Update issued over death of football journalist found severely beaten and set on fire
Investigators are considering the possibility that Luigi “Luca” Esposito died from suffocation or strangulation, rather than from a beating or shooting.
The footballing world was rocked over the weekend when renowned Italian journalist Esposito was found dead in a field.
Esposito's burned body was discovered by police near Cioffi, Elboli, on Sunday, 19 July. Friends sounded the alarm after losing contact with the 53-year-old on Saturday night.
The body showed evidence of a severe beating and bullet casings were found nearby, but neither appear to be how Esposito died.
Luigi Esposito may have been strangled or suffocated
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La Repubblica, via People, reported on Wednesday that investigators, overseen by anti-mafia chief Raffaele Cantone, have ruled out the beating or a shooting as the cause of death.
Instead, they are considering the possibility that Esposito was suffocated or strangled.
According to Sky tg24, his body was so badly burned that police were initially unable to tell if it was male or female.
Esposito was only able to be identified as his car was found close to the scene.
Despite the charred state of his body, CT scans were able to reveal fractures to various parts of his body like the skull and pelvis, suggesting Esposito may have been beaten before his death, according to Corriere della Sera.
However, CT scans could not identify any bullet holes despite the nearby casings.
Esposito's last moments
According to La Citta di Salerno, where Esposito worked as a contributor, CCTV footage obtained by the Eboli Municipal Police captured Esposito arriving near a scene of a fire with another person.
They remained there for some time.
La Repubblica has also reported that Esposito's car was locked and he had the keys in his pocket at the time of his death, suggesting he voluntarily left his vehicle before he was attacked.
That could indicate to investigators that he knew his attacker.
Esposito was unmarried and didn't have children and isn't thought to have had any ties to the Eboli region, where his body was found.
Authorities are still working on finding a potential motive for his death, with monetary or romantic conflicts being considered, and whether his work as a sports journalist was a factor.
Italian journalist Barbara Pelle pointed out on social media that investigators were looking into Esposito's alleged links to ARPAC, Campania's Regional Agency for Environmental Protection.
But ARPAC denied that Esposito was ever an employee there, while Esposito's sister told TG1 he had told her he used to work for ARPAC, but didn't any more.
Esposito’s sister also called him a 'calm' man with no known enemies.
OttoChannel director Pierluigi Melillo said: "Luca was a precious collaborator – awkward but never banal, always brave in defending his opinions on football. He was due to be one of our star pundits next season."
The International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists have both called on Italian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation in order to establish whether the crime is linked to the victim’s journalistic activities.
The organisations also expressed their 'deepest condolences' to Esposito's family and friends after their tragic loss.
Esposito was editor-in-chief at football website TuttoSalernitana and a devoted supporter of US Salernitana.
Topics: World News, Crime, Sport
Daniel Murphy