MILFORD, Conn. — UConn student Peter Manfredonia, who has already been arraigned on a murder charge, stemming from the death of Willington's Ted DeMers, entered a not guilty plea to another murder charge Tuesday, as he is also accused of killing a man, who was a childhood friend in Newtown.
On video, from the lockup, in Milford Superior Court, double murder suspect Peter Manfredonia said only three words: "Yes, your honor."
The parents of Manfredonia were in the courtroom, but left the courthouse even before the proceedings began.
"The entire Manfredonia family is just, they are heartbroken and I know both families have gone through a lot of pain," said Michael Dolan, the attorney for Manfredonia. "I think it was just too difficult for them to stay in the courtroom."
Manfredonia, 23, is accused of shooting his Nicholas Eisele, 23, to death May 24 in the Derby apartment Eisele shared with his girlfriend.
Manfredona's lawyer entered a not guilty plea, electing for a jury trial, after the judge set bond at $5 million.
Eisele's family and their attorney, Gene Zingaro, declined comment after the hearing. The murder victim's father wore a mask saying "Nick, We love you."
The girlfriend of Eisele was not in attendance in court today. Manfredonia allegedly kidnapped her after the murder.
After the fatal shooting, the arrest warrant state's Manfredonia forced her to drive him, in her car, to New Jersey. But, while driving through Newtown, the woman, whose name is redacted from the warrant, says she purposely drove erratically in hopes of getting stopped by police. She even contemplated driving into a tree. However, Manfredonia told her several times not to get stopped by police because he didn’t want to kill her.
Her attorney, Eugene Riccio, read a brief statement that his client wrote.
"The healing process cannot begin until we can be sure that justice has been served and Peter Manfredonia is held accountable for his actions," it read, in part.
The arrest warrant also says that, before Manfredonia got out of her car, at a New Jersey gas station and got into an Uber, he told her he killed her boyfriend and DeMers, 62, because they said something that triggered him. However, according to what police say Eisle's girlfriend told them, Manfredonia did not elaborate.
He was captured Wednesday night, May 27, in Hagerstown, MD and extradited to Connecticut two weeks later.
Manfredonia is due back in Milford Superior Court Sept. 1 at 2 pm.