Home Invasion Shocks Connecticut Town
The quiet Connecticut town of Cheshire has been stunned by a brutal home invasion that left a home in flames, a wife and her two daughters dead and a bloody and battered father in the hospital. Dr. William A. Petit Jr. survived the day-long attack, but his wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their two daughters Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, did not.
Authorities said two men broke into the Petit home early Monday morning, held the family hostage for hours, took one of the female hostages to the bank to withdraw money, set the house on fire to cover their tracks, and literally ran into the police as they tried to escape in the family's car.
Bank employees became suspicious when Jennifer Hawke-Petit showed up at the Bank of American branch with one of the kidnappers to make a withdrawal and notified police. As the police approached the home, iT was in flames and two men rammed several police cars before being captured at gunpoint.
Career Criminals Arrested
Arrested were two recent parolees with criminal records, Joshua Komisarjevsky (pictured), 26, and Steven Hayes, 44. Police said both previously lived in the same halfway house after being paroled from prison.
Komisarjevsky is charged with one count of first-degree assault, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree burglary, first-degree arson, conspiracy to commit arson in the first-degree, first-degree robbery and risk of injury to a minor, plus two counts of first-degree larceny and four counts of first-degree kidnapping.
Hayes is charged with one count of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, first-degree burglary, first-degree arson, conspiracy to commit arson in the first-degree, first-degree robbery and risk of injury to a minor, plus two counts of first-degree larceny and four counts of first-degree kidnapping.
A Brutal Crime Scene
According to The Hartford Courant, these events took place inside the home:
- Dr. Petit confronted the burglars and was beaten with a baseball bat and tied up in the basement of the home.
- Around 9:20 a.m. Hawke-Petit was taken to the bank and was able to alert a teller about the hostage situation because the suspect who went with her waited outside.
- Hawke-Petit withdrew $15,000 from the bank. Police believe that she may have been killed on the first floor of the home as soon as she returned from the bank.
- Both daughters were tied to their beds in their upstairs bedrooms. At least one of them was raped.
- The burglars poured gasoline in the second floor bedrooms of the two girls and lit the rooms on fire.
- The charred body of the oldest daughter Hayley was found at the top of the main stairs.
- The youngest daughter Michaela was found tied to her bed. Her body was too badly burned to determine how she died, police said.
See Also:
Paroled Burglars Arraigned In Home Invasion
Two Arrested In Alleged Home Invasion-Arson
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Comments
Evidently the correctional system should re-think the way they determine who gets parole, whom gets in a half-way house, and whom they let out on the streets among the unsuspecting population. I don’t think you can make this decision by looking at prospected parolee. If you go by his record, then these two men should have been in JAIL. It is my understanding that if you are on parole; you are not supposed to associate with another parolee. When you put criminals together in a half-way house, you are just asking for trouble and you got it. I think Dr. Petit should sue everyone involved with the release of these two men. Obviously, these two men whom were career criminals weren’t non-violent. Did the correctional system think they were going to turn over a new leaf and magically become good, upstanding, and Christian men just because they were in a half-way house? This is just like putting a restraining order against a person; it only works if that person is willing to be restrained. If a person wanted to be help, they wouldn’t commit crimes. Theses two men apparently don’t want to be helped. Obviously, these two men should have been locked up and the key thrown away (since they already had a long criminal record) and the Petits would still be alive. I say these two men should die and in the say way they killed the Petits’ and in the same house. I have a lot words in me, but it would just rehashing what I have already said so I will just say that I am mad as hell this has happen. This isn’t the first time this has happen, because we as Americans try to help. We need to tougher on career criminals and not be so quick to turn them loose (violent and non-violent alike). I think if you will commit one crime you will commit another. I think if you commit a crime you should be locked up; if that crime is armed robbery, murder, or rape you should be put to death, if they can prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The families of the two men should know or suspect that these two men what these they were capable of but don’t want to get their love ones in trouble with the law, so they keep quiet. They are as guilty of this crime as if they committed the crime themselves. If you love someone and that someone is always in trouble with the law, the family has a duty to that person and to society to see that person gets help and not just sit idly by and let others get hurt. A man at Komisarjevsky’s home said “We cannot understand what would have made something like this happen.” He was a career criminal and sooner or later career criminals graduate from petty crimes to major crimes. When is America going to do something about it? How many more lives will have to taken before we are tougher on career criminals? These two men were seen coming out of the Petits’ house, and driving the Petits’ car; as far as I am concern this should be enough to have them condemn to death. My heart and prayers go out to the family and friends of this family. Hopefully, Dr. Petit will start or become involved with stopping people such as these two men from being released into society.
