a burning mansion. in the flames, a terrible secret. >> the fire appears to be intentionally set. >> it shook that community to the core. especially when the details started to come out about what happened inside that house. >> a mother, father, 10-year-old son, and the family housekeeper, all held hostage for almost 20 terrifying hours. finally, a ransom in cash. but it doesn't help them. only the smoke escaping out a window. this, in a wealthy washington enclave. the vice president's neighborhood. >> this could happen there? what about the rest of us

ordinary joes? what chance do we have? >> tonight, "20/20" takes you inside the court case that just wrapped. new details, new voices. >> my guess is they used the 10-year-old to get whatever they wanted out of the adults. >> i can't stop thinking about that day. >> we'll hear from the surviving housekeeper, about life at the mansion. was there anything in the savopoulos' life that suggested they had enemies? room by room, clue by clue. the shadowy figure caught on cameras. the late night pizza delivery. >> guess what doesn't burn, the pizza, with his saliva on it. >> boom, they get a hit. we've got a name and a face. >> police have their target. >> thus begins an intense 48-hour nationwide manhunt. >> we've really had a lot of motivation to catch this guy.

>> the high-stakes capture of the suspect, through the eyes of the u.s. marshal who stalked him. this is where it happened? >> at the red light, that's where we made our move. >> tonight, the long-awaited verdict in the case that outraged the country. >> you can't take your eyes off of this case. it's just that horribly incredible. >> good evening, i'm amy robach. >> and i'm david muir. this is "20/20." reporting tonight, ryan smith with the breaking verdict in the story he's been covering since it began some three years ago. >> there's a house fire. >> breaking news out of d.c. >> four people confirmed dead. >> a house fire. >> this investigation continues as we speak. >> we have firefighters and d.c. police. >> the call came in at 1:30 in the afternoon.

>> looks like it's sweeping across the overhang on the house. i'd come quick. >> we're out on a story, something else. they said, "hey, there's a fire on woodland drive. get over there right away." got there. whoa, big fire. and then moments later, the realization. something's going on here. something really bad is going on here. >> reporter: a $3.5 million mansion engulfed in flames. >> the second floor is completely burned. >> reporter: where there is now an unusual intensity, firefighters and police combing through the scene. on the street, sheer panic, says wjla reporter stephen tschida. >> investigators do believe this fire was deliberately set. >> arson, oh dear. >> it's really rattling. >> this woman comes up and she's distraught. and she's like, "i'm so afraid.

i was supposed to be there. they texted me. they told me not to come. and i work here. i know this family." and she's frantic and hysterical. >> reporter: that woman is nelly gutierrez. for the past two decades she worked for the homeowners, amy and savvas savopolous. what were they like together? >> they love each other. >> reporter: she says they were the picture perfect couple. >> in my 19 years, 20 year working for the family, they never fight. they were so good together. he really love amy very, very deep. and the same way. you know, she was the same way. >> when firefighters arrived at this house, they thought it was just a fire. they were crawling around on their hands, because this is their training. >> he's feeling around the room. and he feels a chair and he feels the chair is weighted. and he feels for a head. and he feels a head and he tries to pick the person up. and they slip right through his grasp. he's radioing in, we've now got a crime scene here.

>> the room is a crime scene. >> reporter: these photos giving us a look inside the house. inside the carnage. >> you could see the blood covering the floor. you could see one of the chairs that they had been restrained in. you could see it was just covered in blood. it's tossed over on the side. then, the room where philip was. just charred. his bed, charred. it had sunken. it had collapsed. it had burned all the way through to the floor below. it was awful. >> the fire is definitely suspicious in nature. we have three adults and possibly a child deceased inside of the home. >> reporter: amy and savvas savopoulos. their posh home now boarded up. newly surrounded by a locked chain link fence, starkly out of place in this, quiet, leafy d.c. neighborhood. an abrupt ending to a love story that seemed destined to play out as happily ever after.

