A Connecticut father is suspected of trying to murder his daughter, who is 16 years old, and of killing his son, who was 12 years old, by hitting him with a baseball bat with a baseball bat.
As a result of the death of his son on Thursday, May 1, 52-year-old Anthony Andrew Esposito Jr. was charged with murder with exceptional circumstances and a criminal attempt to commit murder, according to a statement released by the police in Branford, which is situated just east of New Haven.
As stated in a police report that was acquired by The Hartford Courant and Stamford Advocate, officers were sent to a condominium located on Hemlock Road at around four o’clock in the afternoon local time. This was in response to a call from a lady who said that she suspected Esposito had committed a murder at his residence.
According to the publications, the police discovered that Esposito had left the apartment and was driving away in his silver Chrysler Pacifica as they were on their way to the scene of the incident.
When investigators entered the apartment, they discovered Esposito’s son, who was 12 years old, lying on the ground in the basement with head damage. According to the report, a paramedic brought him to the hospital and declared him dead at 4:10 p.m.
Following that, Esposito was pulled over by Connecticut State Police officers on Route 79 in the state, close to the town boundary, which is located in Durham and Madison, according to the reports. In order to conduct an investigation, he was transported to the North Branford Police Department. Esposito first requested to talk with a North Haven police officer who was given the moniker “Jimmy.” However, he did not speak with investigators until he was informed that he would not be permitted to speak to “Jimmy,” as stated in the police report.
After that, Esposito allegedly disclosed to investigators that his son had treated him “[disrespectfully]” and would use profanity while interacting with him, as reported by the outlets. He also reported to the authorities that he often heard voices in his brain, which he said were those of his mother and father, who he claimed had molested him while he was a youngster. The voices sent the following message to him on May 1: “Don’t let him get away with [it].”
According to the individual, who is 52 years old, he did hear voices shouting, “Baseball, baseball bat.” It was reported to the police that he claimed to have taken up the bat and started swinging it, causing his kid to be struck in the back of the head.
Following that, Esposito informed the investigators that he needed to pick up his daughter, who was 16 years old at the time, at a bus stop, and that the two of them had a “uneventful ride home,” as stated in the report. As soon as they got at their house, Esposito responded to his daughter’s inquiry concerning his son by stating that he was located in the basement. As they walked toward the staircase, he then purposefully pushed his daughter, causing her to fall near where his son’s body was.
According to the Advocate, Esposito informed detectives that he would have most certainly murdered his daughter if he had been able to get the baseball bat. However, she managed to escape from the basement, as stated in the police report. At that moment, he climbed into his vehicle and drove away.
The Courant stated that the police also obtained video from Esposito’s body camera during the traffic stop. The film purportedly showed Esposito confessing to the murder.
Esposito was brought before the court on Friday, May 2nd. A judge said during the hearing that he may face life in prison without the possibility of parole because of the “horrendous nature of the allegations,” per the Advocate.
Esposito’s murder charge was enhanced with “special circumstances” because the victim was under 16, the outlets reported.
Esposito’s public defender claimed during the hearing that he has experienced mental health issues for most of his life and has been hospitalized for treatment multiple times, per ABC News. The attorney also said that Esposito has not been on medication and asked that he be placed under a suicide watch while in prison.
In their statement, police said they were working with the local public school district “to ensure that grief counselors and support resources are available to students and staff who may be affected by this heartbreaking loss.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family, friends and all those impacted in our community,” according to law enforcement.
Esposito is now being detained on a bail of three million dollars.
