Italicized text below taken from the above linked Cheshire Herald Op-ed piece
I too, have considered the powerful concept of lookism in this trial, especially after the Casey Anthony case.
I recall immediately following the announcement of these terrible murders, the accompanying mugshots of the two men caught fleeing the Petit murder scene splashed all over the internet, Televison and newspapers; Nearly everyone's reflexive assumption was that Steven Hayes, the older, thuggish looking suspect was likely the "leader" ,
in these crimes and the younger less brutish looking Komisarjevsky, the second hand-man.
In reality, it was the reverse.
When some basic facts regarding the crimes began to slowly leak out, many of us especially geographically closest to the crimes, quickly figured out that it was Joshua Komisarjevsky, the younger slender man who was indeed the instigator. It was he who targeted the Petit girls, he who ran the show and indeed, made the crimes happen. Hayes was admittedley a man who obviously had sexually predatorial fantasies, which Komisarjevsky made use of, but I believe he was a conveinent accomplice who if need be would take the fall for the crimes.
Writer John Rook of the Cheshire Herald article had this important observation;
;
"Looking the part can go a long way in cases like this. Hayes couldn't help but remind people of the guy walking along the sidewalk at night that makes you cross to the other side.
"Komisarjevsky might remind people of their favorite nephew, or the friend of their son. If just one person on that jury decides Komisarjevsky looks too innocent to have meant for anyone to die, and it must have been that big, nasty-looking Hayes who drove things over the edge, the prosecution's effort to secure the death penalty will go up in flames.
What is painfully obvious, though, is that Komisarjevsky, besides being a low-life thief, was also a sexual degenerate. On the recorded tapes, he talks about Michaela Petit frequently, how he was impressed with her calm demeanor, how he spoke with her often over the course of the evening, visiting her in her room on several occasions to “check on her” and then, ultimately, sexually assaulting her the first moment he had a chance.
This deviant behavior should call into question any assertions on his part that he simply wanted to “get the money and go” and did not want anything to escalate. It was he who beat Dr. William Petit over the head with a bat. It was he who sent Hayes out to get gasoline, and then to take Hawk-Petit to withdraw money.
It was he who manipulated the circumstances to be alone with an 11-year old girl in order to molest her. The idea that, somewhere, Komisarjevsky was willing to draw a line seems so absurd as to defy logic. The notion that he was appalled at the idea of killing the women, one off whom he had just violated, would be laughable if the circumstances were not so horrible to begin with. "
Precisely and Kudos to this writer for his insight.
Another thing to consider is that the fact that Hayes looked thug-like and scary with his shaved head and mean countenance, could very well be one of the reasons that Komisarjevsky picked him in the first place; to accomplice him with this home invasion. He knew he needed size and muscle to help him get control over the house and a fall guy for the crimes, it would be H. Prior to Hayes incarceration after the crimes he'd been extremely stocky and muscled. Komisarjevsky was/is rail thin and not exactly a pillar of strength; He even admitted having a difficult time when Hayley at some point in the kidnapping broke loose of her binds and tried to call 911, Komisarjevsky actually had to call out to Hayes to help get her tied back down to her bed as he was losing the struggle by himself"
This piece of information culled from a komisarjevsky interview with writer Brian MacDonald bothered me for days and made e very angry. Hayley almost got away! Not just once but again, when she apparently broke her binds just as the fire was lit and tragically she ran straight into the line of gasoline fire. It was just too much for her and it broke my heart that she was such a fighter and a courageous woman.
Both men assumed originally that Dr Petit would be killed along with the rest of the family but and that would have meant that if komisarjevsky killed off Hayes, Hayes could never break and talk with police to catch a deal etc), or anyone else about his role in the crimes. Also Komisarjevsky wouldn't have to share a penny of the15000 which happened to be the exact amount of money he cited to his girlfriend and everyone else that he needed to bring her back down to Connecticut.money which he'd wanted for splitting his latest teenage gal pal back to Connecticut where they could live together
Sociopaths are highly manipulative and Komisarjevsky has already proven his amazing capacity for manipulation and deception by giving three and four versions of both the motives for the crimes and the actual crimes themselves, via his statements to police, his interviews with writer Brian MacDonald, and what he is now trying to now pass off as the 'truth" through his lawyers without testifying. Donovan Bansley etc have been using their plethora of motions as a way for komisarjevsky to testify without the missteps that being Cross examined would surely bring him. Oh what a tangled web we weave comes to mind.
