In the early morning hours of October 23, 2019, the life of 34-year-old Anthony Esposito was cut short in a violent encounter in a Las Vegas business complex parking lot. Esposito, a male, was found by police suffering from multiple gunshot wounds shortly before 2:40 a.m. at a complex located at 1760 S. Rainbow Blvd., near West Oakey Boulevard. Despite the arrival of first responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
His death was later ruled a homicide by the Clark County coroner's office.
The investigation into Esposito's death revealed a deceptive plot that led him to his killer. Detectives learned that Esposito had been inside a Dotty's casino in the complex before he stepped out into the parking lot to meet someone. Surveillance footage captured Esposito walking towards a white SUV before he turned to go back inside the business. At that moment, a man wearing a camouflage hooded sweatshirt followed him and opened fire. The shooter then fled the scene before police arrived.
The motive behind the killing appeared to be rooted in a personal conflict. According to police reports, the suspected gunman believed Esposito had been intimate with his girlfriend and had stolen some of his property while he was in jail. This alleged love triangle and theft prompted a plan for retaliation. The suspect reportedly enlisted a woman to "friend" Esposito on Facebook to lure him outside. Believing he was communicating with the woman for a ride, Esposito was instead ambushed by his killer.
Less than two weeks after the fatal shooting, on November 4, 2019, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrested 35-year-old Nicholas Bryan Robinson in connection with the murder of Anthony Esposito. Using information from Esposito's Facebook account and witness interviews, detectives identified Robinson as the primary suspect. He was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of murder, as well as counts of drug possession and trafficking, and being a convicted felon in possession of a gun. Cell phone data also placed Robinson's phone near the crime scene around the time of the shooting, further solidifying the case against him.
