A 52-year-old man from Connecticut, has been charged with brutally killing his 12-year-old son with a baseball bat and attempting to murder his teenage daughter. According to a statement from Branford Police, shared on Facebook, officers responded to a distress call on Thursday, May 1, from a woman who believed Anthony Andrew Esposito Jr. had killed someone in his Hemlock Road home. By the time officers arrived, Esposito had already fled the scene in a silver Chrysler Pacifica.
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Police found the 12-year-old boy in the basement of the home with significant head trauma. He was pronounced dead at 4:10 pm. by paramedics, People reported, citing The Hartford Courant and Stamford Advocate.
Arrest and chilling confession
As per the outlet, Esposito was pulled over by Connecticut State Police near the Durham-Madison town line and taken into custody. Initially, he refused to speak with investigators unless he could talk to a North Haven officer named “Jimmy”. After being denied, he eventually opened up.
According to the police report, Esposito told detectives that his son often “disrespected” him and used foul language. He claimed he was tormented by voices in his head—those of his late parents, whom he alleged had abused him in childhood. On the day of the attack, Esposito said the voices told him: “Don’t let him get away with [it]… baseball, baseball bat.”
He then admitted to striking his son in the back of the head with the bat. Later, he picked up his 16-year-old daughter from the bus stop. After an uneventful ride, he pushed her near the basement staircase. He reportedly told police he intended to kill her too, but she managed to escape.
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Court proceedings
During his arraignment on Friday, May 2, the judge stated Esposito may face life in prison without parole, given the “horrendous nature of the allegations,” as noted by The Advocate. His murder charge includes “special circumstances” due to the victim’s age.
Esposito’s public defender told the court, as reported by ABC News, that the accused has long-standing mental health issues, has been hospitalised multiple times, and is currently not on medication.
Branford Police said they are working closely with the local school district to provide grief counselling. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family, friends and all those impacted in our community,” their statement read.
Esposito is currently being held on a $3,000,000 bond.