The comment left by the previous person ‘Patsy’ “hit the nail right on the head”. These two career criminals should not have been given the opportunity to commit more crimes by being freed.
It’s terrible what happened to that family.
I can only hope that these two animals cause thats what they are; are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law(preferably the death penalty). So that an example is made for others who are so cruel and heartless that they would even considered such horrible acts.
Personally these two people should be tried and when they are found guilty (as it seems there is insurmountable evidence against them) should be promptly killed by a firing squad or a lethal injection or whatever other means are considered “non cruel or unusual”. I’m all for our so called justice system, but these guys were given a second chance while out on payroll and have proven that they hold no value as human beings. As long as they’re given a fair trial and found guilty by a jury of their peers why not kill them. I don’t want my tax dollars to go to prisons that house them. I’m so sick of our overly political judicial system.
We have capital punishment for a reason. Let’s use it to get rid of criminals such as these men. Then they will have no chance to hurt others or for payroll.
No one can predict who will commit a crime or not. These men had served their time, and were justly paroled. What, should they have been locked up permanently? The only way to know that is through the perfect vision of hind sight.
The doctor confronted these men with a baseball bat (original version of this story). He should have been better prepared. Every responsible adult ought to possess a proper means of self defense, just in the off chance it becomes necessary to defend themselves, their families, or their communities. Granted, this could still have ended just as badly, but his odds would have been much better had he been able to detain these men until the police arrived.
I am a corrrection officer for the state of Ct and supervised Mr Komisarjevsky for about 6 months. He fooled the parole board, he fooled everyone involved by doing his programs, being polite, being hard working. He was extremely intelligent and worked the system to his advantage for early release. And now three people are dead, one critically injured. I sincerely hope he fries for his crimes but it almost never happens in CT. Its very hard for the parole board to weed these individuals out when they do not cause any problems inside the prison system, are industrious and pleasant to be around. Being somewhat jaded toward the incarcerated, even I was very suprised to learn that this kid was capable of such a horrific act.
You are right Paul, no one can predict who will commit a crime or not. These men had served their time, and were justly paroled. What, should they have been locked up permanently? These men have a long history of arrest. Where I come from if you commit a felony 3 times you become a life time ward of the State with no parole. You are right again, the only way to know that is through the perfect vision of hind sight; but next time the parolees may come to your house and then we will see what you have to say when you family is butchered because they were justly paroled and with long history of arrest. The doctor should not have to defend himself or his family in his own home, but in this day and time with so many liberals giving everybody a chance, second chance and even third chances to put back on the street among a society that can’t tell if someone is dangerous or not, I, myself would love to wear a gun around my waist at all times and be able to use too. But the good people (and even the police) that defend their homes and society usually get in trouble with the law for using unnecessary force. Catch 22. The law want save us and the law want let us save ourselves either. Also from what I read it said the Dr. Petit was beaten with a baseball bat not that he confronted the parolees with a baseball bat. Dr. Petit would not have had to detain the criminals if they were kept in jail where they belong instead of paroled because of overcrowded jails. Even after this horrible tragedy the law still hasn’t charged them with murder and they probably will be on the streets again in a few years if not months.
I don’t undertand why the police was not at the house already when the wife returned from the bank if she had alerted them at the bank of the situation.
Patsy, what if this had been their first offense? Wouldn’t we all agree this would never have happened had they been locked away in prison before they had ever committed any crime at all?
Regardless of how loose or stringent gun control laws are in your state, you are still ultimately responsible for your own protection. Abdicating your responsibility gains you nothing–even if you must violate the law to protect yourself.
There are plenty of parolees who successfully reintegrate into society without ever committing another offense. It just doesn’t make sense that we keep everyone in prison because recidivism rates are not as low (zero) as we might hope.
