Family: College student has mental health issues, but alleged crime spree ‘came out of nowhere’

NEWTOWN — The attorney representing the family of a University of Connecticut student wanted in connection with two homicides says he’s suffered from mental health issues for years, but the deadly crime spree “came out of nowhere.”

In an interview Tuesday with Hearst Connecticut Media, attorney Michael Dolan said Peter Manfredonia’s parents had been in regular contact with him until the series of events began on Friday.

His father, Robert Manfredonia, is facing charges of his own, according to Lt. Aaron Bahamonde, a spokesman for the Newtown Police Department. Robert Manfredonia, 54, of Newtown, is free on $50,000 bond after being charged in April with second-degree sexual assault, two counts of risk of injury to a minor and two counts of providing alcohol to a minor.

Dolan said he was not aware of the charges against Robert Manfredonia.

Peter Manfredona, 23, grew up in his family’s former home on the same Sandy Hook street as Adam Lanza, according to property records. According to posts on his social media feeds, Peter Manfredonia supported Sandy Hook charitable organizations that formed to end gun violence after Lanza killed 20 students and six educators in 2012.

Peter Manfredona was recently living in an off-campus apartment in Storrs, according to Dolan, who did not know if he had any roommates.

Dolan did not know when the last time Manfredonia spoke to his parents, but said they had a heightened concern about his history of mental health issues when they heard about the alleged crime spree.

“He certainly did have mental health issues, but he had no history of violence,” Dolan said. “This really came out of nowhere.”

His parents, who are divorced, are cooperating with the investigation, Dolan said.

Robert Manfredonia declined to comment when reached Tuesday. Efforts to reach Peter Manfredonia’s mother, Jeanette, were unsuccessful.

Dolan said he’s trying to use the media to reach out to Peter Manfredonia, who was last seen in Pennsylvania Sunday afternoon and is considered “armed and dangerous,” according to police.

“On behalf of the family, I’m pursuing every avenue to reach their child, including cooperation with police,” Dolan said.

Manfredonia, an accomplished football player and track athlete at Newtown High School where he graduated in 2015, is a senior at the University of Connecticut, where he is a finance and mechanical engineering student.

Stephanie Reitz, a UConn spokeswoman, declined to comment whether Manfredonia had a disciplinary record at the school.

Manfredonia was last seen Sunday afternoon in eastern Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania state police said Tuesday that Manfredonia used an Uber to flee into East Stroudsburg Sunday afternoon after ditching a woman he kidnapped in Connecticut and her car at the New Jersey border.

Pennsylvania state police have released an image of Manfredonia walking along railroad tracks carrying what appeared to be a large duffel bag shortly after he was dropped off by the Uber. Pennsylvania state police said they believe the bag is filled with guns Manfredonia is accused of stealing during a Connecticut home invasion over the weekend.

It remains unknown what sparked the alleged crime spree that began Friday when police say Manfredonia attacked two men with a type of machete in upstate Connecticut. Theodore Demers was killed during the incident in Willington and another man was critically injured, police said.

On Sunday, a Willington man reported being held captive by Manfredonia, who stole his guns, food, supplies and his truck during a home invasion, according to police.

A few hours later, police recovered the stolen truck in Derby, setting off an extensive search that led authorities to a Roosevelt Drive home about a mile away. Police said video surveillance showed Manfredonia walking “directly” toward Nicholas Eisele’s home between 5 and 6 a.m. Sunday.

Police discovered Eisele dead inside the home and the cause remains under investigation. Eisele also graduated Newtown High in 2015 and was described by police as an “acquaintance” of Manfredonia.

By the time police arrived, Manfredonia had fled and kidnapped Eisele’s girlfriend in her 2016 Volkswagen Jetta. The woman and the car were recovered later Sunday in New Jersey. Police said the woman was unharmed and returned to Connecticut where she was interviewed by investigators.

Staff writers Ben Lambert, Rob Ryser and Kendra Baker contributed to this story.

Anyone with any information is asked to call Derby police at 203-735-7811, state police at 860-896-3200 or the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI. Any sightings of Manfredonia should be called in to 911.