UConn senior accused of killing two men was looking for young woman

The University of Connecticut senior accused of killing two men and injuring another was looking for a young woman he knew as he carried out his murderous spree, according to the wife of one of his victims.

Peter Manfredonia, 23, a senior at the university who is still at large, was looking for the woman before he crossed paths with her neighbor, 62-year-old Ted DeMers, the man’s wife said.

“He was clearly walking to her home with a mission, with a machete in his backpack,” Cyndi DeMers told the Associated Press.

DeMers also said she talked with the woman’s father over the weekend and was told the family had been considering filing for a restraining order against Manfredonia, who had visited the home in the past.

Connecticut State police Tuesday pleaded directly to Mandfredonia to turn himself in on what has been the fifth day of a sweeping, multi-state manhunt.

Manfredonia is considered armed and dangerous and was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, Sunday, after allegedly committing two murders and an abduction, cops said.

“Your parents, your friends — all of us back here in Connecticut want a peaceful end to this,” said Lieutenant John Aiello at a news conference.

“Please call 911; let us know where you are. We want to resolve this in a safe way.”

Police believe Manfredonia, whose family said has a history of mental illness, killed DeMers and another man in two separate attacks before fleeing the state with stolen firearms in a stolen car.

His attacks began on Friday, when he killed DeMers and seriously injured a neighbor who came to DeMers’ aid, state police have said.

Manfredonia later that Friday stole three shotguns and a pistol from a man’s home in Wilmington before taking off with the homeowner’s truck.

He then allegedly surfaced 70 miles away in Derby, Connecticut, where he killed a friend, Nicholas Eisele, 23, who was found dead on Sunday. Police said he then forced Eisele’s 23-year-old girlfriend into her 2016 Volkswagen Jetta and drove out of state with her.

Cops said the girlfriend was found unharmed in her car Sunday at a rest stop just outside Paterson, New Jersey.

Manfredonia then took an Uber to a Walmart in East Stroudsburg, not far from the New Jersey border, Pennsylvania State Police said Tuesday.

He was last seen on security camera footage Sunday evening, walking behind the store on railroad tracks with a large duffle bag in a white t-shirt and dark shorts, authorities said.

Connecticut state police urge residents to call 911 with any tips and to not approach Manfredonia under any circumstances.

With Post wires