DC Mansion Murders Featured on ABC's '20/20'

By MARY ANN BARTON

The voicemail message that likely saved the life of Nelitza Gutierrez was aired Friday night on “20/20.”

Gutierrez, a housekeeper, was supposed to go to work at the home of Savvas Savopoulos, but received a voicemail from him, asking her not to come to work:

“Amy is in bed sick tonight and she was sick this afternoon and Vera offered to stay and help her...”

The same day Gutierrez got the call, Thursday, May 14, firefighters found the bodies of Savvas Savopoulos, 46, his wife, Amy Savopoulos, 47, son, Philip, 10 and housekeeper Veralicia “Vera” Figueroa, 57. All were found dead in the family’s multimillion-dollar mansion, where firefighters were called to put out a blaze at 3200 block of Woodland Drive NW. The area is an exclusive neighborhood near the National Cathedral that includes the home of Vice President Joe Biden.

DC Police have taken Daron Dylon Wint, 34, into custody in D.C. on charges of first-degree felony murder in the DC mansion murders. Wint is a resident of Lanham, Md.

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Gutierrez told ABC News that she tried to call the other housekeeper, Vera, several times when she did not arrive home the night before the murders.

The program also interviewed Michael Babcock, a man who said he was stabbed by the suspect who is in custody.

Police are investigating whether there are more suspects in addition to Wint, according to a recent report by The Washington Post. Detective Jeffrey Owens, in an affidavit, says he believes the crimes “required the presence and assistance of more than one person.”

Police quickly surmised the family was killed before what they called the intentionally set fire. Three of the four bodies showed signs of blunt force trauma injuries, D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier has said.

The arrest of Wint took place at about 11 p.m., a week after the murders, when members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force located and arrested him in the 1000 block of Rhode Island Avenue, in Northeast Washington. There were reportedly 25 unmarked police cars that converged on a white Chevy Cruze, according to media reports.

The Washington Post reported that Wint was in the back seat and a woman was driving the car, with another woman in the front passenger seat. They had just left a Howard Johnson’s motel in Maryland.

Wint has made an appearance before a DC Circuit Court judge and was ordered to give a DNA sample, Acting US Attorney for District of Columbia Vincent H. Cohen Jr. said in a news conference. Wint is being held in jail without bond.

It was DNA left on a crust of leftover pizza at the mansion that led police to Wint, according to the Washington Post. Domino’s PIzza was delivered the night before the murders to the DC mansion while the family was reportedly being held captive, according to police.

An assistant to Savopoulos brought $40,000 in cash to the home while the family was being held captive last Thursday. Shortly after, the home went up in a blaze and someone was seen driving the family’s blue Porsche away from the home. On ABC’s “20/20,” the program noted that the assistant became friends with the family riding go carts with Phillip.

Police say Wint had ties to Savopoulos, who was the CEO of American Iron Works. Wint worked at the company from 2003 to 2005 as a welder.

Wint has a record that includes charges of assault, carrying concealed weapons and theft in Prince George’s County, according to several media reports. His home address is near where the family’s blue Porsche was found burning late Thursday, the day the bodies were found. Policereleased a grainy video of a suspect caught on surveillance video near where the car was found.

Police said that during Wint’s arrest, $10,000 was found in a truck that was traveling with the Chevy Cruze.

The Savopoulos family released a statement, thanking law enforcement: “While it does not abate our pain, we hope that it begins to restore a sense of calm and security to our neighborhood and to our city. Our family, and Vera’s family, have suffered unimaginable loss.”