Sports Journalist Found Shot, Burned In Brutal Killing
The charred body of a 53-year-old sports journalist was found on Sunday, sparking an investigation into his death as a suspected homicide.
Investigators believe Luigi “Luca” Esposito was shot to death and then set on fire. Firefighters discovered Esposito’s charred body while extinguishing a brush fire on farmland near Eboli, located in the province of Salerno, Italy. Local reports indicate shell casings were found at the scene.
Investigators are examining both Esposito’s personal and professional relationships as they work to determine a motive. Italian media have reported that investigators are currently focusing more heavily on his private life than his journalism, though officials have not ruled out a connection to his reporting.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for a thorough investigation into the matter, specifically any ties to his journalism.
“We are deeply shocked by the brutal killing of Italian sports journalist Luca Esposito,” CPJ’s Europe representative Attila Mong said. “Italian authorities must act quickly and transparently to establish the full circumstances and determine whether this terrible event is linked to Luca Esposito’s journalism.”
Esposito, whose legal first name was Luigi but went by Luca, was editor-in-chief of the local soccer news website TuttoSalernitana.com. He also contributed to the newspaper La Città di Salerno, appeared as a soccer commentator on regional broadcaster Otto Channel, and wrote for TuttoC.com.
Local reports indicate Esposito was last seen on the evening of July 17, before he stopped answering his phone and missed a planned meeting. According to a Salerno-based site, analysis of Esposito’s phone records shows that his last phone call was exchanged on Saturday evening with a colleague, at around 10:30 p.m. A woman named Mary Esposito said in a social media post that he had planned to travel to a property in Agropoli before he disappeared.
Mary, who has been described in the Italian press as a close friend, posted photos to Facebook with the journalist on Sunday and added the caption (translated from Italian), “These are just a very small number of the photos in our life together. Only those who know us know what I was for you and you were for me. You will always be with me Luca “