DC - Savvas Savopoulos, family & Veralicia Figueroa murdered; Daron Wint Arrested #5

[SpanishInquisition]

SS needed money. The banks were closed Wed evening so he notified an employee that they would be responsible to get the money together first thing Thurs morning. The driver is directed to be ready to pick up the money at AIW and deliver it to the home Thurs morning , calling when he is ten minutes away. Thursday morning calls are making sure the plan is being followed or dealing with any issues with the bank etc. SS was trying to get the maniac out of his house and away from his family ASAP

I understand now in that you're getting caught tripped up in W1's lies as you are conflating the different stories told by W1. W1 initially told that Thursday to go to the AIW office and pick up an envelope, but LE knew that was a lie. W1 went to BOA and was present for the appointment between the AIW employee and the branch manager. I don't see what you're disagreeing with that if this was something spur of the moment that it would point to SS having done prior large cash transactions instead of this being a unique transaction where SS had never done a transaction like that before.

 

[corundogs]

That is because you haven't explained how there was appointment set when the relevant parties couldn't have been contacted on Wednesday to set the appointment. You said the relevant parties to the appointment were contacted the next morning after SS told the driver when the appointment with those people was.

How on earth do you know what the assistant was told? I haven't seen anything that says that he was supposed to be at a specific time and place...on Wednesday, or for that matter, Thursday.

SS knew that there would have to be a pick up and delivery at some point. So he made arrangements with the assistant on Wednesday evening. To MAKE SURE he would be available first thing Thursday, or just as soon as SS could make this cash thing happen.

Seems to me you have put a lot of details into your theory that we just don't know.

 

[corundogs]

The question I was replying to was not what he wanted it for. The question was something like ' does anyone know a valid or legal reason a business would need wads of cash.'

Maybe he was going to an art auction?


eta: here is the question I was directly answering:

"Bribes, drug money, hit money, untraceable political "donation" are the only things I can think of that require cash over a wire transfer, ACH, check, etc. Can anyone think of a legit reason for needing or wanting a huge pile of cash like that?"

Plus, the reason for the money was almost 100% likely a made up story!!!!!!

 

[katydid23]

But he can refuse public defenders and go with the Ficker. If he so desires. Ficker likely agreed to do it for free.

And you get what you pay for.

 

[katydid23]

I'm really wondering if W-1 was "planted" at the Speedway in order to get "close" to SS & someone else was "planted" at AIW (i.e. clerk, secretary) to get close to the accounting.

If this was a multi-million dollar heist then I could agree. But all of that pre-production for 40K ?

 

[Skigirl]

The question I was replying to was not what he wanted it for. The question was something like ' does anyone know a valid or legal reason a business would need wads of cash.'

Maybe he was going to an art auction?

eta: here is the question I was directly answering:

"Bribes, drug money, hit money, untraceable political "donation" are the only things I can think of that require cash over a wire transfer, ACH, check, etc. Can anyone think of a legit reason for needing or wanting a huge pile of cash like that?"

OK, you're right, that is what I asked -- sorry about that. I guess a car/equipment auction could be one reason why somebody in the would want a large pile of cash. IMHO, that's not very likely in this case, but it is a reason to have cash.

 

[tambo]

I don't think it's been established that W1 didn't talk with SS in the last call. We just know it was the last incoming/outgoing call from SS's phone.

which also means that it could have been W1 calling SS, and maybe he didn't answer. lots of people have been saying how W1 should have answered his bosses call when we don't even know who called who.

 

[SpanishInquisition]

There are car/equipment auctions that are CASH ONLY. Many businesses find great deals on used machinery, vehicles etc there.

Yes, to attend one of those auctions you give a deposit and then you only have to bring cash or a cashier's check after the auction is over to pay for what you won. You wouldn't be bringing large sums of money when you went to the auction, but rather after the auction was over and you wouldn't even have to bring in cash as you can bring in the cashier's check to pay your bill. There are different meanings for 'cash only' items depending on the type of auction (like a 'cash only' home foreclosure auction doesn't mean you pay by cash or cashier's check but instead that you can pay through your own bank account instead of having to get a mortgage), not that there's auctions where 100 people are each walking around with $10Ks in their pockets for their pockets and briefcases to be snatched.

 

[TexMex]

I understand now in that you're getting caught tripped up in W1's lies as you are conflating the different stories told by W1. W1 initially told that Thursday to go to the AIW office and pick up an envelope, but LE knew that was a lie. W1 went to BOA and was present for the appointment between the AIW employee and the branch manager. I don't see what you're disagreeing with that if this was something spur of the moment that it would point to SS having done prior large cash transactions instead of this being a unique transaction where SS had never done a transaction like that before.