they both attend the university of maryland. >> savvas had a crush for four years, and pursued her and pursued her and pursued her and she would never say yes till the very end. she finally agreed to go on a date and they seemed like the perfect match for each other. >> reporter: after college the couple has a large greek orthodox wedding. savvas, known for a strong work ethic and gentle manner, succeeds his father as ceo of american iron works. as a young, wealthy washington couple, they settle in this red-bricked home, with its own library and music room, surrounded by manicured lawns, hees helping maintain the inside of the home, vera figueroa. a mother of two supporting her family back in el salvador. she wouldn't make it out alive. so, tell me about vera. what was she like? >> very liked. first of all, she liked to work

hard. and she was very happy lady. >> reporter: the couple have three children, abigail, katerina, and philip. the two girls, away at boarding school during the fire. phillip unfortunately losing his life in the flames. what about philip, though? he's 10. >> he was very, very mature. he was very funny, you know, like, when i always talk to him in spanish he gets so excited, but then when i talk to him a little bit more, he's like, "no, no, i don't understand." >> reporter: 10-year-old philip, known as flip, is a fan of harry potter and has an atypical hobby -- go-kart racing. >> this is not the thing your normal 10-year-old gets to do. phillip had a coach and he had a top of the line go-kart and amy made her son do his homework between races. >> reporter: and it's at one of those go-kart tracks that

savvas savopoulos meets this man. fellow racing enthusiast jordan wallace. wallace creating his own website with videos of the extreme sport. >> my life is awesome, like, i have nothing to complain about. >> reporter: their friendship would lead to a job as savvas' personal assistant. wallace will later end up playing a pivotal role in those final hours. >> that assistant says he got a call from sa have vvas savopoulo bring $40,000 cash to the house. >> reporter: was it an armed robbery gone wrong? or a calculated murder-for-hire? questions that would confound police and this once peaceful neighborhood. >> i talked to several neighbors who said they saw philip playing in the driveway. they would see amy walking around the neighborhood exercising. now, passing by that house is an eerie feeling for these neighbors. one that will never go away. >> reporter: so this had to shake them to their core. >> it shook that community to the core. it shook the city to the core. >> reporter: next, a family held

hostage for nearly 20 desperate hours. the calls they were forced to make. >> hey, jordan, it's savvas. i have a package i need you to bring down to me. >> reporter: stay with us. back pain can't win. now introducing aleve back and muscle pain. only aleve targets tough pain for up to 12 hours with just one pill. aleve back & muscle. all day strong. all day long.

geand take 50% off hundreds of select items storewide! plus - take an extra 20% off! plus - take an extra $10 off when you spend $50 or more! plus - get kohl's cash! layer on the savings! this weekend - at kohl's. when it comes to managing your type 2 diabetes, what matters to you? step up to the stage here. feeling good about that? let's see- most of you say lower a1c. but only a few of you are thinking about your heart. fact is, even though it helps to manage a1c, type 2 diabetes still increases your risk of a fatal heart attack or stroke. jardiance is the only type 2 diabetes pill with a lifesaving cardiovascular benefit for adults who have type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

jardiance significantly reduces the risk of dying from a cardiovascular event... ...and lowers a1c, with diet and exercise. let's give it another try. jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. this may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing. stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of ketoacidosis or an allergic reaction. symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. other side effects are sudden kidney problems, genital yeast infections, increased bad cholesterol, and urinary tract infections, which may be serious. taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. so-what do you think? well i'm definitely thinking differently than i was yesterday. ask your doctor about jardiance- and get to the heart of what matters.

>> reporter: it's wednesday, may 13th, around 6:00 p.m. as washington, d.c., is closing for the night and people are sitting in traffic, the savopoulos family, with the teenage girls away at boarding school, are trying to survive the most desperate night of their lives. it begins with a terrifying home invasion. also inside the mansion, the

family's housekeeper, vera figueroa. she had been with the family since her friend and the family's other housekeeper, nellie gutierrez got her the job. you helped her work with the savopoulos family, right? >> i took her over there. and it was almost five years ago. >> reporter: authorities now believe that housekeeper is the first person to encounter the intruder. >> she actually tried to fight him off. and he used a bat, because her dna was found on the handle of one of the baseball bats. >> reporter: longtime crime reporter jennifer donelan covered the story. this started out as a story about a fire, right? >> we're trying to figure out, did something more sinister happen before the fire? >> reporter: that evening one of the captives, savvas savopoulos, leaves a voicemail telling gutierrez not to come in the next day. >> it's savvas. i hope you get this message. amy is in bed sick tonight and she was sick this afternoon and vera offered to stay and help her out. so she's gonna stay the night here. >> reporter: but gutierrez doesn't get the message until the next day. >> when i got that message on thursday, i was thinking.

