and The Jordan Wallace/Autobahn Racing Clinic was scheduled for March 16th.

Things seem to be going swimmingly, then he gets fired. He loses his steady income, his access to high profile Autobahn clients, a big part of his social life (as much of it seemed to center around Autobahn and kart racing, his sponsor... What happened in the last year? In the last month of his employ at Autobahn? In the last month of his employ with SS? Many assume that because he was still working for SS at the time of his death, that his employment would have continued if not for the murders. Of course that is possible, but it's equally possible that whatever caught up with him at Autobahn also caught up with him at the S home. Perhaps SS was fine with having his wife's car interior posted online. Perhaps he was not, and had spoken with JW about his lack of discretion. Perhaps SS was going to end their business relationship after six weeks. We don't know, so we can't presume any of the answers is true.

Unless there's some conspiracy against JW, his own actions brought him to the point of needing to find a new job. SS was kind enough to create one for him. The murders happening weeks after JW's proximity to the S family began could be (and probably are) coincidence. If not for SS' intervention, what would JW's life have looked like in May 2015? Would he have found that corporate sponsor? Would he have started standing out as someone who began racing ten years later than the competition, but remarkably is beating them on the track?

He was barely treading water with Autobahn. Without it, he went under. He may have thought SS was going to be a life boat, but he was really just a life preserver. SS' energy went toward his son's budding racing career while JW sat on the sidelines. That cannot have been satisfying to JW's ego, and it didn't seem to help his racing aspirations. In six weeks, JW may have realized that his job with SS was not going to pay off for him in the racing world. JW is already late to the party. He doesn't have time to sit out any dances.

At some point JW's life began a downward spiral. His work with SS may have slowed his descent, but it wasn't going to replace what he'd lost. Alternatively, JW could have marked SS in January or earlier, and conspired to get close to the family - not necessarily with criminal intent, but as a way to further his racing career.

JW's social media may have been full of #livingthedream, but he wasn't really living the dream. He was watching a ten year-old live the dream from the other side of a chainlink fence.

http://www.capitalgazette.com/cg2-arc-140321gn-connections--autobahn-20140329-story.html: "As a racer, this job, this opportunity, this place - it has been a godsend and a dream. I've been really blessed to have this happen to me at this point in my life."

http://www.pressboxonline.com/2015/02/12/karting-a-new-alternative-for-high-school-students: "This has been one of my dreams since I was in high school," Wallace said. "I've raced all over the country. I've been racing for about 10 years, and I've never seen anything like this."

FWIW, I'm not delicate and I don't see these comments as deliberately trashing JW. It's pretty unflattering and it may not be how he sees his life at all, but you didn't call him names, and honestly, I can see coming up with that scenario given what little we know. It's easy to forget that we're talking about a real, live feeling person who may or may not read or have been told about this site. It's easy to get caught up in our observations and theories (after all, it is fun) and forget that this is an innocent person as far as this crime goes until we're told otherwise.
To me, I read an excellent observation with a valid and fair assessment if we know he felt like this. Part of my original issue, and why I refer to him being 'trashed' is some of the name-calling and taking as fact one's own perception and spin of what they read and see. I neither agree or disagree with this scenario, and as unflattering as this is, I don't get the feel you're trying to deliberately denigrate him and make him look bad, it is an unfortunate byproduct. I understand that this is about trying to backstory a reason why he could have been involved. If taken as theory, no problem, but I'd hate to read this about myself though. Every day, I feel more for this guy. Here he was, happy go lucky, hitting some snags as we all do, trying to stay positive and looking on the bright side of things never knowing that people could misinterpret some of his postings. I loved his comments about his "offices of the day"! Maybe his postings were more like a "Make if so, Number One" kind of thing. Living towards your dream. Making the most of what you're given.

 

[facundo]

I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations has not expired.

It is not known if his second version is the truth.

JMO

"There are known knowns. These are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don't know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know."

Donald Rumsfeld :tantrum:

 

[kammiemc]

I don't think anyone would be given immunity in this case. In the murders of Tom and Jackie Hawks (thrown alive tied to anchors off their yacht into the Pacific Ocean in 2004), one of the defendants testified for the prosecution and accepted a plea bargain for two counts of voluntary manslaughter, two counts of robbery and two counts of kidnapping. He was sentenced to 20 years 4 months in prison and eligible for parole. Two of the defendants received the death penalty. The wife of the head conspirator, not on the yacht but aware of the plan, received two sentences of LWOP.

http://articles.dailypilot.com/2006...n09_1_jackie-hawks-ryan-hawks-skylar-deleon/2

Interesting. I am not really surprised that anyone involved wouldn't get off entirely in a crime this extreme. But IF, say the money launderers or JW had knowledge of some part of the crime, even if was just knowledge of the plan to steal money, would they still be on the hook for the murders because they didn't alert LE, even if JW says he was forced to comply? (That's what I would say if I were him. I'd say I had no idea about the details, but DW threatened to kill me if I didn't go retrieve the money and pretend like everything was kosher.) That might actually be true.

