A 26-year-old Connecticut man was handed a 55-year prison sentence Wednesday, after he pleaded guilty to killing two people during a manhunt which spanned several states.
Peter Manfredonia pleaded guilty to charges of murder, kidnappings, and other related charges in the death of Nicholas Eisele, 23, as well as the kidnappings of his girlfriend, Shannon Spies.
Manfredonia also apologized to Spies and the Eisele families, stating that he regrets what he did.
"There are no words that can possibly atone for what I have done. My actions were nothing short of reprehensible," he said. "What I did was inexcusably horrendous and I will regret it every day for the rest of my life."
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Manfredonia also pleaded guilty to murder and other charges in another sword attack during the manhunt and is set to be sentenced Thursday.
Officials say that Manfredonia seriously wounded an elderly 80-year-old man who lost part of his ear and several fingers in the attack involving a Samurai sword on May 22, 2020, and also killed Ted DeMers, who was 62.
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Following the sword attack, police state that Manfredonia broke into the home of a Wilmington man and held him hostage for about 24 hours before taking off with the man's firearms and truck.
According to the man who was held hostage, Manfredonia told him that "he just flipped."
It was two days afterward, on May 24, when Manfredonia traveled to the home of Eisele, who was a high school friend, and shot him dead. Manfredonia then forced Eisele's girlfriend into a car he was driving and left the state, according to police.
Police took Manfredonia into custody after a six-day search by law enforcement in multiple states.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
