Authorities released this surveillance image that shows Manfredonia walking along railroad tracks in Monroe County. Photo / Supplied
Authorities released this surveillance image that shows Manfredonia walking along railroad tracks in Monroe County. Photo / Supplied
A 23-year-old allegedly killed his friend and abducted the man's girlfriend over the weekend, after he allegedly brutally murdered a 62-year-old whose home he'd burglarised.
Peter Manfredonia, a University of Connecticut senior, is suspected of killing Ted DeMers, 62, and Nicholas Eisele, 23, before forcing Eisele's girlfriend into her car and fleeing the state with her.
Peter Manfredonia is a 2015 graduate of Newtown High School and a senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in finance and mechanical engineering. Photo / Instagram
The woman, 23, was located on Sunday (US time) at a rest stop near Paterson, New Jersey, with her 2016 Volkswagen Jetta, police said, and was not hurt.
Meanwhile, a lawyer for the family of a Connecticut murder suspect pleaded for his surrender as police circulated a photo of a person matching his description walking along railroad tracks in Pennsylvania.
Manfredonia, who is believed to be armed with several guns stolen during a home invasion, was last seen on Sunday wearing a white T-shirt, dark shorts and carrying a large duffel bag near train tracks in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Paterson is about a 90-minute drive from Derby, Connecticut, where Eisele was killed. East Stroudsburg is about an hour farther west on Interstate 80.
The FBI & our law enforcement partners are working to locate Peter Manfredonia, wanted by @CT_STATE_POLICE, whose last known location was in #EastStroudsburg, Monroe County. Manfredonia is considered armed & dangerous. Anyone with info, please call 911 or FBI/215-418-4000 ASAP. pic.twitter.com/59NXin16TO
— FBI Philadelphia (@FBIPhiladelphia) May 25, 2020
A lawyer for Manfredonia's family, Mike Dolan, said the suspect has struggled with mental health issues and has "sought the help of a number of therapists".
"Peter, if you are listening, you are loved," Dolan said at a news conference on Monday. "It is time to let the healing process begin. It's time to surrender. You have your parents' and your sisters' and your family's entire support. So, Peter, from your parents, we love you, please turn yourself in."
Connecticut State Police plan to hold a press conference on Tuesday.
University of Connecticut senior, Peter Manfredonia, 23, allegedly killed two people and is still on the run. Photo / UConn
Peter Manfredonia. Photo / UConn
Manfredonia, a finance and mechanical engineering major from Sandy Hook, is suspected of killing DeMers and assaulting another man, possibly with a sword or machete, in Willington on Friday after they found Manfredonia walking along a road and offered him a ride back to his motorcycle.
The second victim, Nicholas Eisele, was found dead at his home on Sunday in Derby, which is about 96km southwest of Willington and just west of New Haven. Eisele, a 2016 Newtown High School graduate, worked with his father in a landscaping and irrigation business. State police described him as an acquaintance of Manfredonia's.
Nicholas Eisele, 23, has been identified as the second victim of a UConn murder suspect. Photo / Facebook
Police were led to Eisele after they found out the suspect had driven to Derby. Photo / Facebook
Eislele (back and third from left) was an associate of the suspect and the victim's girlfriend was abducted. He is pictured with loved ones. Photo / Facebook
Earlier on Sunday, a Willington man reported being held against his will by Manfredonia, who then left with food, several guns and the man's truck, which was later found abandoned near Osbornedale State Park, a few kilometres from Eisele's home.
Manfredonia is wanted in connection with the death of Ted DeMers, 62, of Willington. Photo / Facebook
Eisele's family set up an online fundraiser to help cover funeral expenses and far exceeded the goal of US$10,000 in just a few hours. On the page, friends and family shared memories, including his love of his mother's German shepherds, Trooper and Sandy.
