A breakdown in immigration protocol might have played a key role in the D.C. quadruple mansion murder last month, CNN reports.
The murder took place at a $4.5 million dollar mansion located near the residence of Vice President Joe Biden in Northwest Washington. The four people killed were Savvas Savopoulos, his wife Amy, his son Philip and their housekeeper, Veralicia Figueroa. Following the murders, the suspect lit the house on fire.
The current suspect, Daron Wint, was originally born in Guyana. Wint had been granted a green card to legally work and live in the United States. In recent years, however, he has been arrested for a variety of different offences, CNN reports. (RELATED: Cops Bust Suspect in DC Mansion Killings)
The Metropolitan Police Department announced it had run Wint’s fingerprints in March in the FBI database. With arrests on his record Wint should have been automatically flagged, notifying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
But ICE was never alerted, according to CNN. If it had been given the appropriate information, the agency would have commenced a legal review leading to Wint’s removal from the country.
Another development in the case pertains to the firing of Wint’s cousin from Savvas Savopoulos’ company American Iron Works. Wint’s cousin worked for the company from 2003-2005, but upon being fired he threatened to burn the factory down. Due to these threats, the company obtained a restraining order against the former worker, barring him from entering the premises.
According to law enforcement, Wint’s DNA has also been found on various items in the crime scene.