Latest news with #TheHartfordCourant
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Yahoo
Father Accused of Beating His 12-Year-Old Son to Death with a Baseball Bat
A Connecticut man is accused of beating his 12-year-old son to death with a baseball bat Anthony Andrew Esposito Jr., 52, was charged with murder with special circumstances and a criminal attempt to commit murder after the death of his son on May 1 Esposito allegedly told police that he heard voices telling him not to let his son "get away with" disrespectful behavior A Connecticut man is accused of beating his 12-year-old son to death with a baseball bat and attempting to kill his 16-year-old daughter. According to a statement from police in Branford — located just east of New Haven — 52-year-old Anthony Andrew Esposito Jr. was charged with murder with special circumstances and a criminal attempt to commit murder after the death of his son on Thursday, May 1. According to a police report obtained by The Hartford Courant and Stamford Advocate, police responded to a condo on Hemlock Road at around 4 p.m. local time after a woman called to say she believed that Esposito had killed someone in his home. As police were on their way to the scene, they learned that Esposito had left the condo and was driving in his silver Chrysler Pacifica, the outlets reported. Investigators who entered the unit found Esposito's 12-year-old son on the ground of the basement with head trauma, and he was pronounced dead at 4:10 p.m. by a paramedic, per the report. Connecticut State Police troopers then pulled Esposito over on the state's Route 79 near the town line near Durham and Madison, per the outlets. He was taken to the North Branford Police Department for questioning. Initially, Esposito asked to speak to a North Haven police officer named "Jimmy," and only spoke with investigators after being told that he would not be allowed to speak to "Jimmy," according to the police report. Esposito then told investigators that his son treated him "[disrespectfully]" and would use expletives with him, the outlets said. He also told police that he often heard voices in his head — those of his mother and father, whom he claimed abused him as a child. On May 1, the voices told him: "Don't let him get away with [it]." The 52-year-old said he heard the voices saying, "Baseball, baseball bat." He said he picked up the bat and began swinging it, hitting his son in the back of the head, according to detectives. Esposito told investigators that he then needed to pick up his 16-year-old daughter from a bus stop, and the two had an "uneventful ride home," per the report. When they arrived home, his daughter asked about his son, and Esposito told her that he was 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. The police report states that Esposito told investigators that if he had been able to get the baseball bat, he likely would have killed his daughter, but she escaped the basement, the Advocate reported. At that point, he got in his car and left. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. The Courant reported that police also seized body camera footage from Esposito's traffic stop, which allegedly shows him admitting to the murder. Esposito was arraigned on Friday, May 2. 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," police added. Esposito is being held on a $3,000,000 bond. If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor. If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages. Read the original article on People
USA Today
22-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
What was 'Rumble in the Jungle'? Remembering epic George Foreman-Muhammad Ali fight
What was 'Rumble in the Jungle'? Remembering epic George Foreman-Muhammad Ali fight Legendary boxer George Foreman has died at the age of 76 years old, according to a statement released Friday by his family on his official Instagram account. In 1994, Foreman became the oldest world heavyweight champion in history by knocking out Michael Moorer at age 46 years and 169 days old. He retired in 1997 at the age of 48 and was inducted into both the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Foreman had 81 fights during his career with an overall record of 76-5 (68 wins by knockout), but arguably his most notable bout of his career happened when he battled against Muhammad Ali on Oct. 30, 1974. The fight was known as the "Rumble in the Jungle." What was the Rumble in the Jungle? George Foreman put his heavyweight championships on the line against Muhammad Ali at Stade Tata Raphaël, a stadium in Africa, and the fight was billed as the "Rumble in the Jungle." The fight was watched by 50 million people using closed-circuit television, according to an article in The Hartford Courant. The bout was named the 1974 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. How did Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman? Foreman was undefeated before the fight but was knocked out by Ali in the eighth round. Ali earned the WBA, WBC, and The Ring undisputed heavyweight titles. Ali used his "rope-a-dope" tactics by leaning against the ropes to dodge some of Foreman's strikes and draining his energy before capitalizing on an opportunity to bring the champion down. The fight was once considered the most-watched live televised broadcast event at that time. "It was really strange," Foreman said during an interview with CBS while reflecting on his fight with Ali. "I thought I would knock him out in one or two rounds but in the third round, I'd hit him and he fell on me and I thought, 'That's it.' And he started screaming, 'That's all you got George, show me something.' And I knew then I was in the wrong place at the wrong time." How did Rumble in the Jungle impact other fighters? Lennox Lewis fought Hasim Rahman in a heavyweight championship match in South Africa in 2001. "I remember watching the (Rumble in the Jungle) fight and it was like a Super Bowl," Lewis told Box Nation. "It stood in my memory for so long that I said to myself, 'As a champion I want to fight in Africa.' "My outcome wasn't like Muhammad Ali's but I still fought in Africa." Rahman was the betting underdog but produced another upset Africa, knocking out Lewis in the fifth round. Rumble in the Jungle highlights: George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali
Boston Globe
08-02-2025
- Boston Globe
Aaron Hernandez's brother sentenced to time served in shooting threats case
Advertisement Hernandez, who apologized for his actions during brief comments in court, was expected to be released from custody on Friday afternoon, The Hartford Courant reported. Federal Bureau of Prison records showed he was no longer in custody Friday evening. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up A message left at a phone listed for Hernandez was not immediately returned. State criminal charges in Connecticut and Florida in other cases — including allegations he threw a brick with a note critical of the media attached onto ESPN headquarters property in Bristol, Connecticut — are expected to be dismissed because of the federal case, Ewing said, adding that those incidents happened during the same mental health crisis. Ewing did not immediately return phone and email messages after the sentencing. In court documents, he wrote that Hernandez was 'horrified' at how his actions terrified others, is remorseful and is committed to maintaining his mental health. Hernandez pleaded guilty to a felony — transmitting interstate communications containing a threat to injure — in December. Police said he drove to the UConn campus and to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he once served as quarterbacks coach, to 'map the schools out' for a shooting in July 2023. Court filings said Hernandez was struggling financially, was frustrated at seeing other people get hired as football coaches and felt owed by UConn. Advertisement Also that month, prosecutors said Hernandez made multiple Facebook posts threatening to harm or kill three people who live in other states, including a state court judge. His mother, Terri Hernandez, told police around the time of his 2023 arrest in Bristol that he had deteriorating mental health problems including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Dennis Hernandez was shocked with a Taser and taken into custody after he came out of his sister's house with his arms raised, yelling 'shoot me' and threatening to harm officers, police said. Terri Hernandez and several other relatives and friends wrote letters to the judge supporting Dennis Hernandez asking that he be released from detention.