The United States already incarcerates a larger fraction of its population than any other industrial nation. More and bigger prisons are not necessarily the answer. Ever hear that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?
Now, I agree these two men should be quickly and painlessly executed. They have demonstrated a clear unsuitability for life in our society. Connecticut has the death penalty, and I sincerely hope it is promptly rewarded in this case. However, a life sentence is not the answer. Twenty years ought to be the maximum sentence, and we have people serving longer sentences for non violent victimless crimes. There is a terrible disproportion in our justice system that lengthier sentences certainly does not address.
Consider: You commit a crime when you are 20. You serve a 20 year sentence. You commit another crime promptly upon release. Why not get a second chance, when you are 40? I wasn’t the same person at 40 I was at 20. So the 40 year old commits yet another crime. He gets another 20 year sentence. If he commits a third crime at 60, why sentence him to life? Let him out again at 80. Do you understand what I mean here?
Now, if he is in prison for some capital offense, such as killing for fun or profit, as in this case–then execute him. But don’t punish everyone for the crimes of these two men. Let us be governed by well reasoned law, not emotional impulse.
Now Paul, obviously you don’t believe what the Bible says Eye for an Eye and Tooth for a Tooth. I was not talking about everyone; I am talking specifically about these two thugs with already long criminal history as well as drug use history (and any other thug with a similar history). This was not their first offense nor their second; this is what is so horrible. I don’t think a life time sentence is the answer either nor killing them painlessly. I say burn them in the same house that the Petits were killed. I believe once you are on the path of self destruction, only a fraction of these people can turn their live around but the ones that commit crime after crime well whatever America is doing is not working. Now some people are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time or get with a wrong crowd and they get in trouble then they turn their life around by making better choices. As far as they had a bad home life, sexually molested, adopted, etc., is just a crock of junk; just an excuse to buy time to commit more crimes eventually graduating to the ultimate crime of MURDER. As far as not being the same at 20, at 40, or at 60, well, I have the morals and same beliefs when I was 20 as I do at 58. I think anyone that takes a human life for gain should give up his or her life in the same manner. If this is too harsh for any American, I am sorry. I have always felt this way no matter who the person is, who is daddy is, or how much money they have in the bank. What these two thugs did, they deserve the death penalty ASAP. This is not emotions talking and as far as being governed by well reasoned law – it is a joke designed to help the criminals and not the good God-fearing folks like the Petits, if it were not so, the Petits would be alive now and these two thugs would be behind bars or dead. So you trust the law if you want too. I abide by the law to keep the law away from me but I don’t have to trust it. One day you will find out the law is corrupt. This is fact not emotion. This all I am going to say about this. Violent and some non-violent people are not to be trusted out in society; keep them in jail or put them to death doesn’t matter to me.
I was rather taken back by the apparent calls by some members of the media for a three strikes law.
The problem with three strikes laws, as practiced in California, is multiple:
1. They’re usually advocated when a single horrific crime is committed by a career criminal. In California’s case, it was Richard Allen Davis, who kidnapped and murdered Polly Klaas. But they end up applying to tens of thousands of others who don’t commit similarly heinous crimes.
2. In California’s cases, the crimes in which strikes for the 2nd and 3rd strikes do not have to be violent. In other words, a non violent drug offender can get a 2nd strike and do double the time. In this state, we have 26,000 2nd strike inmates. Some states don’t even have that many inmates.
3. This state has 7,000 third strikers. Some of these guys got their 3rd strike (25 to life) for misdemeanors which local DAs can roll into felonies if they choose. That’s just wrong to sentence a low level burglary offense to 25 to life.
3. Three strikes laws over the long term end up clogging a state’s prison system with very old men and women doing time for crimes committed in their youth or relative youth. Old and very old inmates usually cost states lots of money for health care.
We cannot, of course, and we should not, I suppose, but the gut reaction is, after a fair and full trial, they should be tied to stakes in the main square and their bodies burned to ashes. No strangulation. No bullet. No suffociation by smoke – just burned alive with clean flames. Bastards.
There is no proof the men served their time…they may have been given 85 years but let out on parole for God only knows what reason. My attacker is up for parole again, and may actually get out. Sentenced to 85 years, has been in for less than 20. 5 time felon. Make them serve their sentence…take parole off the table!