I don't really know what they could arrest JW for...what proof would there be? If it could be proven that JW DID know DW (that seems fairly easy) that would be an implausible coincidence and point to sure involvement based on common sense. But isn't that still circumstantial? Would it be grounds for charges and an arrest? It seems like evidence would have to be documented language between JW and DW + Co in which JW overtly displays knowledge of the plan. If he covered his tracks, and it's just his word against DW's, maybe there is just not enough to charge him with.

I don't think his second account of the money pick up and drop off is true and that is why LE outed him. I doubt they believe that the money was put into a car at all. That's why those details matter so much. IMO, JW has had six weeks to come out and clear his name. And I think he would be a magnet for high profile defense attorneys. There is a reason that he is MIA, and it's not because he has been cleared and yet still doesn't want to show his face. IMO, something deeper is happening. I think this guess is just as sound as guessing that he is cleared.

 

[Bootsctr]

No doubt in my mind JW will be prosecuted. He lied, obstructed the investigation and he also had the victim's vehicle registration. The $40,000 ransom has not been recovered and he photographed some of the money in his possession. Where's the rest of the money?

JMO

That's a $30,000 question... I don't think JW has it. I think the answers lie elsewhere. DW has what 39 ? brushes with the law. He's a dangerous criminal who should not have even be in this country if ICE had been doing what they should have been doing.

I looked at JW's SM. The guy didn't impress me. But, I don't know him. I don't know DW either, but if I had to be on a deserted island with either one, I'd pick JW. DW seems like he could go all cannibalistic on you. :hills:

 

[Bootsctr]

FWIW, I'm not delicate and I don't see these comments as deliberately trashing JW. It's pretty unflattering and it may not be how he sees his life at all, but you didn't call him names, and honestly, I can see coming up with that scenario given what little we know. It's easy to forget that we're talking about a real, live feeling person who may or may not read or have been told about this site. It's easy to get caught up in our observations and theories (after all, it is fun) and forget that this is an innocent person as far as this crime goes until we're told otherwise.
To me, I read an excellent observation with a valid and fair assessment if we know he felt like this. Part of my original issue, and why I refer to him being 'trashed' is some of the name-calling and taking as fact one's own perception and spin of what they read and see. I neither agree or disagree with this scenario, and as unflattering as this is, I don't get the feel you're trying to deliberately denigrate him and make him look bad, it is an unfortunate byproduct. I understand that this is about trying to backstory a reason why he could have been involved. If taken as theory, no problem, but I'd hate to read this about myself though. Every day, I feel more for this guy. Here he was, happy go lucky, hitting some snags as we all do, trying to stay positive and looking on the bright side of things never knowing that people could misinterpret some of his postings. I loved his comments about his "offices of the day"! Maybe his postings were more like a "Make if so, Number One" kind of thing. Living towards your dream. Making the most of what you're given.

I gotta agree with you about his attitude. Dude is 28 years old and he still had aspirations to be a racecar driver. Kudos to him!!

"It is never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot

What were Wint's aspirations? What was he working at self-employed?

 

[FelicityLemon]

Interesting. I am not really surprised that anyone involved wouldn't get off entirely in a crime this extreme. But IF, say the money launderers or JW had knowledge of some part of the crime, even if was just knowledge of the plan to steal money, would they still be on the hook for the murders because they didn't alert LE, even if JW says he was forced to comply? (That's what I would say if I were him. I'd say I had no idea about the details, but DW threatened to kill me if I didn't go retrieve the money and pretend like everything was kosher.) That might actually be true.

I don't really know what they could arrest JW for...what proof would there be? If it could be proven that JW DID know DW (that seems fairly easy) that would be an implausible coincidence and point to sure involvement based on common sense. But isn't that still circumstantial? Would it be grounds for charges and an arrest? It seems like evidence would have to be documented language between JW and DW + Co in which JW overtly displays knowledge of the plan. If he covered his tracks, and it's just his word against DW's, maybe there is just not enough to charge him with.

