A Lawrence County man is charged in connection with the slayings of his mother and a neighbor in their homes.
New Castle Police said 59-year-old Louis Esposito also shot and wounded another neighbor near his home on Dewey Street. Investigators wrote in a release that he later confessed to the shooting and tried to escape the police interview room.
Esposito, of New Castle, was charged Wednesday with two counts of homicide, and one count each of attempted homicide and attempted escape, according to police.
Officers responded to Dewey Avenue for a report of a shooting between neighbors, police said. They arrived and found several people giving first aid to a man with a gunshot wound to his chest. That man was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Told that Esposito could be the shooter, police went into his Dewey Avenue home – a duplex – and found Margret Esposito dead inside, investigators said. Police identified her as Esposito’s mother. In the other side of the duplex, police found 78-year-old John Micco dead as well.
Police found Esposito in the basement of Micco’s home, and he was taken into custody. Investigators said Esposito “did eventually admit to the homicides and the shooting of (the other neighbor).”
After that, police said, Esposito allegedly tried to escape the police station by pulling a fire alarm in the interview room. They said he was immediately captured.
Investigators did not say how Margret Esposito or Micco died, nor did they indicate how long they had been dead. Police said autopsies are pending.
Court records show Esposito is in the Lawrence County Prison, where he is being held without bail.
