Derby

Timeline Leading Up to Arrest of UConn Student Suspected in Homicides and Kidnapping

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The search has ended for 23-year-old Peter Manfredonia, a UConn student who is accused of killing two people in Connecticut, committing a home invasion, stealing several guns and kidnapping the girlfriend of one of the men he is suspected of killing. He was found Wednesday night.

Police say the violent crimes started last Friday. He was taken into custody in Hagerstown, Maryland, Wednesday. Here is a look at the timeline of what police say has happened.

Theodore Demers, known as Ted to friends and neighbors.
Contributed Photo
Theodore Demers, known as Ted to friends and neighbors.

Friday, May 22

9:01 a.m.: Connecticut State Police from Troop C in Tolland were sent to Mirtl Road in Willington to investigate after a 911 call came in reporting a disturbance.

9:08 a.m.: State troopers arrived at the scene and found two injured men on the road. Once of the two men, 62-year-old Ted DeMers was pronounced dead while he was being transported to the hospital.

There’s a federal manhunt for a 23-year-old University of Connecticut student wanted for the deaths of two people and the brutal assault of another. It’s a crime spree that started in Willington, where 62-year-old Ted Demers was killed by the young man he thought needed his help.

Police have not identified the other man. They said Tuesday that he is in stable condition.

10:19 a.m.: The Willington first selectman and Tolland County States Attorney were notified of the attacks.

11:38 a.m.: State Police alerted the public and sent out a description of a vehicle believed to be connected to Manfredonia – a red motorcycle and they said the driver was wearing a multicolored helmet and dark clothing.

Police said that “through various investigating leads,” they identified Manfredonia as the suspect.

5:25 p.m.: Police released Manfredonia’s photo and said they conducted an extensive search throughout the evening.

Connecticut State Police

Saturday, May 23

The search continued throughout the day. Police said they executed “multiple search warrants, processed evidence and interviewed witnesses.”  

NBC Connecticut

Sunday, May 24

6:43 a.m.: Derby police received a call reporting an abandoned vehicle that appeared to have been in a crash.

The search has now extended into New Jersey and Pennsylvania after a vehicle connected to 23-year-old Peter Manfredonia was found near the border.

6:58 a.m.: State Police Troop C in Tolland received a call from Derby police reporting that the abandoned vehicle was registered in Willington, close to where the homicide happened on Friday.

Troopers then responded to the address belonging to the vehicle owner and said they learned that Manfredonia had committed a home invasion on Sunday morning and had stolen several guns as well as a vehicle, which was located in the area of Osbornedale State Park in Derby.

7:34 a.m.: Several agencies responded to Osbornedale State Park to search, both from the land and the sky, for Manfredonia.

8:53 a.m.: An emergency alert call went out to residents.

9:51 a.m.: Connecticut State Police used social media to report that Manfredonia might be in Derby and could be armed with several weapons.

11:04 a.m.: Derby police received a 911 call asking for a well-being check for a person of Roosevelt Drive and they found 23-year-old Nicholas Eisele dead. A 2016 black Volkswagen Jetta had been taken from the home and a person had been abducted, police said.

Peter Manfredonia allegedly left a trail of violent crimes across Connecticut including in Derby.

11:25 a.m.: An alert was sent to all law enforcement agencies about the stolen vehicle.

1:04 p.m.: Connecticut State Police alerted the public to be on the lookout for the car.

11:30: The stolen vehicle and abducted person were found in New Jersey, near the Pennsylvania border. and the victim identified Manfredonia as the person responsible, state police said.

6:14 p.m.: Connecticut State Police notified the public that Manfredonia was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

New Jersey State Police contacted Pennsylvania State police to alert them to the situation.

Photos: Manhunt Continues for UConn Student Suspected in Two Homicides

Monday, May 25

Sometime in the afternoon, a rideshare, which Pennsylvania State Police identified as an Uber, dropped Manfredonia off at a Walmart in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania on Sunday.  Pennsylvania State Police on Monday released security footage they said shows him walking on train tracks behind the Walmart.

Tuesday, May 26

Pennsylvania State Police said a black Hyundai Santa Fe with Pennsylvania registration KYW-1650 was stolen around 9 p.m. on Monday near where Manfredonia was last seen in surveillance video, but they could not confirm that he stole the vehicle.

Wednesday, May 27

Pennsylvania State Police said the stolen Hyundai Santa Fe was recovered in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania and a tip was received about a possible sighting Manfredonia at a Sheetz, a gas station and convenience store, there.

Descriptions of a man and surveillance images matched Peter Manfredonia, according to Pennsylvania state police. They said the man in the images had a black bag, obtained an Uber and was driven to Hagerstown, Maryland.

9 p.m.: Manfredonia was taken into custody in the area of the Pilot truck stop on Halfway Boulevard in Hagerstown, Maryland by US Marshals and the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Thursday, May 28

Peter Manfredonia booking photo
Washington County Sheriff’s Office in Maryland

Officials in Maryland released the booking photo of Peter Manfredonia.

A bail bond hearing in Maryland is scheduled for 1 p.m., according to online court records.

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