I don't think his second account of the money pick up and drop off is true and that is why LE outed him. I doubt they believe that the money was put into a car at all. That's why those details matter so much. IMO, JW has had six weeks to come out and clear his name. And I think he would be a magnet for high profile defense attorneys. There is a reason that he is MIA, and it's not because he has been cleared and yet still doesn't want to show his face. IMO, something deeper is happening. I think this guess is just as sound as guessing that he is cleared.

Great questions! I'm referring to that first paragraph. I've always wondered why, when a crime happens that many people knew of before the fact, those people aren't charged with anything. I get so mad watching TV (lately, marathons of FBI Files, Snapped, etc.) and see friends interviewed who say things like "S/he asked me to kill spouse." "told me they tried repeated poisonings but they didn't work" and other horrible stories THAT THEY NEVER ONCE CALLED POLICE or even made anonymous calls or notes to the police? Those are people who could have prevented deaths, painful prolonged deaths of human beings. If I was a family/friend of a victim and saw these interviews in the media, I'd be loaded for bear (lawyer, media) with those people in my crosshairs! I realize some people can possibly think their pal is just blowing off steam, but other people knew they were capable of it and did nothing!

Would the Good Samaritan Law cover this type of inaction?

Oh, and I fully support charging anyone who knew beforehand something criminal was going to happen, in addition to those who KNEW they were laundering money for a criminal. I don't care if they *allegedly* didn't know it was murder booty, they knew it was from something criminal.

 

[Bootsctr]

I don't see how JW obstructed justice. I think his first version of the story was an attempt to make it look like he did this kind of thing all the time for Mr. S. Maybe? I :dunno: Wint was going to be caught no matter what. I'm just curious as to how the capture ended with the truck and 4 or 5 people (according to which report you read) being let go and at least $10,000 just everywhere.

 

[katydid23]

Interesting. I am not really surprised that anyone involved wouldn't get off entirely in a crime this extreme. But IF, say the money launderers or JW had knowledge of some part of the crime, even if was just knowledge of the plan to steal money, would they still be on the hook for the murders because they didn't alert LE, even if JW says he was forced to comply? (That's what I would say if I were him. I'd say I had no idea about the details, but DW threatened to kill me if I didn't go retrieve the money and pretend like everything was kosher.) That might actually be true.

I don't really know what they could arrest JW for...what proof would there be? If it could be proven that JW DID know DW (that seems fairly easy) that would be an implausible coincidence and point to sure involvement based on common sense. But isn't that still circumstantial? Would it be grounds for charges and an arrest? It seems like evidence would have to be documented language between JW and DW + Co in which JW overtly displays knowledge of the plan. If he covered his tracks, and it's just his word against DW's, maybe there is just not enough to charge him with.

I don't think his second account of the money pick up and drop off is true and that is why LE outed him. I doubt they believe that the money was put into a car at all. That's why those details matter so much. IMO, JW has had six weeks to come out and clear his name. And I think he would be a magnet for high profile defense attorneys. There is a reason that he is MIA, and it's not because he has been cleared and yet still doesn't want to show his face. IMO, something deeper is happening. I think this guess is just as sound as guessing that he is cleared.

BBM

IF JW had any fore-knowledge of the robbery plans, he would be on the hook for the murders as well. If he had even the slightest involvement at all, like giving the address or inside info, he is going down for the murders as well.

He can't say 'they were going to kill me if I didn't help' because he was FREE at the time and had every opportunity to call 911. JMO

 

[rkf]

IMO JW has been eliminated by LE. He did lie, Day 1. He was a crucial witness, communicated with SS, delivered the ransom..and the bonehead lied. So...that moved him into a bad spot. He's now at the top of the list to be investigated. They had to get independent verification and check out each and every aspect of his final accounting. IMO the police verified through text history and context, video, phone history, searches and interviews with other witnesses...and it has apparently, IMO, checked out. Once Wints DNA was found and he was arrested and charged LE has had six weeks to determine if any link exists between them. Nothing. The search of the car? LE again has not named this man a suspect nor charged him with any crime. So IMO his story has checked out

So who do you think they have their eye on as DW's partner in crime?

 

[kammiemc]

This question will expose my lack of knowledge of how criminal procedures work:

As we know LE has said that this crime required assistance and there are multiple reasons to believe that, just based on the crime, the amount of pizza, the convoy, the suggestion of insider knowledge, the description of well-groomed guy driving Porsche, etc. Are arrests always automatically made public record? Is there any scenario in which it's possible that someone is being held by LE and the public would not be aware?

Don't worry, I am not going into any form of law anytime soon.

 

[kammiemc]

I don't see how JW obstructed justice. I think his first version of the story was an attempt to make it look like he did this kind of thing all the time for Mr. S. Maybe? I :dunno: Wint was going to be caught no matter what. I'm just curious as to how the capture ended with the truck and 4 or 5 people (according to which report you read) being let go and at least $10,000 just everywhere.

