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Peter Manfredonia, 23, a UConn senior and 2015 Newtown High School graduate who was the subject of a national manhunt, was returned to the state from Maryland where he was captured after the rampage that began on Friday, May 22, in Willington, Connecticut, said Connecticut State Police.
During an arraignment on murder charges on Friday, June 12 for the Willington killing of an elderly man who offered him a ride, Manfredonia did not enter a plea. State Police said he will be charged next week for the other crimes.
His bond was also increased to $7 million during the hearing, in which his attorney, Michael Dolan, said his client planned to plead not guilty.
Manfredonia, who was captured after six days on the run, is also facing additional murder charges, as well as criminal attempt to commit murder, assault, two counts of stealing a firearm, and assault of an elderly person.
State police have sealed the arrest warrant for 15 days.
His family has said that Manfredonia suffered from mental health issues, but had never been violent.
The murderous crime spree began when Manfredonia allegedly killed 62-year-old Ted DeMers with a machete and injured another man.
Manfredonia then allegedly went to another person’s home, and held him hostage, stole his guns and truck, then drove on Sunday, May 24 to Derby, Connecticut, where he allegedly shot to death a high school classmate, Nicholas Eisele, 23, and kidnapped his girlfriend in her own car.
She was found unharmed with her car at a rest stop on I-80 in Columbia, New Jersey.
He then took a Uber to a Walmart in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and was seen in an image released by Pennsylvania State Police walking on railroad tracks in the area, police said.
Manfredonia was captured after investigators tracked him to Maryland where he surrendered near a truck stop on Wednesday, May 27.
He is set to return to court on Friday, July 10.
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