and i start calling them. i call her and i say, "hi, vera. what's going on?" no answer. >> reporter: vera's husband, bernardo alfaro, telling reporter john gonzalez from abc washington station wjla, he begins to worry at 5:00 wednesday afternoon. >> he goes home, starts calling her, nonstop, on her cell phone, until the cell phone really stops ringing. >> reporter: but at about 9:00 p.m., the strangest call by far. a call for a food delivery. >> we can confirm that we made a delivery to the house. >> reporter: police say its amy savopoulos calling domino's pizza. she orders two pies, gives a credit card number, and special instructions. >> don't ring the doorbell. i'm caring for a sick child. just leave it on the front door. >> reporter: the domino's driver leaves the pizza, rings the bell, and drives away, taking with him an opportunity to end the ordeal for the terrified people just inside. >> there were things that happened that, of course, now we

can look back on and say, "what if?" >> reporter: this domino's pizza box later found inside the burned home. seemingly innocuous evidence of a horrifying night. >> and to think that the killer actually ordered and ate a pizza during the middle of all this. i couldn't even eat after i heard about it. this guy's eating a pizza in the middle of it. >> reporter: that night, savvas savopoulos calls his assistant jordan wallace, the man the family had met at that go-kart track. >> hey jordan, it's savvas. >> savas leaves a voice message, a really upbeat message saying, can you stop by the office tomorrow and get a package. >> slight change of plans tomorrow. would you please go straight to the hyattsville office and wait? i've got a package that i'm going to need you to bring down to me. >> reporter: police say that wallace responded by text, "got your message, i'll call once i get the package." the longest night passes on woodland drive. as thursday dawns, housekeeper vera figueroa's husband, after working an overnight shift, finds his wife is still not

home. he goes to the mansion looking for her. >> knocks on the door, rings the doorbell. nothing. but it's interesting. he says, "it felt to me like someone was inside." >> reporter: could he hear them? >> he just says he heard, like, noises, like, someone shuffling inside. >> reporter: just then, his phone rings. it's savvas savopoulos, inside the house. they're just a few feet apart. >> he says, "lito, i'm sorry i didn't call you last night. vera stayed the night with us." he said he was apologizing profusely. so the husband, a little more satisfied with that, the fact that he's heard from someone. he goes home. >> reporter: that morning, the next phase of the plan becomes apparent. jordan wallace meets another employee at a bank near savopoulos' company, american iron works. >> a couple hours later, we see surveillance video of jordan wallace and another colleague of his from taking out $40,000 from a bank of america. and jordan later testified, "you

know, i'd never seen that much money on my entire life." >> he tells his assistant to bring the cash to the garage and put it in a car. >> reporter: at 10:26 a.m., wallace sends this text message to his boss, "package delivered." the cash is delivered, but for some reason that doesn't stop the crime. police say the killing begins. >> we were getting source information that there was blunt force trauma to the bodies. that there were stab wounds to the bodies. that the bodies also had been tied up. >> reporter: authorities will later piece together the family's terrifying final moments alive. the three adults, savvas and amy savopoulos and vera figueroa are held in an upstairs bedroom. the little boy, separated from

the grown-ups, in another bedroom. >> the son is where it appears according to documents is where they set that fire. >> reporter: with the house on fire, the killer flees. >> to think that a human would torture and murder a 10-year-old little boy while his mother and father sit in the next room hearing his scream in order to get money. it's heinous. >> reporter: before the fire can spread to where the adults are, the fire department gets the alarm. it's 1:30 p.m. on thursday. the story blows up. >> the case that is shaking a neighborhood to its core tonight. >> reporter: the media descends on the neighborhood. early that afternoon, someone notices amy savopoulos' blue porsche is missing from the house. police ask the pubic for help. but it wasn't hard to find. just follow the smoke. the porsche, torched in a church parking lot in maryland. back at the mansion, authorities are already sifting through the grisly scene.

