GUILTY CT - Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, & 2 daughters killed in home invasion, 23 July 2007

[Native New Yorker]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/nyregion/09cheshire.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

"The trial was an emotional journey for the jurors, who were sometimes tearful as they reviewed photographs of the burned bodies and heard testimony about matter-of-fact confessions made both by Mr. Hayes and Mr. Komisarjevsky. Each man said the other had taken the night and morning on an unexpected path toward violence that had not been planned.
Mr. Hayes claimed Mr. Komisarjevsky busied himself trying to send cell-phone photographs displaying the child he had abused to his friends during the crime. Mr. Komisarjevsky said Mr. Hayes’s rape and strangulation of Ms. Hawke-Petit “brought both of us to a whole different level.”
The story of the crime “will break your hearts,” Mr. Ullmann, the defense lawyer, had told the jurors in his opening statement at the trial."

 

[jjenny]

I am relieved jury recommended the death penalty, even if it's mostly symbolic and not likely to be carried out unless Hayes waves his appeals. I am pretty sure it would have been much harder for Dr. Petit otherwise. Now let's see if Hayes really does want the death penalty as he claimed, because he can wave his appeals so it can actually be carried out.

 

[Native New Yorker]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/09/nyregion/09jurors.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

"After the verdict, most of the jurors met with Dr. William A. Petit Jr., who was beaten by the intruders and tied up while his wife and daughters were tormented and killed. After some of the jurors asked for the meeting after the verdict Monday, court officials quietly arranged for it in an out-of-the-way spot in the court building where the jurors and Petit family members had crossed paths for weeks.
Ms. Keim said the meeting was emotional, with jurors hugging members of the family, and Dr. Petit and members of the extended family thanking the jurors for the grueling task they had undertaken."

 

[Gozgals]

I am relieved jury recommended the death penalty, even if it's mostly symbolic and not likely to be carried out unless Hayes waves his appeals. I am pretty sure it would have been much harder for Dr. Petit otherwise. Now let's see if Hayes really does want the death penalty as he claimed, because he can wave his appeals so it can actually be carried out.

I doubt the appeals will be wavied as the attorneys will feel it is their job to follow through with appeals. Also, I doubt Hayes would really waive his appeals. I don't trust a word this monster says.

I can't wait for the next trial.

I'm so happy Mr. Petit and family met with the jurors and received so much support. The man is one to be admired. I could not go on if it was me.

Goz

 

[browneyes]

I am relieved jury recommended the death penalty, even if it's mostly symbolic and not likely to be carried out unless Hayes waves his appeals. I am pretty sure it would have been much harder for Dr. Petit otherwise. Now let's see if Hayes really does want the death penalty as he claimed, because he can wave his appeals so it can actually be carried out.

Absolutely! We will see how much he wants death. Timothy McVeigh waived his appeals and his execution was very fast...for our system anyway. I hope he does waive his appeals. The sooner this piece of scum is gone from this earth, the better.

I enjoyed seeing the jury on the Today Show this morning. It was good to know they wanted to meet with Dr. Petit and his family and the judge arranged it for them.

 

[MCDRAW]

Absolutely! We will see how much he wants death. Timothy McVeigh waived his appeals and his execution was very fast...for our system anyway. I hope he does waive his appeals. The sooner this piece of scum is gone from this earth, the better.

I enjoyed seeing the jury on the Today Show this morning. It was good to know they wanted to meet with Dr. Petit and his family and the judge arranged it for them.

Oh I don't believe he wants to die. I believe he tried only to manipulate the jury. I think if he really wanted to kill himself he would have succeeded. Hopefully I am wrong and he will not appeal.

 

[William N]

If an execution date for Hayes ever comes about, he will be complaining that lethal injection is cruel and unusual punishment, just like every other death row inmate.

David In TN

 

[PrairieWind]

I dont for a second believe that hayes welcomes the death penalty. His attorney, Ullman, gave a statement that Hayes was pleased with the sentence and was actually smiling about it later. What a disgusting thing to say. First, no one believest that. If Hayes wanted death, why did he fight it? To just cause more pain for the Petit family? Doesnt sound like the "truely remorseful" defendant that Ullman and the psychiatrist described. Or is that Ullman was the one who chose to fight this and work on a very high profile case at the taxpayers expense? Second, what is the purpose of such a statement? It seems calculated to anger the jury and/or Petit family.

 

[browneyes]

Oh I don't believe he wants to die. I believe he tried only to manipulate the jury. I think if he really wanted to kill himself he would have succeeded. Hopefully I am wrong and he will not appeal.

I agree, he is a coward. I was just saying "IF" he really was happy about the DP, as his lawyer stated, he would waive what appeals he could to "hurry up" the process. I don't think for one minute he will do that either. :liar: :behindbar :chicken:

 

[joypath]

I agree, he is a coward. I was just saying "IF" he really was happy about the DP, as his lawyer stated, he would waive what appeals he could to "hurry up" the process. I don't think for one minute he will do that either. :liar: :behindbar :chicken:

There is an AUTOMATIC appeal process, then starts the inmate appeal process. In the case of the last executed inmate, Michael Ross, he finally asked that the appeal process be stopped after about 17 years of fighting (his father DID NOT stop fighting, against Michael's wishes). Reason: he believed that any possible conversion of his sentence or the appeal process just caused more pain to the 8 families and as he had converted to Catholicism, he had attempted to reach a greater good in stopping THEIR pain to reach his Almighty God's justice & forgiveness. (Got this from a retired trooper (DH:blushing:!) who was friends with retired COs from back in the day).

