Baseball bat holds clue to 2013 murder

A 34-inch white aluminum Louisville Slugger softball bat may hold the clue in the 2013 slaying of 43-year-old Wayne Cappelli who was found bludgeoned Feb. 16 in the Silvercroft community, police said.

Cappelli's body was found in the brush off the roadway in Brandywine Hundred near a home in the 2100 block of Delaview Avenue where he was believed to have been attacked and left for dead.

New Castle County cold-case detectives are taking another look at the unsolved case in the hope that someone may have witnessed something that night or know the owner of the softball bat.

An investigation determined that the murder weapon may have been stolen from an individual in the York or Harrisburg area of Pennsylvania, Officer Tracey Duffy said.

It is described as a Dave Steffan Louisville Slugger TPS CVL model, weighing 30 ounces – white with dark blue markings.

Cappelli, of Claymont, was last seen leaving the Super Fresh in Branmar Plaza where he worked shortly after 9 p.m. that night. He was known to take the same route to work and home every day.

Detectives believe that Cappelli was killed at the scene and his body was not dumped there.

The photos released Friday by police are of a similar bat and not the actual murder weapon, Duffy said.

Anyone who recognizes this bat or has information on the crime is asked to call Detective T. Orzechowski at (302) 395-8133 or submit tips anonymously at www.NCCPD.com and follow the link to Tips and Alerts.

The public can also call Delaware Crime Stoppers at (800) TIP-3333 or online at: http://www.tipsubmit.com

Contact Terri Sanginiti at (302) 324-2771 or tsanginiti@delawareonline.com