how much more difficult is it for them to try to figure this out with that house being burnt so badly? >> the whole reason why you set something on fire in a case like that is to get rid of evidence. >> reporter: when we come back, a microscopic clue in the strangest place. and the daring late night manhunt and takedown. u.s. marshals tells us they're forced to do something they've never tried before. >> and then he said, "move, go, go, go." >> reporter: stay with us. i tell everyone to take the ancestrydna test if you want to get the most details about your family history. my pie chart showed that i'm from all over europe, but then it got super specific. i learned my people came from a small region in poland, and even a little bit of the history about why they might have migrated during that time. those migration patterns are more than just lines on a map, they're really your family's story. i can't wait to see what i'm going to discover next. connecting 20 million members to a deeper family story. order your kit at ancestry.com essential for the cactus, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell you doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. needles. fine for some things. but for you, one pill a day may provide symptom relief. ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. an "unjection™".

there are roadside attractions. ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. and then there's our world-famous on-road attraction. the 2019 glc. lease the glc 300 for just $489 a month at your local mercedes-benz dealer. mercedes-benz. the best or nothing.

♪ when you need a hand ♪ lean on me, when you're not strong ♪ ♪ and i'll be your friend ♪ i'll help you carry on ♪ lean on me ♪ mmm... ♪ lean on me... ♪ mmm... ♪ lean on me...

police are on the scene of a deadly house fire. >> four people found dead inside. >> reporter: if the fire at 3201 woodland drive in washington, d.c., had burned faster. if the washington, d.c., firefighters had responded a little slower, the key evidence in the case might have been destroyed. but the location of the crime, the nation's capital, gives authorities a special advantage. >> this is washington, d.c. we're unique in that sense. our metropolitan police department and our d.c. fire department is backed up by federal agencies. >> reporter: the arson task force at the mansion includes the atf, which boasts perhaps the one lab in the country best equipped to extract dna from fire damaged evidence. greg zaranopas is the deputy assistant director who runs the lab. >> repte typical, wee oking at scene. >> repo bite the mansion home invader.

>> a slice of pizza crust broke this case wide-open. >> reporter: crime scene specialists recover the leftover crusts. nothing more than household garbage to you and me. but for them, the perfect serving of prime evidence. they rush the crust to the atf lab, working around the clock. >> looking at food, when someone takes a bite of it, we can see if there's any dna present. >> reporter: todd bill, an atf analyst, lifted the dna profile off that pizza crust. >> if there's something, like, in this situation, where there's a violent offender, we can call the fbi and they will do an immediate search for that profile. >> i have never seen a dna hit turned around that quick. never. >> reporter: tuesday, may 19th, only five days after the fire and the murders, a breakthrough. >> boom. they get a hit. we've got a name. we've got a face. >> reporter: daron wint, 34 years old. >> because of that lengthy,

criminal record, his dna was on file. and now we knew at least one person who was allegedly inside that house. >> reporter: now all they have to do is find him. >> thus begins an intense, 48-hour nationwide manhunt. >> reporter: robert fernandez with the u.s. marshals service is part of the task force now hunting for wint. >> we try and draw a picture of relatives, locations where he's lived, friends, patterns of life. >> reporter: then, wednesday night, exactly one week after the family had been taken captive in their mansion, authorities get a line on wint. >> we were able to determine that he had fled the d.c. area. >> two days after he commits these murders, daron wint takes a road trip. and he goes to new york, of all places. he gets on a bus and goes to his fiancee's apartment. >> and took her on shopping sprees, paid off her credit cards, all the while paying with $100 bills, always $100 bills. >> and so while d.c. police are looking for the killer of these three adults and a child,

darren wint is living it up in new york city. >> they're sitting in bed together in her new york apartment and see his face come on the news. >> he saw himself on the news, from what we understand. and then fled the area. >> reporter: and you just missed ca catching him. >> that's right. >> eventually he takes a taxi, a $900 taxi from new york city to d.c., back to his father's house and that's where he and his brother concoct a plan. they're gonna get a lawyer and they're gonna turn him in. >> reporter: but wint's brother and a cousin, who say they had nothing to do with the crime, begin plotting to deliver daron to the police immediately. >> at that point the plan changes. and daron isn't aware the plan changes. >> reporter: thursday night, a week after the murders, u.s. marshals track wint to this howard johnson's in the d.c. suburbs. you're going in ready for anything. >> that's right. >> reporter: and immediately, a surprise. the u.s. marshals' advance team notices wint leaving the hotel. but he isn't alone. >> that advance team radioed to us they had a suspicion that he