While reading this article and even before the article I immediately thought about the Casey Anthony case, which I believe was greatly affected by lookism and genderism, although other factors also contributed to the shocking not guilty verdict; It was a mostly circumstantial case unlike the Petit case where the men were almost running out of a burning home where one body lay dea from starngulation and the two children literally dying fom the carefully set fire.
But like Komisarjevsky, Casey Anthony's parents. at least her mother at a certain juncture, obviously began to enable and cover up for her adult child and this is what sealed that verdict in my opinion. One of the The biggest parental lies that affected the case was Mrs Anthony stating under oath that she looked up "Chloroform" in the family computer-which is clearly a lie and she'd never previously claimed this prior to that point on the stand. As well she swore that Caylee could climb the steps to the family pool, and as well this seemed highly unlikely.
Joshua Komisrajevsky's parents seemed to enable his criminal life prior to the Petit murders and this contributed to a sociopath's feeling of invincibility. Well Ive got them fooled:
Case in point his mother claimed she knews he was up to no good that night dressed in a dark hoodie in July and leaving the house at 11 pm to meeet Hayes in a bar about a job" Komisarjevsky had half custody of a five year old daughter whom his parents clearly babtysat for whilst he was raping robbing and murdering the Petit family. He was on parole at the time of the murders having just had his ankle bracelet removed 2 days prior. The evening before was spent showing Hayes the ropes regarding how easy it was to gain accesss into the nicer suburban homes of the overly trusting Cheshire residents. This all smacks of complete enabling on the part of komisarjevskys parents and this is more common than one would think.
Also in question is why komisarjevsky beat Dr Petit so severely, he states that the father was big and Hayes didnt think he could get that close without making too much noise? That sounds like his own logic as Hayes certainly wasnt the discermning home invader of the two. The bilco door was unlocked reportedly, Komisarjevsky entered and Hayes stayed outside watching through the sunroom glass as Komisarjevsky beat him over ten times with the bat while William Petit lay sleeeping. His explanation to police was classic sociopath as well. He blamed Petit indirectly for yelling put in terrible pain as his head was smashed repeatedly, " as hard as I could as if chopping wood" (Thatstatement he made to writer Brian Macdonald)
In his"journals"andinterviews with Macdonald, he gave yet another explanation for the overkill beating and these centered around a concept he undoubtedly picked up in a book somewhere or forced visits with psychologists when he began criminal acts such as settting fire to abandoned gas stations, and peeping into girls windows while perched in trees outside thier homes. And this was just the begginning.
He claimed to writer Brain Macdonald years after he'd had time to contemplate something
more reasonable than I am a sadistic pyschopath, "all of the rage I held in my whole life came pouring out" as I smashed his head with the bat"
Any rage he felt towards Dr Petit at that moment was a practical matter, this man was the only thing between himself and what he came for - Michaela Petit , as well as possibly Hayely, and Jennifer Petit
whom he used to lure Hayes in, get him riled up for the home invasion ie house full of attractive females(remember Hayes wasnt with komisarjevsky when he stalked and followed the petit women home from the market that day),All this ensnared his help as well, and quite possibly, serving as a perfect fall guy in the process.
The one genuine reason for komisarjevsky''s long standing anger which helped fuel the robbery beating kidnapping and eventual murders, I believe centered around his notion of the the haves and the have nots, with him obviously feeling relegated to the latter. A Cheshire native his whole life Komisarjevsky came from a modest blue collar family and it became clear through his robberies that he gravitated towards upscale homes which he seemed more intent to break into, invade, rather than focusing on stealing or even selling what he did steal. At one point prior to his incarceration for a second string of robberies wherupon the homeowners were almost always home, hordes of stolen items from hundreds of area break ins were recovered fom his then girlfriend's parents basement. This shows trophyism as opposed to a burglar looking for strictly monetary gain.
