Two men were convicted of killing a woman and her daughters in a horrifying attack in New Haven, Connecticut. Joshua Komisarjevsky and his co-defendant, Steven Hayes, were found guilty of murdering Jennifer Hawke-Petit, a nurse, and her two daughters during the July 23, 2007, home invasion.
The Attack and Its Aftermath
The men had spotted Jennifer and her daughter at a supermarket and followed them home to their house in New Haven, where the family's ordeal began. The pair tormented the family for hours, first beating father William Petit with a baseball bat so badly that he lost consciousness. They also tied up the two daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela.
Hayes raped and strangled Jennifer, while Komisarjevsky sexually assaulted Michaela. Michaela and Hayley were tied to their beds and died of smoke inhalation after the house was doused in gas and set on fire.
Survival and Legal Proceedings
William Petit survived. He was beaten, tied up and taken to the basement, where he drifted in and out of consciousness for hours. He managed to escape and crawl to a neighbour's house for help, but he was not able to save his daughters and his wife.
The killers attempted to flee in the Petit's car, but police found them almost immediately. Cynthia Hawke-Renn, the sister and aunt of the victims, told NBC she did not expect an apology from the killer. She said: "He doesn't have nightmares, but I have nightmares and I can't stop thinking about it. I wish I could. And I think it's really sad that he doesn't have a conscience, have remorse, and apologise to my brother-in-law or my parents."
Death Penalty and Current Status
Petit advocated keeping the death penalty in Connecticut and successfully lobbied state senators to hold off on repeal legislation while Komisarjevsky was still facing a death penalty trial. "July 23, 2007, was our personal holocaust," Petit said after Komisarjevsky was sentenced to death. "A holocaust caused by two who are completely evil and actually do not comprehend what they have done."
Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed a new law that ends the state's death penalty for future crimes, but it does not apply to those already on death row. Komisarjevsky is now in solitary confinement.
