Police In 3 States Seek 'Armed And Dangerous' Suspect In Two Murders

Connecticut state police have expanded the search for a 23-year-old suspect in two Connecticut murders believed to be “armed and dangerous.”

Police in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are now also looking for Peter Manfredonia, a senior student at the University of Connecticut, who police say is armed with several stolen firearms.

Mandfredonia is a suspect in a murder in Willington Friday (May 22) and another in Derby on Sunday (May 24).

Manfredonia is described as a 6-foot-3 white male with brown eyes and disheveled black hair. He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt and gray sweatpants.

Connecticut troopers say Manfredonia was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.

Police have urged residents of Newtown, Connecticut, to remain alert even if there wasn’t an imminent danger to the area due to the suspect’s “very strong ties to Newtown.” Manfredonia was a graduate of Newton High School.

A 2016 black Jetta stolen by the suspect from the crime scene in Derby was found in New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border. It had a Connecticut license plate and a bumper sticker that honored the Sandy Hook massacre victims.

Manfredonia’s first alleged attack was in Willington along Route 34. The victim was identified as Theodore DeMers, 62 years old and an acquaintance of the suspect. He and another victim were found in DeMers’s home and rushed to the hospital.

DeMers later died of his injuries.

Police were also called to another home in Willigton early Sunday morning where a man was held against his will by the suspect. Manfredonia stole the man’s food, guns and truck before leaving the premises.

The truck was found near Osbornedale State Park where it was abandoned after a minor crash. The man was not injured. Police have closed the park as part of the ongoing investigation.

On Sunday afternoon, police found Nicholas Eisele, another acquaintance of Manfredonia, dead in his home. He was 23 years old.

University of Connecticut spokesperson Stephanie Reitz told NBC that Manfredonia is a senior taking a joint Engineering for Management program and was first enrolled in the fall of 2015. Reitz also said the suspect was not living on campus at the time of both incidents.

Police are asking people who have seen Manfredonia to contact 911 immediately.