I'm really trying to see how that doesn't implicate DarrW to some degree
Maybe Darrell was involved after the fact, in the cover up. Prosecutor said he’s been cooperating with the police
I'm really trying to see how that doesn't implicate DarrW to some degree
I've been thinking about this case a lot since yesterday. After watching DW testify yesterday, I got the impression that he's smarter than I previously thought he was. I have less doubt about him being the 'mastermind' of this crime. He was very sure of himself on the stand and not easily tripped up by the prosecutor. I haven't watched or read everything about the whole trial, but yesterday the prosecutor did a good job of painting him as desperate, and down on his luck in May 2015. He'd been kicked out of his mother & Samantha's place, and his situation living with his father and stepmother was supposed to be temporary. He was having issues with his green card application, and he had no driver's license or passport or valid ID to get a regular job. I think that the hours DW was spending each day allegedly looking for a job, he was casing places to burglarize, so he could move to NY with his finacee and start over. If people in the Woodland Dr. neighborhood say they'd seen him around, I think it was from him casing the place. I definitely think he was savvy enough to look up the Savopoulos family and find their address online, and study their comings and goings. I think that he went to the house on 5/13 planning to burglarize the place, and didn't expect anyone to be home. Maybe there were maps or burglary tools in the van. I think that running into Vera, Amy and Philip was an unexpected surprise, but I think he could have easily overpowered them. I'm not sure even at that point that he intended to kill anyone, but maybe there wasn't enough cash in the house to satisfy him, and maybe Amy convinced him that Savvas would be able to get him more cash, so DW let her call him to come home. My theory is that Savvas recognized DW and knew who he was - DW is very distinctive looking - and that's when the plan changed to murder everyone.
I'm still torn on Darrell's level of involvement. He has a lengthy criminal history, and is potentially a gang member. I think it's possible that he was involved in the planning, but I believe he would have been charged if there was any evidence of this. I think it's more likely that he was involved after the fact, and made a deal with the police for his cooperation in helping to convict DW. The one time DW seemed surprised yesterday was when the prosecutor asked him if he knew that Darrell had been assisting the police all along, and had taken them to the debris pile that contained the zip ties. (I think the debris pile was in the vicinity of the burned van, but maybe a different location in the vicinity). I agree with everyone that there are a lot of unanswered questions about the van. Maybe more evidence will come in next week. I'm thinking that the prosecution will call Darrell as a rebuttal witness next week, on Monday or Tuesday.
All of this is just my theory/guess.
I wonder if DW called DrrW from the mansion and, for whatever reason he gave, asked DrrW to move his van because he planned on taking one of the S's vehicles and didn't want his van found near the place. Then, DrrW could have led LE to the place where he drove the van, which by then was a pile of debris. IMOOGiven the nearby pile of ‘burned debris and zipties,’ I’d speculate that the van was at least used to transport crime scene items containing victims’ DNA that could’ve transferred to its interior, providing reason enough to burn it.
Also if it was really parked on a DC street for the 24-hour period of the crime, it was probably covered with tickets! All those streets have 2-hr time limits, most spots are metered, etc. Dodging 24 hours worth of parking tickets would be another reason to torch it.
Further to the revenge motive - it was new info to me that DW tried to get re-hired at AIW in 2008 & 2009 but was turned down - brings to mind his 2010 arrest for hanging out near AIW with a machete and a BB gun.
Excellent theory. This covers most of the bases and makes sense.I've been thinking about this case a lot since yesterday. After watching DW testify yesterday, I got the impression that he's smarter than I previously thought he was. I have less doubt about him being the 'mastermind' of this crime. He was very sure of himself on the stand and not easily tripped up by the prosecutor. I haven't watched or read everything about the whole trial, but yesterday the prosecutor did a good job of painting him as desperate, and down on his luck in May 2015. He'd been kicked out of his mother & Samantha's place, and his situation living with his father and stepmother was supposed to be temporary. He was having issues with his green card application, and he had no driver's license or passport or valid ID to get a regular job. I think that the hours DW was spending each day allegedly looking for a job, he was casing places to burglarize, so he could move to NY with his finacee and start over. If people in the Woodland Dr. neighborhood say they'd seen him around, I think it was from him casing the place. I definitely think he was savvy enough to look up the Savopoulos family and find their address online, and study their comings and goings. I think that he went to the house on 5/13 planning to burglarize the place, and didn't expect anyone to be home. Maybe there were maps or burglary tools in the van. I think that running into Vera, Amy and Philip was an unexpected surprise, but I think he could have easily overpowered them. I'm not sure even at that point that he intended to kill anyone, but maybe there wasn't enough cash in the house to satisfy him, and maybe Amy convinced him that Savvas would be able to get him more cash, so DW let her call him to come home. My theory is that Savvas recognized DW and knew who he was - DW is very distinctive looking - and that's when the plan changed to murder everyone.