was in one of two vehicl >> in one of those vehicles, wint and three women. in the other, wint's younger brother, darrell, and their cousin. >> at that moment, both of those vehicles left and turned northbound. >> reporter: didn't see that coming. >> not at all. but we're ready to roll with it. >> reporter: air support is called in from prince george county pd. authorities tail the group, now traveling in a two-vehicle caravan. a box truck with north carolina tags, followed by a white chevy cruz. how many cars are following him at this point? >> altogether, it could have been 25, maybe 30 vehicles. >> reporter: moments later, authorities spring the trap, employing a daring maneuver to stop the cars cold. >> it's called a vehicle pin blocking maneuver. >> reporter: the marshals' cars surround the white chevy and the box truck on all sides and on the commander's go, the front car reverses, the rear car speeds forward, and four more cars surround the target vehicles on all sides. >> basically, pinning the car at four points and immobilizing it. they were looking in their mirrors.

they saw all the lights and they put their hands up. >> reporter: immediately. >> immediately. i think they were completely and totally startled and surprised. >> reporter: so this is where it happened. >> yeah, right here. >> reporter: in the rear passenger seat of the white chevy -- daron wint, trapped. >> he followed commands. he got out. he crawled. he got on the ground. he was immediately handcuffed. and brought over to a police vehicle and he didn't say a word. >> it was the end of a painstaking 48-hour manhunt. no sleep. >> from d.c., to new york, back to the d.c. area, and he's now in custody. >> reporter: in the car wint was driving in police report finding clothing, an ipad, two knives, cash, and thousands of dollars of money orders. what did you see? >> in the truck, in the side compartment, a big wad of cash.

>> reporter: but the strangest find, a crumpled piece of paper. scribbled on it, "300 indiana avenue." >> which is the address for the headquarters of the d.c. police. that may be another piece of information that would suggest the relatives are working with the marshals. >> reporter: wint appears in superior court the next day. \but this case is not closed, not by a long shot. when we come back, a man who came face to face with daron wint at the wrong end of a knife. stay with us. stay with us.

starts with looking buiat something old,nk and saying, "really?" so capital one is building something completely new. capital one cafes. inviting places with people here to help you, not sell you. and savings and checking accounts with no fees or minimums. because that's how it should be. you can open one from right here or anywhere in 5 minutes. seriously, 5 minutes... this is banking reimagined. what's in your wallet? ♪ ♪ if it feels like you live in the bathroom with recurring constipation and belly pain,

talk to your doctor and say yesss! to linzess. yesss! linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation or chronic constipation. linzess can help relieve your belly pain, and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements. linzess is not a laxative. it helps you get ahead of your recurring constipation. do not give linzess to children less than 6 and it should not be given to children 6 to less than 18, it may harm them. do not take linzess if you have a bowel blockage. get immediate help if you develop unusual or severe stomach pain, especially with bloody or black stools. the most common side effect is diarrhea, sometimes severe. if it's severe, stop taking linzess and call your doctor right away. other side effects include gas, stomach-area pain, and swelling. so say yesss! to help for recurring constipation. yesss! to help for belly pain. talk to your doctor and say yesss! linzess.

a more powerful way to stay connected. it gives you super fast speeds for all your devices, enhanced coverage, and lets you control your network with the xfi app. it's the ultimate wifi experience. xfinity xfi. simple. easy. awesome. get started with xfinity for $34.99 a month for 12 months. plus ask about xfi pods for even more coverage. click, call or visit a store today. >> reporter: a vexing criminal

case. four people murdered, the house apparently torched to destroy any clues. but some evidence seems to have survived the blaze. hair, dna, and fingerprints were removed from the scene. and yet only one suspect in custody. 34-year-old daron wint, linked to the case by the dna evidence found on that domino's pizza crust. wint's family and friends have ducked the cameras. but out of the blue, a new player emerges. his former attorney, robin ficker, who takes the national stage to go out on a limb for wint with outlandish observations. >> he never eats pizza. he doesn't like pizza. >> reporter: the bombastic ficker makes sweeping statements about the innocence of a man he defended on a handful of traffic tickets. >> i know him to be a kind, gentle, nonaggressive person. someone you wouldn't mind your

grandmother going to lunch with. >> mr. ficker says that he's really a gentle giant that you'd want to sit down and have tea with your grandmother. well, not my grandmother. >> reporter: clearly ficker hasn't done his homework. >> he's got a fairly impressive number of arrests that involve assault. there's some, i believe, domestic violence charges, and more importantly, there's the use of a knife. >> reporter: yet when wint emigrated from the south american country of guyana to the u.s., his future seemed bright. 12 years before the mansion murders, he landed a well-paying job as a welder at american iron works, the company owned by savvas savopoulos. but for reasons unknown, wint left the company after only two years. and that's when things went south for him. while living in suburban maryland, wint's own father, shown here on his facebook page, feared living with him. getting a protective order after he says wint threatened to shoot him.

