A woman whose parents and young brother were brutally killed in D.C. 10 years ago spoke about learning of the crime.
Abigail Savopoulos was 19 and away at boarding school in Pennsylvania when her family was held hostage and killed for ransom in their home on 32nd Street NW in May 2015. The victims of the crime that came to be known as the mansion murders were her dad, Savvas Savopoulos; her mom, Amy; her 10-year-old brother, Phillip; and their housekeeper, Vera Figeroa.
Speaking from her home in Arizona during her first news interview, Abigail Savopoulos spoke with reporter Megan Cloherty on the “American Nightmares” podcast. She said she was pulled into the school headmaster’s office and told there had been a fire at her home and that three people were found inside.
“Her reaction was – your mind goes absolutely everywhere. They were out. Maybe the housekeeper had someone over. Anything that could not be the worst-case scenario. And she says, unfortunately, it was the worst-case scenario,” Cloherty said.
“I had to sleep in the headmaster’s guest room or the guest house of the school because they had to have extra security on site that night before I went back because they didn’t know where to send me,” Savopoulos said. “I was 19. It’s not like, ‘Oh, somebody can come pick her up.’ Anyone who could come pick me up was gone. So, they held me overnight and kept me safe.”
“It just became a giant whirlwind. It was two days before my senior prom. My mom was supposed to come up to help me get me ready, and we had talked on the phone about it,” Savopoulos said.
She said she’s working to keep her family’s memory alive. She loves photography because her dad was a great photographer. Her mom made Christmas magical, so she tries to continue that for her own kids.
“She continues their legacy through her life,” Cloherty said.
Go here to listen to season 4 of “The American Nightmares” podcast series by Gamut Podcast Network. It’s available anywhere podcasts are found.
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