A Mansfield man and former University of Connecticut student has been sentenced to 55 years in prison in a 2020 kidnapping and murder case and he is set to be sentenced Thursday on an additional murder charge.
Peter Manfredonia, 26, was accused of killing 62-year-old Ted DeMers, a married father of two, in Willington; and Nicholas Eisele, in Derby; and kidnapping Eisele's girlfriend in 2020.
He was sentenced Wednesday for the slaying of Eisele and the kidnapping of Eisele's girlfriend. He will be sentenced Thursday for the murder of DeMers.
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His attorney previously said Manfredonia would be sentenced to 55 years in prison after a plea deal.
Manfredonia spoke in court Wednesday and apologized for what he did.
In his statement to the Eisele family, Manfredonia said, “My actions were nothing short of reprehensible.”
“Know that I do not expect your forgiveness, but I apologize none the less. What I did was inexcusably horrendous, and I will regret it every day for the rest of my life, not because of the consequences that it has had on me but because of the consequences it has had on your family,” Manfredonia said, adding that his actions were "senseless."
As Eisele's family came out of court, they said "justice has been served" and they can begin to heal.
In a statement read after the sentencing, Eisele's girlfriend thanked the prosecutor, law enforcement, the victim’ advocate and the man who helped her escape at the truck stop in New Jersey.
“Nicholas Eisele will never be forgotten and his memory will forever live on in my heart and that of his family’s as a kind, loving and protective boyfriend and son. Today’s sentencing provides me with closure to an extremely painful chapter in my life and an opportunity to begin to fully heal,” the statement said.
Manfredonia killed DeMers on May 22, 2020, officials said.
Eisele and Manfredonia grew up together in Newtown. On May 24, Manfedonia went to Eisele's Derby apartment, shot and killed him, kidnapped Eisele's girlfriend and forced her to drive him to New Jersey, officials said.
Eisele's girlfriend told police she woke up and heard Eisele saying “relax” and “calm down” loudly from the living room.
When she asked if everything was OK, Eisele said Manfredonia was in the apartment and she should call 911, according to the warrant.
As the girlfriend grabbed her cellphone to dial 911, she told police that Manfredonia and Eisele came through the bedroom door and Manfredonia grabbed the cellphone from her hand. She said she ran into the living room and then heard shots. She screamed, and Manfredonia told her to “shut up,” the warrant states.
Manfredonia took approximately $5,000 to $7,000 that was in the apartment and kidnapped Eisele's girlfriend, according to the warrant.
He made her drive on back roads through Newtown, and they eventually ended up in Columbia, New Jersey, where they pulled into a truck stop.
Manfredonia then asked some people there to help him secure an Uber to Pennsylvania.
Once he did that, he left Eisele’s girlfriend in her car and she told someone at the truck stop that she had been kidnapped and that Manfredonia had killed someone in Connecticut, according to an arrest warrant stated.
Manfredonia was captured in Hagerstown, Maryland, after a multi-state manhunt five days after the initial attack.
He was returned to Connecticut on June 12, 2020 and has been in police custody ever since.
Manfredonia has been sentenced to 55 years for the murder of Eisele. He has been sentenced to serve 25 years to run concurrently for the kidnapping of Eisele's girlfriend.
She also asked that her privacy be respected until she is ready to answer questions.
Manfredonia’s attorney, Michael Dolan, said outside court that his client has been diagnosed with a mental health condition and it contributed to what happened. He said Manfredonia is taking medication.
Manfredonia will be sentenced Thursday for the murder of DeMers and he is expected to again be sentenced to 55 years to serve concurrently.