a relative, who didn't want to be named, said that wint had a hair-trigger temper. >> he's very hostile. he's arrogant. everywhere he went he fought with people. r,ryights with his father, his >> reporter: by 2006, wint picked up stakes and moved here to the quiet upstate new york town of oswego, living in this apartment building. it's in this port city, nestled along lake ontario, where michael babcock is about to see wint's temper up close. we brought him back to the scene of his cousin's house where babcock was trying to get wint to leave after his cousin complained. after an altercation, wint suddenly attacked. >> daron had come out and was windmilling with the knives, and i went up like that and blocked, and this is where he stabbed me in the wrist. >> reporter: wint was arrested and ordered to stay away from babcock. but while waiting for trial he suddenly ambushed babcock a second time on this bridge. babcock was rushed to the emergency room, where he was told he was lucky to be alive.

>> when daron stabbed me in the neck, if it would have been a little bit lower, the doctors told me that i would have died before i made it to the first hospital. >> reporter: he was convicted and jailed briefly, only to assault again -- another man in oswego, and a girlfriend back in maryland. >> he has a rap sheet as long as my arm. and that gives a perfect example to the claim of revolving door justice. >> reporter: wint dates another woman, but the script is the same. he's arrested after threatening to kill her, her daughter, and her friends, telling her he's "good with a knife" and could "kill them easily." but despite that graphic threat, wint is convicted only for smashing the windows of his girlfriend's car. and as the years pass, wint apparently had not forgotten his former employer. in 2010, he made a bizarre and menacing return to american iron works, the company he had left five years earlier.

>> he's found outside the american iron works with a machete, a bb gun, and a can of beer. so there's this weird incident that occurred outside of the very place where savvas savopoulos was president and ceo. >> reporter: although charged with concealing a deadly weapon, wint was allowed to simply plead guilty to having an open container of alcohol and fined $919. >> i wonder what those prosecutors are thinking now. "i let that guy go on a lesser offense." >> reporter: wint was able to avoid the courts for the next five years. but along the way his own siblings kick him out. searching for shelter, he is increasingly desperate. the next time he surfaced was when he made national news as the prime suspect in the savopoulos murder case. >> for him to then take that a step further and get involved in potentially killing four people with a knife, it's really not a

stretch based on his background. >> reporter: coming up next, a courtroom family feud. wint points the finger at his brothers. >> he couldn't pull this off on his own. no way. i don't think he's got it up here. >> reporter: stay with us. it's tiredness. and difficulty concentrating. depression is multiple symptoms that can hold you back. my doctor prescribed trintellix. a prescription medicine for depression. trintellix may help you take a step forward in improving your depression. tell your healthcare professional right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. do not take with maois. tell your healthcare professional about your medications, including migraine, psychiatric, and depression medications to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. increased risk of bleeding or bruising may occur, especially if taken with nsaid pain relievers,

aspirin, or blood thinners. manic episodes or vision problems may occur in some people. may cause low sodium levels. the most common side effects were nausea, constipation, and vomiting. ask your doctor if it's time for a change to trintellix. plus - take an extra 20% off! sale this weekend! plus - get kohl's cash! save on cuddl duds tops sleepwear - $14.39 and bedding! plus - take an extra $10 off when you spend $50 or more! layer on the savings! this weekend - at kohl's.

big corporations are making and just got a huge tax break. but the middle class is struggling. prop c is a common-sense plan. the top 1% of businesses pay their fair share to tackle homelessness for all of us. companies with revenue greater than $50 million pay, not small businesses or homeowners. the prop c plan is supported by the democratic party, teachers, and mental-health professionals. vote "yes" on c. big corporations pay for it, not you.

