BRANFORD, Conn. (TCN) — A father has pleaded guilty to beating his 12-year-old son to death with a baseball bat and attempting to kill his 16-year-old daughter in 2025, according to authorities.
On May 1, 2025, police responded to a home after receiving a report that a person had been killed. When they arrived, they found the child dead from head trauma. WTIC reports the child was identified as Anthony Esposito and he was in sixth grade.
His father, Anthony Esposito Jr., 52 at the time, was arrested during a traffic stop. He told authorities he heard the voices of his mother and father, who had reportedly abused him during childhood, in his head, telling him not to allow his son to disrespect him. He told police he heard his mother’s voice repeatedly saying, “baseball bat, baseball bat,” so he then beat his son to death before going to pick up his daughter from school. When his daughter asked where her brother was when they got home, Esposito pushed her down the stairs.
Esposito was charged with murder and attempted murder following his arrest and held on $3 million bond. WTNH reports he pleaded guilty to the charges on April 27. Esposito’s defense said he has struggled with mental health issues since childhood. He was reportedly hospitalized 16 years ago and his public defender said his psychiatric issues have gone largely untreated since then. WTIC reports Esposito was also struggling following his mother’s suicide.
Esposito is scheduled to be sentenced on July 6, per WTNH. He remains held on $3 million bond, according to the New Haven Register.
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