UConn Student Used Samurai Sword In Killing: Police

WILLINGTON, CT — Details of the homicide of a Willington man and a home invasion which preceded a second homicide in Derby were released by Connecticut State Police Monday as part of an 11-page affidavit supporting the arrest of University of Connecticut student Peter Manfredonia.

Manfredonia, 23, was arrested in Maryland May 27 following a six-day manhunt encompassing four states. He had been sought by authorities since May 22, when Theodore DeMers, of Willington, was found dead near his home on Mirtl Road.

The affidavit says a young man wearing a motorcycle helmet was given a ride on an all-terrain vehicle by DeMers around 9 a.m. that day. Minutes later, the 62-year-old man and an 80-year-old neighbor were found bleeding profusely in the roadway. DeMers was suffering from mortal injuries, including several severed extremities and a fractured skull. He was pronounced dead en route to Rockville General Hospital. The neighbor sustained serious injuries to his head and upper torso but survived the attack.

A samurai sword with a silver blade and dark-colored handle was found in a wooded area not far from where the victims had been found. A black, wooden scabbard, or sheath, was also found near the sword, according to the affidavit.

Two days later, Derby police reported finding a Ford F-150 pickup truck registered to a resident of Turnpike Road in Willington. State police went to the man's home and, after receiving no response, entered the house and found the homeowner tied to a chair in the basement, according to the affidavit.

The victim gave police a lengthy account of how he awakened around 5:15 the morning after the murder to find a young man holding a gun to his head. The young man bound his hands behind his back with zip ties and placed duct tape across his eyes, then duct-taped him to the chair around the chest and legs, according to the affidavit.

During his captivity, the victim said Manfredonia told him he had entered the home by climbing up a ladder to an air vent in the garage, then popping out the air vent and shimmying down a beam. He then cut a hole in a hollow door so he could reach in and unlock the deadbolt, according to the affidavit.

Manfredonia and the victim engaged in conversation for several hours, during which time the suspect "told me he hadn't slept for five days and that he just flipped. He said he didn't know why he did it and that he was remorseful for it," the victim told police.

The victim told police Manfredonia left his home around 5:15 Sunday morning. Shortly thereafter, Nicholas Eisele, 23, was fatally shot in the head in his Derby home. Eisele and Manfredonia had been classmates at Newtown High School.

The complete arrest warrant may be read here. Warning: many of the details are graphic and shocking.

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