>> reporter: three years after he walked into this posh mansion, daron wint finds himself in another unfamiliar house.

a d.c. courthouse. daron's defense strategy? a curious one. pointing the finger at his own brothers. >> the defense's argument was just that, that daron wint was duped by his brothers, steffon and darrell wint, into coming to the house. into loaning his minivan to be part of this whole crime, and that daron wint had nothing to do with it. >> reporter: it will be an uphill battle for wint as his friends and family come to testify. not for him, but against. >> daron wint's stepmom testified against him. saying that, you know, "i don't know where he was for the entire day of may 13th, and most of the day on may 14th." where was this man for that entire time that this crime was taking place? >> reporter: there was the ex-fiance who testified under immunity. >> that was very key testimony because, again, she testified that he spent all this money on her. obvie t ere.

she still obviously very much cares for daron wint. but it was also the first time that we saw emotion from daron wint. daron wint began crying when she began crying. >> reporter: the notion of brotherly love is put to the test as wint's own siblings take the stand. >> steffon and darrell. these two individuals are key to this story, because daron wint, on the first day of trial, he implicated both of his brothers as being the actual ones involved in this crime, and not himself. >> reporter: steffon wint testified first. >> steffon, credible. answered the questions forthright. has a job, works really hard. he presented his employment records, which showed he was at work on the 13th, he was at work on the 14th. >> what was interesting about steffon wint is that the defense attorney said he was the one who

was in that bedroom, whose hair was found in the bedroom, where the three adult bodies were found. and that's key, because siblings who have the same mother also have the same part of a dna. >> reporter: next up was darrell wint, the defendant's half-brother who initially appeared half-asleep. >> during the lunch break, a 75-minute lunch break, and he was outside of the courtroom, taking a nap. >> reporter: but eventually, his testimony heats up. >> he said, "daron wint, that's my big brother, and you put me in this situation. you're throwing me under the bus." >> he really looked at daron and said, "i can't believe you're doing this to me." whether you believe daron or you believe darrell, you saw this sort of brotherly fall-out playing out in front of everybody. >> reporter: the defense strategy also includes other alternative suspects. >> on the first day of trial, not only did they implicate

wint's brothers, but they also implicated jordan wallace. >> reporter: jordan wallace, you'll remember, is the young man who dropped off the $40,000 at the house. >> jordan wallace, i believe, was simply an innocent person who got roped into this. seen on video getting the $40,000, driving it there, the day they were being held hostage. seen on video shopping for savvas the day they were murdered. but on the stand, he was credible. he was emotional. he was believable. >> reporter: prosecutors insist daron wint acted alone. but as the alternative suspect strategy begins to implode, the defense throws a hail mary. >> the defense said, "we're going to call one witness and then mr. wint." and people were like, "what? what did she just say?" >> it's very rare to see a defendant charged in a murder case, unless they're claiming self-defense, take the witness stand.

>> they're opening themselves up for a lot of potential questioning which could implicate them. and he just decided he's sharp enough, he's shrewd enough, he could take on that prosecutor. >> for about five hours, daron wint talked about his role in all of this. he was very calm. very, "yes, ma'am," "no, ma'am." prosecutors coming at him, drilling, throwing the questions at him, left and right, throwing left to right. >> reporter: by most accounts daron wint was a cool customer on the stand, perfectly prepped to explain it all away. >> his testimony was so precisely crafted to counter every single prosecution piece of evidence. "oh, yeah, that was me. i walked into the house. but that was because my brother brought me over there, and i didn't even know what was going on in that house." >> reporter: try as he might to daron wint cannot fully explain

that slice of pizza, the slice he could not finish. the slice that now may finish him. >> right now, daron wint's fate, in the hands of a jury. after emotional closing arguments from attorneys on both sides in the mansions murders case. >> the jury deliberating right now. it could continue to deliberate through tomorrow, perhaps for several days. >> reporter: that prediction was accurate. two days later, the verdict was in. >> a verdict in the mansions trial. >> one word echoed thru the courtroom. guilty, guilty, guilty. >> all 20 counts guilty. and on the first guilty verdict, savva savoypolous' father, his shoulders just start to shake, and you can tell he's weeping. and i look over to daron wint. he just drops his head, and it just stayed there the entire time. >> reporter: prosecutors recommending a sentence of life without parole.

