Law enforcement is looking for a 23-year-old University of Connecticut student, Peter Manfredonia, in a tri-state manhunt spanning across Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in connection to two murders. The suspect is believed to be "armed and dangerous," according to Connecticut State Police.
According to state police, Manfredonia, a senior at UConn, allegedly killed one man and injured another in an assault that took place on Friday, May 22 in Willington, Connecticut, and has been linked to another homicide in Derby on Sunday, May 24.
He is believed to be armed with several weapons, including pistols and shotguns, stolen during a home invasion. The car Manfredonia is suspected of stealing from the Derby victim, a black Volkswagen Jetta, was found in New Jersey on Sunday afternoon, police said.
Willington Murder, Home Invasion
Manfredonia allegedly killed 62-year-old Theodore DeMers and assaulted another man in Wilington on Friday. According to DeMers' wife, Cynthia DeMers, the two men were attacked after they saw Manfredonia walking along a road and offered him a ride back to his motorcycle.
Theodore was pronounced dead at a local hospital while the other man suffered severe "sword or machete wounds," state police said. On Sunday, Manfredonia allegedly also held a homeowner against his will in Willington, stealing his vehicle and firearms, before driving to Derby. The homeowner was not harmed in the incident.
Manfredonia's Friend Found Dead in Derby
The car that the suspect had stolen was found abandoned near the Osbornedale State Park in Derby, Connecticut. Investigators later learned of an acquaintance of Manfredonia who lived nearby. The man, identified as 23-year-old Nicholas J. Eisele, was found dead in his home. Manfredonia then fled the area in Eisele's Volkswagen, which was later found in New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border.Police also found a female victim who Manfredonia allegedly abducted from the Derby home.
Manhunt for Manfredonia
Connecticut State Police, along with state, local and federal law enforcement partners, are now actively and continuously attempting to locate Manfredonia. According to police, the suspect was last spotted in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Manfredonia is a 2015 graduate of Newtown High School and a senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in finance and mechanical engineering. Police describe him as a 6-foot-3 white man weighing 240 pounds, with black "disheveled hair," and was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt and gray sweatpants.
Warnings on Bedroom Wall, Sandy Hook Connection
As pointed out by a Twitter user, Manfredonia's bedroom had several writings scribbled on the wall that may have been "warning signs." "I'm not angry, I'm upset" read one of the statements.
"We saw what happened when Adam snapped," referring to Adam Lanza, who shot and killed 26 people, including 20 children between six and seven years old, and six adult staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in 2012. "We saw what happens when Thanos snapped," he added underneath before writing, "Now they see what happens when I snap."
According to the tweet, Manfredonia was from Sandy Hook. The Volkswagen Jetta belonging to Eisele that police found in New Jersey also had a bumper sticker that paid tribute to the 26 victims of the Sandy Hook massacre.
