Anthony Andrew Esposito Jr., 53, pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder in April

A Connecticut man who killed his 12-year-old son with a baseball bat and attempted to murder his teenage daughter has been sentenced to 60 years in prison.

Anthony Andrew Esposito Jr., 53, received 40 years for his son’s murder and 20 years for the attempted murder to be served consecutively, per a news release from the state’s New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney’s Office.

At about 4 p.m. local time on May 1, 2025, police in Branford, a town in the southern part of the state, received a call from a woman to say she believed Esposito had killed someone inside his home.

When they were on their way to his condo, authorities learned he’d already left the scene. Upon arrival, they found his son, Anthony P. Esposito, in the basement with serious injuries that had been inflicted with a baseball bat.

The pre-teen was pronounced dead at the scene, and an alert was issued to locate his father, who was located in his vehicle by Connecticut State Police troopers and turned over to the Branford Police Department, per the release.

Esposito admitted to leaving after the killing and driving to the town green to pick up his teenage daughter, per the release. When she asked where her brother was, he told her he was downstairs and pushed her down toward the area of the basement holding his body.

As previously reported by PEOPLE, he reportedly told officers that his son had been disrespectful and that he often heard voices of his parents — who he claimed abused him as a child — in his head.

Esposito said the voices told him not to let his son “get away with [it]” and said, “Baseball, baseball bat,” prompting him to start swinging it and hitting his son in the back of the head.

Per police, Esposito admitted that if he’d been able to reach the baseball bat, he may have killed his daughter — who was later able to leave the basement safely — too, the release stated.

On April 24, 2026, Esposito pleaded guilty to murder and attempted murder. He was sentenced for what Supervisory Assistant State’s Attorney Adrienne Russo described as an “unfathomable” crime on Tuesday, July 7.

Judge Tracy Lee Dayton praised the boy’s mother and sister for their bravery as they addressed the court, as well as the first responders from the Branford Police Department, Branford Fire Department and Connecticut State Police.

Relatives launched a fundraiser to support the boy’s family at the time of his death via GoFundMe, describing him as a “bright and loving” child whose “smile, laughter, and kind soul brought warmth to our lives.”

Branford Counseling Center and the Office of Victim Services have also supported the family.

“Few tragedies are more devastating than the loss of a child,” New Haven Judicial District State’s Attorney John P. Doyle, Jr. said, per the release.

“Anthony’s death is a heartbreaking reminder of how deeply our communities depend on those who work every day to protect the most vulnerable among us.”

Source: https://people.com/father-sentenced-60-years-killing-12-year-old-son-baseball-bat-attempting-murder-teenage-daughter-12013995