Washington DC police arrest suspect in quadruple mansion murder case

Authorities believe more than one person perpetrated the killing of four people in a Washington DC mansion, a court document says.

Police arrested Daron Wint, 34, late on Thursday and believe he held and tortured members of the wealthy Savopoulos family and their housekeeper before killing them.

Five others were arrested at the same time, but only Mr Wint faces charges.

The arrest, in Washington, followed a week-long manhunt.

Savvas Savopoulos, 46, chief executive of American Iron Works, was found dead in his family's $4.5m (£2.9m) home in Woodley Park, northwest Washington, just blocks away from the home of Vice-President Joe Biden one week ago.

Police continued investigating the Savopoulos home on Friday

Police discovered his body alongside those of his wife Amy, 47, his 10-year-old son Philip and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, a Salvadorian national.

The court document made public on Friday says "the crimes described in this affidavit required the presence and assistance of more than one person".

The document also confirms earlier reports that thousands of dollars were delivered to the home before it was set alight.

Police refused to confirm reports in local media Mr Wint was identified by DNA from the crust of a pizza delivered to the home.

As recently as Wednesday afternoon, police believed that he had fled the Washington area possibly to Brooklyn, a borough of New York City.

Daron Dylon Wint, as seen in a 2007 police photo

However, Mr Wint was arrested by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force at 23:00 local time (04:00GMT) on Thursday. He has been charged with first degree felony murder while armed.

US marshals and other police agencies tracked Mr Wint as he fled to New York and then returned to Washington.

Authorities believe he saw himself in news reports while in New York's Brooklyn borough before fleeing back to Washington.

They spotted him in a hotel parking lot in College Park, Maryland, a university town on the outskirts of Washington.

Dozens of police officers and a helicopter quietly followed the fugitive and his associates before swarming the car and truck in which they were travelling.

"We had overwhelming numbers and force," Robert Fernandez, commander of the US Marshal Service's Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, told The Associated Press news agency on Friday. "They completely submitted immediately."

"I don't think they knew we were tailing them until the moment we swarmed in on them," Mr Fernandez said.

The Savopoulos family has released a statement thanking law enforcement.

"While it does not abate our pain, we hope that it begins to restore a sense of calm and security to our neighbourhood and to our city," the family said. "Our family, and Vera's family, have suffered unimaginable loss, and we ask for the time and space to grieve privately."

The family's two older daughters were away at boarding school at the time of the crime.

The Washington Post reported that a delivery order was placed with a local pizza company while the family was being held hostage and DNA found on a crust has been matched to Mr Wint.

Police officials would not confirm this report to the BBC.