I'm still torn on Darrell's level of involvement. He has a lengthy criminal history, and is potentially a gang member. I think it's possible that he was involved in the planning, but I believe he would have been charged if there was any evidence of this. I think it's more likely that he was involved after the fact, and made a deal with the police for his cooperation in helping to convict DW. The one time DW seemed surprised yesterday was when the prosecutor asked him if he knew that Darrell had been assisting the police all along, and had taken them to the debris pile that contained the zip ties. (I think the debris pile was in the vicinity of the burned van, but maybe a different location in the vicinity). I agree with everyone that there are a lot of unanswered questions about the van. Maybe more evidence will come in next week. I'm thinking that the prosecution will call Darrell as a rebuttal witness next week, on Monday or Tuesday.
All of this is just my theory/guess.
Thanks for all of the details you provided! I was also thinking that he was initially only planning to rob the house, but the zip ties make me think that he was planning to restrain people.I've been thinking about this case a lot since yesterday. After watching DW testify yesterday, I got the impression that he's smarter than I previously thought he was. I have less doubt about him being the 'mastermind' of this crime. He was very sure of himself on the stand and not easily tripped up by the prosecutor. I haven't watched or read everything about the whole trial, but yesterday the prosecutor did a good job of painting him as desperate, and down on his luck in May 2015. He'd been kicked out of his mother & Samantha's place, and his situation living with his father and stepmother was supposed to be temporary. He was having issues with his green card application, and he had no driver's license or passport or valid ID to get a regular job. I think that the hours DW was spending each day allegedly looking for a job, he was casing places to burglarize, so he could move to NY with his finacee and start over. If people in the Woodland Dr. neighborhood say they'd seen him around, I think it was from him casing the place. I definitely think he was savvy enough to look up the Savopoulos family and find their address online, and study their comings and goings. I think that he went to the house on 5/13 planning to burglarize the place, and didn't expect anyone to be home. Maybe there were maps or burglary tools in the van. I think that running into Vera, Amy and Philip was an unexpected surprise, but I think he could have easily overpowered them. I'm not sure even at that point that he intended to kill anyone, but maybe there wasn't enough cash in the house to satisfy him, and maybe Amy convinced him that Savvas would be able to get him more cash, so DW let her call him to come home. My theory is that Savvas recognized DW and knew who he was - DW is very distinctive looking - and that's when the plan changed to murder everyone.
I'm still torn on Darrell's level of involvement. He has a lengthy criminal history, and is potentially a gang member. I think it's possible that he was involved in the planning, but I believe he would have been charged if there was any evidence of this. I think it's more likely that he was involved after the fact, and made a deal with the police for his cooperation in helping to convict DW. The one time DW seemed surprised yesterday was when the prosecutor asked him if he knew that Darrell had been assisting the police all along, and had taken them to the debris pile that contained the zip ties. (I think the debris pile was in the vicinity of the burned van, but maybe a different location in the vicinity). I agree with everyone that there are a lot of unanswered questions about the van. Maybe more evidence will come in next week. I'm thinking that the prosecution will call Darrell as a rebuttal witness next week, on Monday or Tuesday.
All of this is just my theory/guess.
Thanks for all of the details you provided! I was also thinking that he was initially only planning to rob the house, but the zip ties make me think that he was planning to restrain people.
^^snipI think that the hours DW was spending each day allegedly looking for a job, he was casing places to burglarize, so he could move to NY with his finacee and start over. If people in the Woodland Dr. neighborhood say they'd seen him around, I think it was from him casing the place. I definitely think he was savvy enough to look up the Savopoulos family and find their address online, and study their comings and goings. I think that he went to the house on 5/13 planning to burglarize the place, and didn't expect anyone to be home. Maybe there were maps or burglary tools in the van. I think that running into Vera, Amy and Philip was an unexpected surprise
^^snip
I don't recall reading that neighbors saw DW around the neighborhood. To my recollection, there wasn't any reported surveillance images from neighbor cameras that showed DW on May 13/14 or previous. And no trial testimony about neighbors sighting of DW?
If DW had cased the S family and studied their comings and goings, I would think he would have known that a housekeeper was there on many days during the week.
I wonder if DW knew that SS was busy with the dojo grand opening scheduled for that Friday May 15. The dojo was in the vicinity of the AIW welding school in Chantilly, VA. DW was a welder.