I do think SS (or his managers) had probably taken out large amounts of cash out before. Cash for auctions etc. For that reason the bank and the employee might not be alarmed when SS calls them Wed and prepares them to get the cash. I do not think that when this had been done in the past that it was delivered to the home. More likely the cash was taken directly to the business. But all SS has to do is tell them some story that he can't come by the office because his wife/son is sick or there's something else he had to attend to. He's the boss so they will do what he asks.
There is nothing to suggest that this was a planned, regular, weekly, monthly occurrence that some insider could disclose to a random **** who also needed money. In fact, an insider would realize there would be a limit (apparently $40K) that could be raised in a matter of hours. IMO no employee is going to risk losing a nice job and life in jail for a share of $40K

 

[Cassie P]

I could see him wanting to turn himself into DC instead of NYC too. And he had plenty of time to do that already. If he wanted an entourage, he could have called fro his Fathers and had his brother and Dad there with him.

I can easily believe that he and his brother would go in together. But having a hard time understanding why the others would voluntarily walk in alongside a vicious killer. I would be distancing myself, saying I was his victim too, because he convinced me to launder money. Not hanging out in a Hotel room and driving around in a caravan TOGETHER. Not a good move, imo, if you want to separate yourself from a vicious home invasion where 4 innocents were slaughtered.

His entourage apparently knew that he stabbed a little boy for hours, and set him on fire while he was still alive. How could they 'hang out' with the guy after knowing that?

The ability to get an entourage under the circumstances may speak to his ability to kiss or kick people into compliance. His ability to drink the kool aid perhaps.

 

[radiator]

I think it started with Amy too and it may have started away from the house. That would explain why VF was still there after 3pm. She expected to be able to leave early but she was too responsible to leave a sick child alone.

DW restrained Amy somehow and HE drove her back to the house. Hence the sighting of her car being driven by someone else.

When they get into the house, they wait for SS and finally, Amy is made to call him to get home. He gets home at 6Pm and the nightmare "officially" begins.

RBBM Not disputing your thoughts at all but I just want to point out that I don't think any description of the driver has been given for the Wednesday sighting of the car. If anybody has seen more about that sighting than what's in the link below, I'd love to know about it.

what a witness said could have been the Savopouloses’ blue Porsche speeding down the street the day before the deaths were discovered.

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

 

[katydid23]

If you're looking to get quick cash by robbing a millionaire due to some spur of the moment reasons, you'd steal their valuables and fence the items instead of having the millionaire put together an unusual transaction involving half a dozen people including non-employees of the millionaire (unless that transaction was in the works and you had inside information to know the millionaire was going to be getting the cash rather than transaction being done at your direction). Just knowing someone is rich is different thank knowing they can have wads of cash brought to them without having to leave their house to go into the bank to sign papers.

But it could be simpler than all that. It could be simpler than DW having any fore-knowledge of the cash transactions. DW may have seen the expensive cars and the mansion of the former boss that fired him. And decided to do a home invasion. And once inside he demanded MONEY.

It was SS who engineered all that, imo. He was probably negotiating with the monster for his family's lives. Saying hang in there, tomorrow I will get you a bag full of cash.

I just don't see DW as all that much of a master mind. I think he just stormed into the mansion with very little preplanning or knowledge. JMO

 

[Inthedetails]

Plus, the reason for the money was almost 100% likely a made up story!!!!!!

EXACTLY.

There was no reason for the $40K to be delivered to the home other than ransom.

The suggested reasons for the drop were either reasons SS and/or DDW came up with during the hostage situation or are rumors that are circulating.

 

[Skigirl]

Plus, the reason for the money was almost 100% likely a made up story!!!!!!

That actually depends on when the crime started relative to the withdrawal and why. If the crime was precipitated by an insider tip that a big pile of cash would be delivered to the house, then SS's reason for the withdrawal might or might not be a lie. If order to withdraw the money happened only after they were all held hostage, then it was definitely a lie.

 

[stmarysmead]

RBBM Not disputing your thoughts at all but I just want to point out that I don't think any description of the driver has been given for the Wednesday sighting of the car. If anybody has seen more about that sighting than what's in the link below, I'd love to know about it.

You could be right. I am so confused at this point and have been lurking on these threads for so long, anything is possible. But quite awhile ago, there was a description given of "well-groomed" male that devolved into a debate over DW's dreads. The description was of a Black male. I think he was seen by a neighbor driving Amy's car.