What better way to get back at the upper middle classes, whose homes he had been sneaking in and out of since he was a kid stealing spying watching peeping tom. Night vision goggles. Stealing mementos, lingerie framed photos with pretty women. It is a invasion - an act of power, control. And it should have been caught by the Connecticut Parole Board who gave this man early release parole with only one single report from his latest arrest. Psychiatric reviews should have taken place long before any one set this man free from the Connecticut dept of corrections, to prey upon others. In reality he was paroled administratively" as Hayes was, meaning that neither inmate was present at the parole hearing, as was the standard custom at the time.
These behaviors were all symptomology of voyeurism and a sexual predator in the making. Only breaking into houses whereupon the occupants were home is a decidedly unusual crime, certainly not one of the drug addict that komisarjevsky claimed to be, citing this as the reason for his many many robberies. In the meantime besides Marijuanna there was little to any proof that he was adducted to nor even used hard drugs. This speaks volumes of Komisarjevsky's need and desire for power over others. These home break-ins were" for fun"
In the Petit crimes he knew that his name was the first that would come up with the Cheshire police when they found out about these crimes. His DNA was the first to be compromised, as he was the first man sexually absuing any of the girls. It wasn't until the very end of the crime spree after the bank money was procured and in the home that Hayes sexually assaulted Mrs Petit. According to Hayes, Komisrajevsky said " take care of her" meaning kill her as she was a witness.
However this case is much different in several key ways; Komisarjevsky's taped confession gave the jury a snapshot of this man without all of his lawyers preparations. Komisarjevsky's flat detached demeanor that does not match his claims of being horrified at the idea of the three girls being murdered, especially burned to death. And the " no one will die by my hand today its not going to happen." remark he claimed to have made to Hayes would be laughable if the subject werent so horrendous.
He couldnt help but let slip his obsession with Michaela Petit, who was the object of his sexual fixation and indeed the main motivator for these crimes. He makes numerous mentions of checking on Michaela in her bedroom, giving her water," letting" her use the bathroom and talking with her.
He tries to pass off his visits with her with various rationale including the need to get away from Hayes's annoying behaviors which he considered unproffesional and likely to get the pair caught, such as passsing in front of windows where neighbors could spot him, and making a huge racket, trashing the home looking for jewelery and other valuables. Komisrajevsky states that he only was interested in cash to the detective.
Joshua Komisrajevsky had the most to lose at every juncture throughout the invasion, he beat Dr Petit severely, he molested and took photos of Micheala and then finally after her mother left the house, he took a photo of Hayely nude from the waist down and he sexually assaulted Michaela and forced her to shower and probably bathe in an effort to remove any DNA in her little body.
Komisarjevsky admitted to writer Brian MacDonald that he had seriously been considering killing Hayes after the crimes. He claimed that this was because of Hayes's stupidity in taking off his gloves at some point during the invasion, leaving prints somewhere in the house. This is absolute nonsense.I am certain that komisarjevsky had no intention of sharing the 15,000,00 with Hayes, and even more importantly I believe that he intended all along for Hayes to be the fall guy for the entire crime spree.
He had never left the house in daylight, to be seen by neighbors, bank cameras, gas station attendants or cameras. Encouraging Hayes to kill Mrs Petit is very possible. The so-called proposition that Komisarjevsky claims in the tapes he rejected, regarding Hayes's idea that he kill the mother and Komisarjevsky kill the girls" makes sense but again this is a sociopath manipulating the facts again to appear the innocent less culpable offender. Everything points to this man calling the shots. If not Steven Hayes would ahve taken off with the money the moment it was in his possesion. If he wanted Jennifer Petit dead so badly he could have killed her away from the house somewhere and taken off. This did not happen and this speaks a whole lot louder than any of Joshau Komisarjevsky's assertations that it was Hayes who wanted everyone dead.
 |
| (Left) Petit Home as victims are removed/( Righ) Komisarjevsky after arrest |
I recall immediately following the announcement of these terrible murders, the accompanying mugshots of the two men caught fleeing the Petit murder scene splashed all over the internet, Televison and newspapers; Nearly everyone's reflexive assumption was that Steven Hayes, the older, thuggish looking suspect was likely the "leader" ,
in these crimes and the younger less brutish looking Komisarjevsky, the second hand-man.