I wonder if there is any possible way for LE to determine that JW's second story was true--in that he dropped the money in the Mosler. Unless he is on camera in the garage being seen dropping off the money (possible), the only person who could corroborate that the money was left in the Mosler is DW (or his co). So, based on that, LE would have NOOOOOOOOOO reason to believe that JW's second story was true. As for unbagged money from the pockets of the accountant, that could have been confirmed. But as for the Mosler, they are, at best, left in doubt! They couldn't clear him if they tried.

 

[kammiemc]

BBM

IF JW had any fore-knowledge of the robbery plans, he would be on the hook for the murders as well. If he had even the slightest involvement at all, like giving the address or inside info, he is going down for the murders as well.

He can't say 'they were going to kill me if I didn't help' because he was FREE at the time and had every opportunity to call 911. JMO

Wow, that seems pretty rough considering that knowledge of a theft (or some kind of illegal funny biz) pales in comparison to knowledge (or direct hands-on participation) of the brutal murder of four people. So, if my friend tells me she is going to shoplift a mascara* and she ends up hitting the undercover cop who follows her out to the parking lot with her car door iand that UC falls and hits her head resulting in her death (I am being totally outlandish, just so I can understand how far this goes) would I be held accountable for that UC's death because I didn't alert of LE? Or is it only in greater crimes? (My friend did tell me she was going to shoplift a mascara when I was 15 and she got caught! Lesson learned. No stealing, no matter how innocent it might seem.)

 

[SophieRose]

Interesting. I am not really surprised that anyone involved wouldn't get off entirely in a crime this extreme. But IF, say the money launderers or JW had knowledge of some part of the crime, even if was just knowledge of the plan to steal money, would they still be on the hook for the murders because they didn't alert LE, even if JW says he was forced to comply? (That's what I would say if I were him. I'd say I had no idea about the details, but DW threatened to kill me if I didn't go retrieve the money and pretend like everything was kosher.) That might actually be true.

I don't really know what they could arrest JW for...what proof would there be? If it could be proven that JW DID know DW (that seems fairly easy) that would be an implausible coincidence and point to sure involvement based on common sense. But isn't that still circumstantial? Would it be grounds for charges and an arrest? It seems like evidence would have to be documented language between JW and DW + Co in which JW overtly displays knowledge of the plan. If he covered his tracks, and it's just his word against DW's, maybe there is just not enough to charge him with.

I don't think his second account of the money pick up and drop off is true and that is why LE outed him. I doubt they believe that the money was put into a car at all. That's why those details matter so much. IMO, JW has had six weeks to come out and clear his name. And I think he would be a magnet for high profile defense attorneys. There is a reason that he is MIA, and it's not because he has been cleared and yet still doesn't want to show his face. IMO, something deeper is happening. I think this guess is just as sound as guessing that he is cleared.

Across the side street on 32nd St NW is the back of the Australian Ambassador's Residence with surveillance cameras facing the garage. Early on Chief Lanier said they have lots of video. I figure they know if JW opened the garage or not.

 

[Bootsctr]

I wonder if there is any possible way for LE to determine that JW's second story was true--in that he dropped the money in the Mosler. Unless he is on camera in the garage being seen dropping off the money (possible), the only person who could corroborate that the money was left in the Mosler is DW (or his co). So, based on that, LE would have NOOOOOOOOOO reason to believe that JW's second story was true. As for unbagged money from the pockets of the accountant, that could have been confirmed. But as for the Mosler, they are, at best, left in doubt! They couldn't clear him if they tried.

Don't they have the texts from Savvas' phone to JW? I mean not that it was necessarily Savvas texting, but how would JW know it WAS not Mr. S? Just because you get a text from someone's phone doesn't mean the owner of the phone is the one texting you.

 

[kammiemc]

Across the side street on 32nd St NW is the back of the Australian Ambassador's Residence with surveillance cameras facing the garage. Early on Chief Lanier said they have lots of video. I figure they know if JW opened the garage or not.

Didn't we learn that there is a door inside the garage that opens to the house? If I were JW, I'd be sticking with the car story, because if I said I went into the house, that would mean that I could have known, at the very least, something was fishy, and at the very most, that the family and VF were being held upstairs. (Not to say that there is proof that he DIDN'T drop the money in the car, regardless that he deceived LE to think in that he had to locate a key to open it. Unless, of course, the video never showed the garage door opening.) But is there proof that he DID drop off the cash in the car?