Suspect charged in DC mansion murders pleads not guilty

The man accused of killing Savvas Savopoulos, his wife, son and housekeeper in their D.C. home last May pleaded not guilty in D.C. Superior Court on Friday.

Darron Wint was indicted Wednesday on 20 counts of kidnapping, arson, burglary and first-degree murder.

Wint walked into the courtroom Friday morning dressed in an orange jumpsuit and was shackled as he walked towards the defense table.

Wint said nothing other than his name to the judge. His defense attorney then told the judge that he was pleading not guilty to the 20-count indictment and they waived the reading of the indictment.

Inside the courtroom watching was one of the members of the Savopoulos family as well as members of housekeeper's family. James Martin, just like every other hearing he has attended, declined to share his thoughts as he left the courthouse on Friday. He is the grandfather of the surviving Savopoulos sisters, Abigail and Katerina.

Martin along with the relatives of Veralicia Figueroa, the family's housekeeper, sat through the arraignment of Wint, which lasted just a few minutes.

Wint is the only person named in the indictment, which described the crime as "especially heinous, atrocious, and cruel."

According to the indictment and other court records made public, Savvas Savopoulos, his wife Amy, their 10-year-old son Philip and Figueroa were abducted inside their Northwest D.C. home on May 13 and held against their will overnight and into the next morning.

Wint ordered Savvas Savopoulos to have an executive at his company withdraw $40,000 in cash and have it delivered to the home by the CEO's personal assistant.

After the money was deposited inside a red sports car parked in the garage, prosecutors believe Wint then used a baseball bat and a sharp object to kill all four and set the house on fire.

He then fled in a blue Porsche which was then set on fire in Maryland. A video camera recorded him running from the scene.

But according to investigators, Wint made a mistake and left his DNA on one of two pizzas he had delivered to the house. He was arrested days later.

Nine months after the killings took place, Wint is still the only person charged in this case and this is noteworthy because when detectives filed their charging documents in D.C. Superior Court, they said others were involved.