Cheshire Home Invasion Suspect Hayes Changes Mind Again; Jury Selection To Resume - Courant.com

I suppose we should have seen this coming; Hayes lawyers obviously wore him down until he changed his plea back to not guilty.

I heard today on the news that after Hayes surprise change to a guilty plea in the Petit murders of 07 at last weeks hearing, his staeappomied satomedsslawyers vowed to do " anything and everything in their power to quote "stop Mr "Hayes from committing suicide"-- this, their notion of what pleading guilty to aggravated rape, robbery triple murde, arson and assault , crimes Mr Hayes is clearly guilty of, thereby acccountability for his actions, his crimes and save the surviving victim and thee families family further grief suffering not to mention the state of Connecticut a lot of money in a unappealed guilty plea/ probable eventual death penalty, albeit years and years after so,meomemhawayfromscuslly Yes in this state even when you don't want to appeal a much deserved death sentenc, it seems our system inflicts its very own auto-appeal process onto even its worst violent criminals, costing the family of the victims and any surviving victims unneccesary prolomged heartxhe and angst and the state millions of dollars in the process.

Hayes changes plea back to not guilty

Experts Say Hayes' Lawyers May Lose Fight To Keep Him Off Death Row - Courant.com

Dr. Petit Calls Hayes Guilty Plea a "Moment of Honesty" | NBC Connecticut

This is Steven Hayes finally showing that he wants to do the right thing and it also explains why the competency hearing etc was probably ordered in the first place; he likely told his attorneys he wanted to admit what he'd done and get it over with and they immediately went into typical predictable auto pilot moral less criminal attorney mode and scrambled to have him proved incompetent before he got his chance to change his plea-which is his right as a defendant in a murder rape trial.

Now watch these lawyers do their absolute best to cost the system money and just like the Joseph Duncan case-Dylan Shasta Greene- immediately pounce on pursuing this ludicrous incompetency angle. When did getting a fair defense by the state when one cannot afford their own private attorney, turn into an excuse to throw accountability and human decency and justice out with the morning garbage?

The hijacking of our system by what is by now rote, cost consuming maneuverings, in the relatively rare cases where a defendant wants to actually take responsibility for harming killing raping and and or maiming another human being(s), has got to stop. All of us must become involved if we ever hope to change this complicated mess that has become our justice system.

This starts with availing ourselves with knowledge and awareness of our own states criminal justice system, how it really works, who makes the decisions that fuel it IE the influential state legislators, the influence, or lack thereof of the state judiciary committee, local power attorneys state appointed and otherwise judges prosecutors and thier records and reputations and much more.
I get that its unpleasent to talk or even think about but At the core of all of this lies the need to allow ourselves to truly ponder what the victims of these crimes experience-and put ouraselves and our loved ones in thier place, despite the obvious discomfiture this brings us.
To consider deeply the huge reaching effects of just one murder, rape, one assault one child abduction, molestation, home invasion kidnapping and any and all crimes with violence at the core. The victims must once again become the focal point and then justice, true justice may some day become a reality in our courts--- or at least the norm not the rare exception that it has become.

Hayes’ competency to be evaluated- The Register Citizen News - Northwest Connecticut's Daily Newspaper

Dont get me started with this; it is such a predictable ploy that these guys have become caricatures of themselves.

Dr Petit makes good sense outside courthouse

Looks like I'm not the only one to pick up on the irony of this whole ludicrous...well, I would normally say "process"-- but as there is very little resembling judicial processs or any process for that matter between within the fits and starts, the furtive delays, and advanatgeous side shows- care of... the DEFENSE counsel both DEFENDENTS and yes sometimes aided and abbetted by the state itself. This is not to say that every member of the state including judges prosecutors and the DOC are part of the preoblem but there is a bigger picture here that involves yup- corruption, the by now usual legal blackmail that pretty much runs the judges any straggl\ler well meaning prosecutors and and a whole hoswt of things like ineptitude, politics many of us might never be aware of the full scope of ns then of course complicated further by things like grassroots and larger state organizations such as the anti-death penalty groups and prisoner protective services whose zealotry often far outweighs thier ability to grasp the big picture, much like a battered woman who will excuse her batterers blows slaps and kicks, when he later cries to her over his own abusive childhood-be it real or not depednding on his particular status of personality disorder iie if he has one which one narcicistic full blown sociopath etc.

I draw this seemingly off the path analogy because from where I sit and what I have seen heard experienced I know that thses prsioner/human rights protection groups believe in thier cause and often cannot grasp the concept of true evil and the manipulation that accompanies it. while I do not suggest we torture our prisoners, though mny express just such a desire mostly out of an understandable anger over the obvious guilt of these defendents and what theyve admitted to doing to with aforethought and sans the numbing effects of drugs even our frustration is capped only byt the wish to see justice done and yes relatively swiftly. at least someone with legal power should be abe to advocate loudly for these slain girls and thier mother thier badly beaten
fther whose daily life is still affected by his head injury, tho he never ever speaks of this not wishing to detract from the kidapping sexual assaults and murders of his young blossoming
daughters and kind anc caring wife.

The defense attorneys for hayes and komisarjevsky would like us to forget all that or certainly focus on anything else, but we ahall be tenacious, intelligent and hold bill Petit and the Petit Hawke families aloft during these very challenging times; times. God is with us.

