FBI joins 3-state manhunt for UConn student wanted in string of slayings

An intense multi-state manhunt continues for a University of Connecticut student wanted in two killings.

Connecticut State Police say 23-year-old Peter Manfredonia used a machete or sword to kill a man who offered him a ride Friday in Willington.

A second man was left gravely injured.

Pennsylvania state police said Manfredonia had been spotted Sunday in East Stroudsburg, Penn. They tweeted out a photo of a man wearing shorts and carrying a large backpack walking near some train tracks.

Investigators say Manfredonia then broke into a Willington home, held a person captive, and stole several weapons and a car.

He is also suspected in the death of another man in Derby. Police say Nicholas Eisele, who was found dead in his Roosevelt Drive home, was an acquaintance.

Police say the stolen car was later found in the area of Osborndale State Park.

UConn released a statement Monday, saying Manfredonia is a senior in the joint School of Engineering / School of Business MEM. The school said he is not attending summer classes or living on campus.

“The university expresses its deepest, most heartfelt sympathies to the victims and their families in this horrible, incomprehensible tragedy. They are all in our thoughts,” the statement read in part. “With respect to the student in question, while the University can’t discuss specific individuals or cases, UConn strives to do everything possible to identify and engage with students of concern and to provide them with all the assistance and resources we can both for their own well-being and that of the wider community.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Connecticut State Police at (860) 896-3200 or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324). Authorities urge the public not to approach Manfredonia if they spot him. He’s considered armed and dangerous.

If you see him, they urge you to call 911.