In reality, it was the reverse.
When some basic facts regarding the crimes began to slowly leak out, many of us especially geographically closest to the crimes, quickly figured out that it was Joshua Komisarjevsky, the younger slender man who was indeed the instigator. It was he who targeted the Petit girls, he who ran the show and indeed, made the crimes happen. Hayes was admittedley a man who obviously had sexually predatorial fantasies, which Komisarjevsky made use of, but I believe he was a conveinent accomplice who if need be would take the fall for the crimes.
Writer John Rook of the Cheshire Herald article had this important observation;
;
"Looking the part can go a long way in cases like this. Hayes couldn't help but remind people of the guy walking along the sidewalk at night that makes you cross to the other side.
"Komisarjevsky might remind people of their favorite nephew, or the friend of their son. If just one person on that jury decides Komisarjevsky looks too innocent to have meant for anyone to die, and it must have been that big, nasty-looking Hayes who drove things over the edge, the prosecution's effort to secure the death penalty will go up in flames.
What is painfully obvious, though, is that Komisarjevsky, besides being a low-life thief, was also a sexual degenerate. On the recorded tapes, he talks about Michaela Petit frequently, how he was impressed with her calm demeanor, how he spoke with her often over the course of the evening, visiting her in her room on several occasions to “check on her” and then, ultimately, sexually assaulting her the first moment he had a chance.
This deviant behavior should call into question any assertions on his part that he simply wanted to “get the money and go” and did not want anything to escalate. It was he who beat Dr. William Petit over the head with a bat. It was he who sent Hayes out to get gasoline, and then to take Hawk-Petit to withdraw money.
It was he who manipulated the circumstances to be alone with an 11-year old girl in order to molest her. The idea that, somewhere, Komisarjevsky was willing to draw a line seems so absurd as to defy logic. The notion that he was appalled at the idea of killing the women, one off whom he had just violated, would be laughable if the circumstances were not so horrible to begin with. "
Precisely and Kudos to this writer for his insight.
Another thing to consider is that the fact that Hayes looked thug-like and scary with his shaved head and mean countenance, could very well be one of the reasons that Komisarjevsky picked him in the first place; to accomplice him with this home invasion. He knew he needed size and muscle to help him get control over the house and a fall guy for the crimes, it would be H. Prior to Hayes incarceration after the crimes he'd been extremely stocky and muscled. Komisarjevsky was/is rail thin and not exactly a pillar of strength; He even admitted having a difficult time when Hayley at some point in the kidnapping broke loose of her binds and tried to call 911, Komisarjevsky actually had to call out to Hayes to help get her tied back down to her bed as he was losing the struggle by himself"
This piece of information culled from a komisarjevsky interview with writer Brian MacDonald bothered me for days and made e very angry. Hayley almost got away! Not just once but again, when she apparently broke her binds just as the fire was lit and tragically she ran straight into the line of gasoline fire. It was just too much for her and it broke my heart that she was such a fighter and a courageous woman.
Both men assumed originally that Dr Petit would be killed along with the rest of the family but and that would have meant that if komisarjevsky killed off Hayes, Hayes could never break and talk with police to catch a deal etc), or anyone else about his role in the crimes. Also Komisarjevsky wouldn't have to share a penny of the15000 which happened to be the exact amount of money he cited to his girlfriend and everyone else that he needed to bring her back down to Connecticut.money which he'd wanted for splitting his latest teenage gal pal back to Connecticut where they could live together
Sociopaths are highly manipulative and Komisarjevsky has already proven his amazing capacity for manipulation and deception by giving three and four versions of both the motives for the crimes and the actual crimes themselves, via his statements to police, his interviews with writer Brian MacDonald, and what he is now trying to now pass off as the 'truth" through his lawyers without testifying. Donovan Bansley etc have been using their plethora of motions as a way for komisarjevsky to testify without the missteps that being Cross examined would surely bring him. Oh what a tangled web we weave comes to mind.
