John Esposito, the Bay Shore man who kidnapped and abused Katie Beers and kept her in his basement, was found dead in his prison cell on Wednesday.
Esposito had been serving a sentence of 15 years to life in prison for kidnapping Beers at the age of 10 in 1992. He held her in a locked room in the basement for 17 days, where she was kept chained by her neck and sexually abused by Esposito.
Esposito was found unresponsive in his cell in Sing Sing Correctional Facility in Ossining, New York. According to reports, he appeared to have died from natural causes at the age of 64.
"I would never say I was happy about it, but I wasn't saddened about it," Beers said to the Huffington Post.
"There was a loss of a life. Somebody lost an uncle, a brother, whatever, so I am saddened for his family, but I am not saddened by his death."
Esposito’s death came on the same day that he had a hearing to find out if he would be set free after 20 years at Sing Sing. Beers was unmoved by the news.
"He was dead to me a long time ago so really this is the finalization of everything," said Beers to News 12 Long Island.
The news comes just one day after the man who captured and abused three young women in Ohio, Ariel Castro, was found dead in his cell in Orient, Ohio. Castro, who was sentenced to life plus 1,000 years in prison, had hanged himself with a bed sheet. Beers has reached out to Castro’s victims – Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight – to provide support.
“Less than 24 hours apart, the world lost 2 monsters - Ariel Castro & John Esposito,” tweeted Beers yesterday.
[Source: Huffington Post, News 12 Long Island]