File photo. Limestone County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) logo.

An Athens man is in custody at the Limestone County Jail after allegedly shooting and killing his stepson during an argument, according to the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO).

In a statement following the incident, LCSO said 63 year-old Michael Stephen Esposito of Athens was taken into custody after law enforcement responded to a report of a shooting at a residence on Kelley Drive on the city’s western edge.

LCSO responded to the call at approximately 7 p.m. on Friday, June 6, finding the deceased body of Todd Robert Jennett at the scene. The sheriff’s office said that Jennett “had sustained multiple gunshot wounds.” 

“After securing the scene, investigators from the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office began a thorough investigation,” the release stated. “Preliminary findings indicate that Jennett and Esposito, his stepfather, had been involved in a verbal altercation that escalated. During the dispute, Esposito reportedly produced a firearm and shot Jennett multiple times.”

According to the sheriff’s office, Esposito was still at the scene when law enforcement arrived, and was apprehended “without incident and was transported to the Limestone County Jail,” where he awaits an Aniah’s Law hearing to be scheduled “at a later date.”

Under Aniah’s Law, Alabama judges assess whether to deny bail to defendants charged with certain violent crimes.