There are 2:loser: "characters" on the row who have been there TWENTY ONE YEARS! and as an FYI: just for "chuckles" one of my staff went to the website, YEP, the # of death row inmates HAS BEEN updated to TEN as of 11/8/2010! so the "welcome mat", his room was ready, was out for inmate hayes! http://www.ct.gov/doc/cwp/view.asp?a=1499&Q=265436&docNav=|

 

[paxtonk]

I dont for a second believe that hayes welcomes the death penalty. His attorney, Ullman, gave a statement that Hayes was pleased with the sentence and was actually smiling about it later. What a disgusting thing to say. First, no one believest that. If Hayes wanted death, why did he fight it? To just cause more pain for the Petit family? Doesnt sound like the "truely remorseful" defendant that Ullman and the psychiatrist described. Or is that Ullman was the one who chose to fight this and work on a very high profile case at the taxpayers expense? Second, what is the purpose of such a statement? It seems calculated to anger the jury and/or Petit family.

I didn't even want to dignify listening to Hayes' attorney, just sick! Don't believe for a second Hayes is happy with the verdict! Death for him can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned! Too bad this wasn't in Texas, we don't mess around, we put them death and do the deed! They're gone

 

[Skittles]

Good Morning America interview with six of the jurors.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/death-penalty-connecticut-home-invasion-case-brought-family/story?id=12095310

 

[Cher352]

Good Morning America interview with six of the jurors.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/death-penalty-connecticut-home-invasion-case-brought-family/story?id=12095310

Very good interview! Well worth the watch!

Seems like they thought like most of us, that if there was ever a case for the death penalty this was it.

 

[Cher352]

I agree, he is a coward. I was just saying "IF" he really was happy about the DP, as his lawyer stated, he would waive what appeals he could to "hurry up" the process. I don't think for one minute he will do that either. :liar: :behindbar :chicken:

If he had really wanted the DP he wouldn't have offered to plead guilty in exchange for only a life sentence before the trial started. Instead he choose to put the family and jury through this trial.

 

[jjenny]

There is an AUTOMATIC appeal process, then starts the inmate appeal process. In the case of the last executed inmate, Michael Ross, he finally asked that the appeal process be stopped after about 17 years of fighting (his father DID NOT stop fighting, against Michael's wishes). Reason: he believed that any possible conversion of his sentence or the appeal process just caused more pain to the 8 families and as he had converted to Catholicism, he had attempted to reach a greater good in stopping THEIR pain to reach his Almighty God's justice & forgiveness. (Got this from a retired trooper (DH:blushing:!) who was friends with retired COs from back in the day).

There are 2:loser: "characters" on the row who have been there TWENTY ONE YEARS! and as an FYI: just for "chuckles" one of my staff went to the website, YEP, the # of death row inmates HAS BEEN updated to TEN as of 11/8/2010! so the "welcome mat", his room was ready, was out for inmate hayes! http://www.ct.gov/doc/cwp/view.asp?a=1499&Q=265436&docNav=|

If I were guessing, I'd bet Hayes relatives aren't going to fight with the appeals against his wishes. Hayes' mother is dead, and his brother wrote a long letter on how Hayes tortured him. So if Hayes really wants the death penalty let him wave his appeals so death penalty can be carried out.

 

[WellDone]

This is one of those "be careful what you wish for".... Hayes defenitely got his wish & certainly deserves it!!!

 

[jilly]

Jurors offered post trauma help and Hayes’ attorneys plan to argue the jury’s verdict should be set aside and a new trial held.

http://nhregister.com/articles/2010/11/10/news/doc4cda7a258ba07946812196.txt?viewmode=fullstory

 

[jilly]

If I were guessing, I'd bet Hayes relatives aren't going to fight with the appeals against his wishes. Hayes' mother is dead, and his brother wrote a long letter on how Hayes tortured him. So if Hayes really wants the death penalty let him wave his appeals so death penalty can be carried out.

I don't think it's about what Hayes wants anymore. It appears to me from all the comments that it's all about what the Defense attorneys want.

 

[PrairieWind]

I don't think it's about what Hayes wants anymore. It appears to me from all the comments that it's all about what the Defense attorneys want.

I agree Jilly. This appears to be more about Ullman's personal beliefs rather than Hayes' interests. You can kind of get a sense of that from Ullman's statements in one of those news articles about his thoughts on the death penalty. His issues for his motion for a new trial are losers. The juror removed was absolutlely the right decision by the court and it is a decsion that is within the court's discretion. No way an appeal court will overturn that. The evidence of the cost of the death penalty is so irrelevant to the imposition of sentence that is absurd.

 

[PrairieWind]

The info about the court offering some counseling to the jurors is very intersting. It sounds like the photso of Michaela were even more horrific than I imagined. As the article pointed out, normally when people see something traumatic, they get thru it by talking to others, but the jury here couldnt do that. So they had to just bottle it up over the weeks. I think it would be a very responsible thing for the court to offer some counseling in cases like this.