Connecticut Murder Suspect Peter Manfredonia Arrested In Maryland After Multi-State Manhunt, Police Say
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Connecticut State Police say 23-year-old Peter Manfredonia, a University of Connecticut student wanted for two murders, was arrested in Hagerstown, Maryland Wednesday night. It comes after a multi-state manhunt that had state police in Pennsylvania and New Jersey looking for the suspect.
The UConn engineering student is accused of killing 62-year-old Ted DeMers in Willington, Connecticut on Friday, then 23-year-old Nicholas Eisele, who police believe was an acquaintance of the suspect, in Derby, Connecticut on Sunday.
Police also say Manfredonia kidnapped Eisele's girlfriend, who was found safe at a New Jersey rest stop Monday.
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Officials say Manfredonia was spotted by authorities coming out of a wooded area behind a travel center on the 16000 block of Halfway Boulevard in Hagerstown. He was arrested shortly after 9 p.m.
On Sunday, the suspect was seen in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was captured on a security camera walking by some train tracks and carrying a duffel bag.
Police say Manfredonia stole a 2012 black Hyundai Santa Fe from Stroudsburg on Monday night. The SUV has since been recovered in a Sheetz parking lot in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, according to state police.
Investigators say surveillance video showed Manfredonia getting an Uber at the Sheetz and he then was driven to Hagerstown, Maryland.
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."