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Cops launch manhunt for 'armed and dangerous' UConn senior, 23, who 'killed 62-year-old man with a machete, murdered another man and abducted a woman before fleeing in a stolen car'

A 23-year-old University of Connecticut senior hacked a 62-year-old man to death with a machete, murdered an acquaintance and abducted a w...

A 23-year-old University of Connecticut senior hacked a 62-year-old man to death with a machete, murdered an acquaintance and abducted a woman before fleeing in a stolen car, police say as they warn he is armed and dangerous.
Connecticut troopers said Peter Manfredonia was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.
His weekend crime spree began on Friday, when local police were called to a residential area in Willington due to reports of a murder and an assault, according to the Connecticut Post
Peter Manfredonia, 23, is being sought by police in three states as of late Sunday
Peter Manfredonia is wanted in connection with the slayings of two people, the assault of one other person, the abduction of a woman, and the theft of guns and two vehicles
Peter Manfredonia, 23, is being sought by police in three states as of late Sunday. He is wanted in connection with the slayings of two people, the assault of one other person, the abduction of a woman, and the theft of guns and two vehicles
Manfredonia, a senior at the University of Connecticut, was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Police say he is armed and dangerous
Manfredonia, a senior at the University of Connecticut, was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Police say he is armed and dangerous
Manfredonia is wanted in connection with the brutal murder of 62-year-old Ted DeMers of Willington, Connecticut
Manfredonia is wanted in connection with the brutal murder of 62-year-old Ted DeMers of Willington, Connecticut
Cynthia DeMers (left) said her husband (right) offered Manfredonia a ride after he was seen walking along a road near their home far from where he parked his motorcycle on Friday
Cynthia DeMers (left) said her husband (right) offered Manfredonia a ride after he was seen walking along a road near their home far from where he parked his motorcycle on Friday
Police said Manfredonia is suspected of killing 62-year-old Ted DeMers and assaulting another man at around 9am on Friday in Willington. 
DeMers' wife, Cynthia DeMers, tells the Hartford Courant that the two men had been attacked after they found Manfredonia walking along a road and offered him a ride back to his motorcycle.
'It could have been anybody who offered him a ride,' she said. 
'It could have been any of my neighbors´ husbands. It just happened to be mine.'
The search for Manfredonia spans three states and more than 100 miles of territory
The search for Manfredonia spans three states and more than 100 miles of territory
DeMers was pronounced dead at a local hospital. The other man suffered severe wounds described as sword or machete wounds, state police said.
'We do know a weapon was used,' Trooper Josue Dorelus told WTNH-TV.
'We believe it to be an edged weapon, however the exact description I would not be able to provide.' 
GoFundMe page has been started to help the DeMers family. 
Early on Sunday morning, state police were called to a home on Turnpike Drive in Willington, where the homeowner was held against his will just hours before.
Manfredonia is alleged to have taken the homeowner's food, three shotguns, a pistol, and his truck. The victim was not injured.
State police said Manfredonia drove the stolen truck to Derby, where authorities received a report of a one-vehicle crash near Osbornedale State Park.
Officers arrived on the scene and found an abandoned vehicle at around 6:45am on Sunday. It was the same truck that was stolen from the Willington home, police said. 
'It could have been anybody who offered him a ride,' Cynthia DeMers said. 'It could have been any of my neighbors' husbands. It just happened to be mine.'
'It could have been anybody who offered him a ride,' Cynthia DeMers said. 'It could have been any of my neighbors' husbands. It just happened to be mine.' 
A GoFundMe account was launched to help the DeMers family in the wake of Ted DeMers' murder
A GoFundMe account was launched to help the DeMers family in the wake of Ted DeMers' murder
Police in Willington, Connecticut, on Friday are seen above gathering evidence near the area where the grisly murder and assault took place
Police in Willington, Connecticut, on Friday are seen above gathering evidence near the area where the grisly murder and assault took place
Investigators then learned that Manfredonia had an acquaintance who lived in Derby. The acquaintance was 23-year-old Nicholas J. Eisele.
When police arrived at Eisele's home, they found him dead. The medical examiner is conducting an autopsy to determine cause of death. 
Manfredonia is then alleged to have abducted Eisele's girlfriend and stolen a 2016 black Volkswagen Jetta from their home. 
Both Manfredonia and Eisele are originally from Newtown, according to The Hartford Courant.   
Manfredonia fled to Pennsylvania on Sunday hours after killing Eisele, according to state police. 

A car Manfredonia is suspected of stealing from Eisele was found in New Jersey at the Pennsylvania border on Sunday afternoon, police said.
Connecticut State Police on Sunday released a photo of the 2016 black Volkswagen Jetta which bears a Connecticut license plate with the number CT AU78524.
Police said that the driver's side of the car has a bumper sticker paying tribute to the 26 victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, which took place in Newtown.
Police in New Jersey recovered the car as well as a woman who was abducted from Eisele's home in Derby. She is safe and is being interviewed by authorities.
Police have not released the woman's name.  
Authorities said that a black 2016 Volkswagen Jetta was located in New Jersey near the state border with Pennsylvania. Police also found a woman who had allegedly been abducted by Manfredonia. She is alive, though investigators have not revealed her identity
Authorities said that a black 2016 Volkswagen Jetta was located in New Jersey near the state border with Pennsylvania. Police also found a woman who had allegedly been abducted by Manfredonia. She is alive, though investigators have not revealed her identity
The stolen Volkswagen was recovered at the Travel America truck stop in Knowlton Township, New Jersey, on Sunday. The truck stop is seen in the above undated file photo
The stolen Volkswagen was recovered at the Travel America truck stop in Knowlton Township, New Jersey, on Sunday. The truck stop is seen in the above undated file photo
Manfredonia (pictured) is also wanted in connection with the death of an acquaintance, 23-year-old Nicholas J. Eisele. Police found Eisele dead in his Derby, Connecticut, home on Sunday
Manfredonia (pictured) is also wanted in connection with the death of an acquaintance, 23-year-old Nicholas J. Eisele. Police found Eisele dead in his Derby, Connecticut, home on Sunday
Manfredonia is a 2015 graduate of Newtown High School and a senior at the University of Connecticut majoring in finance and mechanical engineering, the Connecticut Post reported. 
Police describe him as a 6-foot-3 white man who should be considered armed and dangerous.
The University of Connecticut on Sunday released a statement confirming that records show Manfredonia is enrolled as a student in the joint school of engineering/school of business program. 
Manfredonia first enrolled at UConn in the fall of 2015, and is a senior. 
'He is not attending summer courses, and had not been living on the UConn campus either at the time of the incident in Willington or during recent semesters,' UConn spokesperson Stephanie Reitz said.
Reitz said the university is in contact with authorities to provide assistance that might help the investigation.
'The university expresses its deepest, most heartfelt sympathies to the victims and their families in this horrible, incomprehensible tragedy,' Reitz said. 
'They are all in our thoughts.'
When asked if the university knew of any problematic behavior by Manfredonia in years past, she said the university couldn’t discuss specific individuals and cases.
She did say, however, that 'UConn strives to do everything possible to identify and engage with students of concern and to provide them with all the assistance and resources we can both for their own well-being and that of the wider community.'

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