I don't think I confused this with description of the Car torcher video...(before DW was identified) because that suspect was wearing a hoodie.

But that's what I'm remembering. But no longer sure of much In this case...except some truly wonderful people died in an horrific way.

 

[TexMex]

But it could be simpler than all that. It could be simpler than DW having any fore-knowledge of the cash transactions. DW may have seen the expensive cars and the mansion of the former boss that fired him. And decided to do a home invasion. And once inside he demanded MONEY.

It was SS who engineered all that, imo. He was probably negotiating with the monster for his family's lives. Saying hang in there, tomorrow I will get you a bag full of cash.

I just don't see DW as all that much of a master mind. I think he just stormed into the mansion with very little preplanning or knowledge. JMO

Exactly. Simple. He knew from previous employment that SS was loaded. He needs money and knows that if he's there at the SS home with SS wife as his hostage that he can force SS to get him a substantial amount of money from the bank. And that is what in fact occurred according to the charging doc

 

[Skigirl]

But it could be simpler than all that. It could be simpler than DW having any fore-knowledge of the cash transactions. DW may have seen the expensive cars and the mansion of the former boss that fired him. And decided to do a home invasion. And once inside he demanded MONEY.

It was SS who engineered all that, imo. He was probably negotiating with the monster for his family's lives. Saying hang in there, tomorrow I will get you a bag full of cash.

I just don't see DW as all that much of a master mind. I think he just stormed into the mansion with very little preplanning or knowledge. JMO

But if you were in a situation in which a lunatic had invaded your house, wouldn't you say, "gee, I don't have much cash -- here's everything I have -- here's also some jewelry, some paintings, and there are at least a million dollars worth of cars in the garage. The keys are on hooks down there. Here's my ATM card, here's the code, here are some credit cards. Help yourself." Seems like you would want to avoid a sleepover with the guy.

 

[SpanishInquisition]

There's no reason for whoever brought him home to go inside. They drop him off and as he enters the house he's taken hostage. We do not know that the money was taken from one account. If there were four BOA accounts the employee (who could sign on these accounts) could easily withdraw 10K from each without having to explain anything to bank managers.

DW knows enough to figure out that a wealthy man will be able to get resources together if his loved ones are being threatened and tortured

It doesn't work that way. Remember I used to work at BOA and I received training on how they deal with transactions. It's the transaction you do in a day and both the bank as well as the government are monitoring how much cash your pulling out of there whether it's from 1 account or 100 accounts. I'm not saying he couldn't have pulled it off in a few hours, just that if he did, it wasn't his first rodeo withdrawing large sums of cash. For this not to have triggered regulatory paperwork on the transaction a prior arrangement with the bank would have had to have been made creating an exception for AIW that they've used large amounts of cash on a recurring basis and this transaction was part in line with that and hence no need to fill out the special paperwork. The bank manager may have created the exception that day and not required the regulatory paperwork and approval from higher ups, but if so it would be something would get the bank manager fired as opposed to something that is normal and acceptable banking practice.

 

[Cassie P]

That's what I was thinking. The Porsche passenger seat lies almost flat, so a second perp could be out of sight. Also, there were hours between the fire starting at the house and discovery of the burning car. Perp 1 could have dropped Perp 2 off somewhere other than the church parking lot.

As an aside, I think someone had to drop DW off near the house on Wednesday. PS wouldn't drive his go-kart around the neighborhood, so it's possible it was stored elsewhere. It's not very smart to store gasoline in a garage that is attached to the house and since landscapers bring their own equipment, I can't see why the S family would have cans full of gas at the house. I think the perp(s) brought it with them, and they wouldn't be able to take it onto Metro.

And he needed rope, duct tape, gloves, the machete(s), matches? Could all of this be carried in a duffle bag?

 

[tambo]

That actually depends on when the crime started relative to the withdrawal and why. If the crime was precipitated by an insider tip that a big pile of cash would be delivered to the house, then SS's reason for the withdrawal might or might not be a lie. If order to withdraw the money happened only after they were all held hostage, then it was definitely a lie.

if it was already pre-planned then why the flurry of phone calls in the morning to the accountant, the bank etc.. He would have already made those arrangements. I believe that this whole thing started when he got home and he late in the evening left a message with W1 saying I'm going to need you to meet so and so at the bank or wherever and deliver this package to my house, (he would obviously know who W1 would have to meet because he would know who the person was that could take out the money at the bank). I also have a feeling that when he was being interviewed by the police that he may have forgotten about the text the night before and was talking about the phone call they had that morning.