While reading this article and even before the article I immediately thought about the Casey Anthony case, which I believe was greatly affected by lookism and genderism, although other factors also contributed to the shocking not guilty verdict; It was a mostly circumstantial case unlike the Petit case where the men were almost running out of a burning home where one body lay dea from starngulation and the two children literally dying fom the carefully set fire.
But like Komisarjevsky, Casey Anthony's parents. at least her mother at a certain juncture, obviously began to enable and cover up for her adult child and this is what sealed that verdict in my opinion. One of the The biggest parental lies that affected the case was Mrs Anthony stating under oath that she looked up "Chloroform" in the family computer-which is clearly a lie and she'd never previously claimed this prior to that point on the stand. As well she swore that Caylee could climb the steps to the family pool, and as well this seemed highly unlikely.
Joshua Komisrajevsky's parents seemed to enable his criminal life prior to the Petit murders and this contributed to a sociopath's feeling of invincibility. Well Ive got them fooled:
Case in point his mother claimed she knews he was up to no good that night dressed in a dark hoodie in July and leaving the house at 11 pm to meeet Hayes in a bar about a job" Komisarjevsky had half custody of a five year old daughter whom his parents clearly babtysat for whilst he was raping robbing and murdering the Petit family. He was on parole at the time of the murders having just had his ankle bracelet removed 2 days prior. The evening before was spent showing Hayes the ropes regarding how easy it was to gain accesss into the nicer suburban homes of the overly trusting Cheshire residents. This all smacks of complete enabling on the part of komisarjevskys parents and this is more common than one would think.
Also in question is why komisarjevsky beat Dr Petit so severely, he states that the father was big and Hayes didnt think he could get that close without making too much noise? That sounds like his own logic as Hayes certainly wasnt the discermning home invader of the two. The bilco door was unlocked reportedly, Komisarjevsky entered and Hayes stayed outside watching through the sunroom glass as Komisarjevsky beat him over ten times with the bat while William Petit lay sleeeping. His explanation to police was classic sociopath as well. He blamed Petit indirectly for yelling put in terrible pain as his head was smashed repeatedly, " as hard as I could as if chopping wood" (Thatstatement he made to writer Brian Macdonald)
In his"journals"andinterviews with Macdonald, he gave yet another explanation for the overkill beating and these centered around a concept he undoubtedly picked up in a book somewhere or forced visits with psychologists when he began criminal acts such as settting fire to abandoned gas stations, and peeping into girls windows while perched in trees outside thier homes. And this was just the begginning.
He claimed to writer Brain Macdonald years after he'd had time to contemplate something
more reasonable than I am a sadistic pyschopath, "all of the rage I held in my whole life came pouring out" as I smashed his head with the bat"
Any rage he felt towards Dr Petit at that moment was a practical matter, this man was the only thing between himself and what he came for - Michaela Petit , as well as possibly Hayely, and Jennifer Petit
whom he used to lure Hayes in, get him riled up for the home invasion ie house full of attractive females(remember Hayes wasnt with komisarjevsky when he stalked and followed the petit women home from the market that day),All this ensnared his help as well, and quite possibly, serving as a perfect fall guy in the process.
The one genuine reason for komisarjevsky''s long standing anger which helped fuel the robbery beating kidnapping and eventual murders, I believe centered around his notion of the the haves and the have nots, with him obviously feeling relegated to the latter. A Cheshire native his whole life Komisarjevsky came from a modest blue collar family and it became clear through his robberies that he gravitated towards upscale homes which he seemed more intent to break into, invade, rather than focusing on stealing or even selling what he did steal. At one point prior to his incarceration for a second string of robberies wherupon the homeowners were almost always home, hordes of stolen items from hundreds of area break ins were recovered fom his then girlfriend's parents basement. This shows trophyism as opposed to a burglar looking for strictly monetary gain.