>> we cried, and we said vera is going to rest in peace, and the whole family. >> reporter: providing some measure of comfort for the woman who still holds on to the house keys to that mansion, long after it was demolished. >> i worked for them for so many years and i miss them so much. why? why bad things happen to good people? because they were such a good family. >> at long last, justice for the two surviving daughters. we're going to shift to another family victory we're celebrating. >> my own family we're talking about. why ten of us decided to

(pirate girl) ahoy!!!!! (excited squeal, giggling/panting) gotcha! (man) ah! (girl) nooooooooooooo! (man) nooooo! (girl) nooooo... (vo) quick, the quicker picker upper! bounty picks up messes quicker, and is two times more absorbent than the leading ordinary brand. (man and pirate girl) ahoy! (laughing) (vo) bounty, the quicker picker upper. wof heritage and style. if dry, damaged hair is part of your blend, we have a blend for you. whole blends honey treasures. paraben-free. blended with purpose. with lush honey, renowned for replenishment, and royal jelly and propolis, known to nourish and repair. as a whole blend,

it brings wholesome nourishment to your one-of-a-kind hair, to help heal damage to the ends. blended makes us better. whole blends. text honey to 52046 for a free sample. [woman 2] ..this... [man 1] ...this is my body of proof. [man 2] proof of less joint pain... [woman 3] ...and clearer skin. [man 3] proof i cht psoriatic arthritis... [woman 4] ...with humira. [woman 5] humira targets and blocks a specific source of inflammation that contributes to both joint and skin symptoms.

it's proven to help relieve pain, stop further irreversible joint damage, and clear skin in many adults. humira is the number one prescribed biologic for psoriatic arthritis. [avo] humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. [woman 6] ask your rheumatologist about humira. [woman 7] go to mypsaproof.com to see proof in action. welcome back here tonight. i want to share with you something about my friend amy, marking a poignant anniversary, in a way that is not for the faint of heart. amy and her family decided they

would attempt what so many have attempted and have not been able to do it. you climbed the fourth highest peak in the world. >> that's right, david. i did it to honor my cancerversary, five years since being diagnosed with breast cancer. and so, ten of us from my 12-year-old daughter to my 65-year-old dad strapped on our boots and climbed mt. kilimanjaro. we wanted to show that by facing your fears, you can do everything. every year, 35,000 tourists climb mt. kilimanjaro, and only half make it to the top. we have ten. who is making it to the top? we are. let's gets started. one of the cool things about climbing kilimanjaro is, you go

through five different climate zones. the first is the rainforest. we're walking into the moo moorlands. is that it? that's kilimanjaro. it's right there. ♪ 12,000. and our second campsite. ♪ but here, the first signs of altitude hit our group. >> i felt so sick. but i said, i can't go down. i'm going to do that summit. ♪ ♪ kilimanjaro kilimanjaro >> had another mountain to climb, and battle breast cancer, and live with a lifetime of fear. instead of living with fear, i

decided to live defying fear. ♪ >> everyone is starting to feel a little fatigued. the pep in our step is gone. but, we're still walking. our next day starts at midnight, and it's by far the most challenging. >> how do you feel, amy? >> i'm okay. trying to just focus on how incredible it is to be alive, to be healthy enough to do this. and to be with the people i love. from midnight until dawn, we tackle the steepest part of the climb. >> catch your breath. >> finally reaching gilman's point. >> six hours. unbelievable. amy did it. how are you feeling? >> not feeling good. >> i know. >> how are you feeling?

>> not so good. >> and the sunrise is coming. wow. >> but to summit kilimanjaro, you need to reach a higher spot. there's 50% oxygen here. and this last hour has been really hard. finally, in what feels like slow motion -- i can see the peak. i'm crying. >> we did it. ♪ >> and then, celebration. >> we're on top of africa. fourth tallest mountain in the world. that was mental toughness. >> same to you. i'm thankful, and grateful, and inspired. >> we did it! >> part of facing fear is climbing virtual mountains.

and real mountains. >> wow. what an extraordinary adventure. i've always thought your family was beautiful, but you just proved beautiful inside and out. >> you didn't see the layer of kilimanjaro we were wearing inside and out. it's the perfect reminder that october is breast cancer awareness month, and everyone should get screened. >> we're proud of you. thanks for watching "20/20." i'm david muir. >> and i'm amy robach. from everyone at "20/20" and abc news, good night. the final package bomb found

around the country was here in the bay area. >> the trail of clues led police