Washington - The prime suspect in a grisly killing of a wealthy Washington family-of-three and their maid did not act alone, prosecutors said Friday, as he was formally charged with first-degree murder.
Daron Dylon Wint, 34, was arrested Thursday following a massive manhunt after police found his DNA on a pizza crust in the family mansion where the four bodies, including that of a 10-year-old boy, were discovered bound and bludgeoned. The home had been set ablaze.
The case has shocked the city because it took place in an affluent area of the US capital and appeared to have involved brutal violence -- investigators found sharp force trauma on all the bodies.
Three men and two women were arrested with Wint and later released, but court documents said "Wint and others" were suspected in the May 14 killings in the upscale neighbourhood that is lined with multimillion-dollar homes.
"The crimes described in this affidavit required the presence and assistance of more than one person," the formal charge sheet said.
Wint, who appeared in court shackled at the waist, wrists and ankles, is charged with first-degree felony murder while armed.
Court documents said "a strong odour consistent with that of gasoline was present throughout the home."
AFP