What better way to get back at the upper middle classes, whose homes he had been sneaking in and out of since he was a kid stealing spying watching peeping tom. Night vision goggles. Stealing mementos, lingerie framed photos with pretty women. It is a invasion - an act of power, control. And it should have been caught by the Connecticut Parole Board who gave this man early release parole with only one single report from his latest arrest. Psychiatric reviews should have taken place long before any one set this man free from the Connecticut dept of corrections, to prey upon others. In reality he was paroled administratively" as Hayes was, meaning that neither inmate was present at the parole hearing, as was the standard custom at the time.
These behaviors were all symptomology of voyeurism and a sexual predator in the making. Only breaking into houses whereupon the occupants were home is a decidedly unusual crime, certainly not one of the drug addict that komisarjevsky claimed to be, citing this as the reason for his many many robberies. In the meantime besides Marijuanna there was little to any proof that he was adducted to nor even used hard drugs. This speaks volumes of Komisarjevsky's need and desire for power over others. These home break-ins were" for fun"
In the Petit crimes he knew that his name was the first that would come up with the Cheshire police when they found out about these crimes. His DNA was the first to be compromised, as he was the first man sexually absuing any of the girls. It wasn't until the very end of the crime spree after the bank money was procured and in the home that Hayes sexually assaulted Mrs Petit. According to Hayes, Komisrajevsky said " take care of her" meaning kill her as she was a witness.
However this case is much different in several key ways; Komisarjevsky's taped confession gave the jury a snapshot of this man without all of his lawyers preparations. Komisarjevsky's flat detached demeanor that does not match his claims of being horrified at the idea of the three girls being murdered, especially burned to death. And the " no one will die by my hand today its not going to happen." remark he claimed to have made to Hayes would be laughable if the subject werent so horrendous.
He couldnt help but let slip his obsession with Michaela Petit, who was the object of his sexual fixation and indeed the main motivator for these crimes. He makes numerous mentions of checking on Michaela in her bedroom, giving her water," letting" her use the bathroom and talking with her.
He tries to pass off his visits with her with various rationale including the need to get away from Hayes's annoying behaviors which he considered unproffesional and likely to get the pair caught, such as passsing in front of windows where neighbors could spot him, and making a huge racket, trashing the home looking for jewelery and other valuables. Komisrajevsky states that he only was interested in cash to the detective.
Joshua Komisrajevsky had the most to lose at every juncture throughout the invasion, he beat Dr Petit severely, he molested and took photos of Micheala and then finally after her mother left the house, he took a photo of Hayely nude from the waist down and he sexually assaulted Michaela and forced her to shower and probably bathe in an effort to remove any DNA in her little body.
Komisarjevsky admitted to writer Brian MacDonald that he had seriously been considering killing Hayes after the crimes. He claimed that this was because of Hayes's stupidity in taking off his gloves at some point during the invasion, leaving prints somewhere in the house. This is absolute nonsense.I am certain that komisarjevsky had no intention of sharing the 15,000,00 with Hayes, and even more importantly I believe that he intended all along for Hayes to be the fall guy for the entire crime spree.
He had never left the house in daylight, to be seen by neighbors, bank cameras, gas station attendants or cameras. Encouraging Hayes to kill Mrs Petit is very possible. The so-called proposition that Komisarjevsky claims in the tapes he rejected, regarding Hayes's idea that he kill the mother and Komisarjevsky kill the girls" makes sense but again this is a sociopath manipulating the facts again to appear the innocent less culpable offender. Everything points to this man calling the shots. If not Steven Hayes would ahve taken off with the money the moment it was in his possesion. If he wanted Jennifer Petit dead so badly he could have killed her away from the house somewhere and taken off. This did not happen and this speaks a whole lot louder than any of Joshau Komisarjevsky's assertations that it was Hayes who wanted everyone dead.
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