I wonder if DW called DrrW from the mansion and, for whatever reason he gave, asked DrrW to move his van because he planned on taking one of the S's vehicles and didn't want his van found near the place. Then, DrrW could have led LE to the place where he drove the van, which by then was a pile of debris. IMOO
Oh, that's right. But, maybe on the 15th/16th he contacted DrrW to take his van somewhere and burn it because he was getting nervous about being seen with it and the contents of the van. There must be some way DrrW knew where the van was located if he wasn't a co-conspirator in the plot. DW probably paid him to burn the van so DrrW didn't question it until he found out DW was wanted. ???The van was driven afterward by DW. The stepmom testified that the van disappeared from her home for the last time on the 16th:
Wint's stepmother testified Wint was gone between May 13 and May 14 — which was unusual and caused concern among the Wint family about his whereabouts. He returned home to Lanham on the evening of May 14 with his blue van. But by early on the morning of May 16, his dad and stepmom noticed his van had gone missing, she testified. Even so, Wint appeared unconcerned about the missing van and told his dad and stepmom he wasn't going to report it to police, she told jurors.
DC mansion killings: Daron Wint on trial
Dear Patriciah,
Thank you for your keen observations on the trial, especially concerning D.W.'s demeanor.
This is greatly appreciated!
The point that stands out the most to me is the question of why would D.W. not give the name of his alibi to the police, to his lawyer over three years ago?
D.W. was sitting in a cell, charged with everything. Why would he wait a day let alone years to give the name of his alibi, who we have learned, had passed away last year?
The police or D.W.'s lawyer could have gotten a statement from this alibi years ago.
Or they could have arrested the person who did all of this - D.W.'s brother. If he was set up he would have spoken up.
My second question is why wouldn't D.W. tell anyone that he was set up and his brother committed these heinous crimes?
Why couldn't anyone get a hold of him between 6:00 a.m. May 13 and 5:59 p.m. on May 14th? Why did his social media go "dark" over that period of time?
I agree with you that D.W. is clever and he's worked on his story. But, in my opinion, that's all it is. A story. He's had time to work in every single detail to fit with all of the information in the reports.
But really, all he had to do was give the name of his alibi. Years ago.
With D.W.'s history of revenge and violence I find it incredibly difficult to believe his story.
This is my opinion only.
Yes and he refused the offer.But didn't DW's cousin testify earlier, that DW called him late at night, offered him some money to go and help burn his van?
Thanks for your great recap -- it's so appreciated. I thought I posted it here but don't see it but were you in court when the Prosecutor Bach asked him about his cell phone and if "fairies" paid his cell phone bill for him? (It was quoted in news report). Thanks again for taking one for the team!I've been thinking about this case a lot since yesterday. After watching DW testify yesterday, I got the impression that he's smarter than I previously thought he was. I have less doubt about him being the 'mastermind' of this crime. He was very sure of himself on the stand and not easily tripped up by the prosecutor. I haven't watched or read everything about the whole trial, but yesterday the prosecutor did a good job of painting him as desperate, and down on his luck in May 2015. He'd been kicked out of his mother & Samantha's place, and his situation living with his father and stepmother was supposed to be temporary. He was having issues with his green card application, and he had no driver's license or passport or valid ID to get a regular job. I think that the hours DW was spending each day allegedly looking for a job, he was casing places to burglarize, so he could move to NY with his finacee and start over. If people in the Woodland Dr. neighborhood say they'd seen him around, I think it was from him casing the place. I definitely think he was savvy enough to look up the Savopoulos family and find their address online, and study their comings and goings. I think that he went to the house on 5/13 planning to burglarize the place, and didn't expect anyone to be home. Maybe there were maps or burglary tools in the van. I think that running into Vera, Amy and Philip was an unexpected surprise, but I think he could have easily overpowered them. I'm not sure even at that point that he intended to kill anyone, but maybe there wasn't enough cash in the house to satisfy him, and maybe Amy convinced him that Savvas would be able to get him more cash, so DW let her call him to come home. My theory is that Savvas recognized DW and knew who he was - DW is very distinctive looking - and that's when the plan changed to murder everyone.
I'm still torn on Darrell's level of involvement. He has a lengthy criminal history, and is potentially a gang member. I think it's possible that he was involved in the planning, but I believe he would have been charged if there was any evidence of this. I think it's more likely that he was involved after the fact, and made a deal with the police for his cooperation in helping to convict DW. The one time DW seemed surprised yesterday was when the prosecutor asked him if he knew that Darrell had been assisting the police all along, and had taken them to the debris pile that contained the zip ties. (I think the debris pile was in the vicinity of the burned van, but maybe a different location in the vicinity). I agree with everyone that there are a lot of unanswered questions about the van. Maybe more evidence will come in next week. I'm thinking that the prosecution will call Darrell as a rebuttal witness next week, on Monday or Tuesday.
All of this is just my theory/guess.