Judge In Hayes Trial Hopes Jury Selection Can Resume On March 15 - Hartford Courant

Talk about irony; Never mind the incessant and transparent stunts of the defense tems and the 'defendents" thmeselves, no novice to the Ct Judicial system themselves.)
recently the main goal woulf seem to be buying more and more "time" for their murdering clients to as they say face the piper. always always at the centerpiece of exch request, complaint and and often ludicrous motion
The worst of all of this moral turpitude is the victim baiting/bashing that has become a constant for both "accused" murderers and their state paid mouthpieces since the beggnning of the "process" we call justice system here in Connecticut very first days following the kidnappings rapes assaults and murders of Jemmifer Hawke Petit hayely and Michaela Pwtit only eleven years old at the time.
Once again the ultimately favorable outcome- in effect reward- in this case extended in the form of improved living arrangements which even other prisoners with perfect behavioral records do not receive, given to Mr Steven Hayeys are a direct result of yet more rule breaking and manipulation of a system that they have had nothing but a clear disdain and loathing for,(just look at hayes' latest mug shot and one can easily see the hatred bitterness which has done nothing but grow since his intiial incarceration.photo taken right after he was taken into custody caught fleeing the Petits burning home and dying famiy.J

ust as both killers shared an obvious contempt for any and all constraints put upon them by society the law, by the prisons they repeatedly found themselves within the walls of- ALWAYS their own volition and choices. Then threes the the Ct court and parole system, never mind basic rules of society at large and Thur own local communities who time and time again gave them new starts and chances to begin again that were never earned.

I havnt the room nor the enrgy to delve now into the morals or the rights of other human beings-and were not talking about one or two minor strays off the path we are looking at two life long patterns of men that have used and abused a liberal court system to scoff at and ultimately use manipulated and navigate aided and abetted along their entire criminal careers by alternately apathetic inept and just plain lazy and corrupt Connecticut justice system(AND THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE OUR POLICE DEPTS who usually work hard and put their lives on the line daily despite the frustration of knowing most of their effort and hard work is near futile as they watch the courts release these dangerous criminals via dropped charges nolles plea bargains and a seemingly staunch resolution to turn these courts into little more than administrative processing mills where trials have been rendered so rare that any lawyer with any navigational know how of this system need barely make an effort even for some of the serious violent crimes like rape, severe assault, murder and yes child abuse molestation with perhaps an offer of favor and yes in some cases where the charges serious enough and attorneys familiar enough with the prosecutor-monetary incentives may even cause a charge or two and a sentence otherwise a sure thing, to disappear. Again, were not talking about every court nor every prosecutor in this state, but it happens and lest we are not clear here, corruption need not always involve money; favors, promised or implied, cronyism between lawyers and prosecutors who work" together (ie officially as adversary's but in reality lunch together share political aspirations and more than a golf game or two) make for a violent crime docket that has become irrevocably compromised-and it is the victims of these life changing violent crimes that pay for this corruption. And that is exactly what the aforementioned is, lest it not be clear enough to those who care enough to understand what has happened to our Justice system here in Connecticut.

My original point here was that either and both of these two men including Steven Hayes have well earned repeatedly the daily lifestyle they found themselves in- and not by their obvious guilt over the taking of three lives, for in this country despite how obvious a persons guilt may be we Must temporarily withhold judgement before a trial for teem is inducted
by law. And yet as we adhere with committed tenacity to this tenet and extend far beyond BASIC human right to these prisoners they continue their outright refusal to adhere to the rules regulations such as j k overt breaking a court ordered gag order on the case and co writes a book which in turn his ex partner and lawyers immediately latch onto as a perfect means to an end as a great excuse to yet again put off the beginning of jury selection for Mr Hayes trial -citing unfair disadvantage to their client now due to this illegally procured and written book.
A book that sits in the Cheshire local library where it may be read by children friends of then 11 year old Michaela Petit whose sexual assault and murder, along with her mothers, is described in detail. months long meetings and rallies ensued by concerned town residents who, despite paying taxes for this very library's existance were told it was "the right thing to do for them to buy this book co authored by one of the killers, stock several copies on their shelves despite the fact that its very existance is illegal ie cited gag order never mind the fact that trial for either man no matter the illegality of the books origination which has never been in dispute.

AND NOW Mr HAYES SITS IN A SUNNY infirmary with windows where he had none before his "suicide attempt" drugs to quell his fear and anxiousness, (which he's been given since day one of his incarceration )

books to read and a considerably more comfortable daily lifestyle. And he got that stay his lawyers have been putting in for at every hearing thus far, delays for jury selection the trial itself and the hearings themselves. The reasons thus far have largely been your typical lawyer fare, clear attempts and putting off the inevitable-at the surviving victim and families paying the price emotionally and literally along with the rest of every tax paying good citizen of this state.

more info re the jury selection on the Petit case

"Jury selection in the Hayes case represents a perfect storm of what is wrong with jury selection in Connecticut. Alone among the states, we engage in individual, sequestered, voir dire, with lawyers free to engage in endless individual questioning of jurors outside the presence of all other jurors. In the Hayes case, one of the state's top public defenders, Thommas Ullman, who represents Hayes, is known in routine cases to question each potential juror for an hour or so. In this case, where jurors must be "death-qualified," Ullman will be lucky to get through three potential panel members a day. What's more, the case will be presided over by Judge John Blue, a quirky jurist aching for recognition who has elevated distinctions without difference into an art form. Not since Gilligan's Island has the prospect of pointless dithering been so ominous"

The above was taken from a recent Norm Pattis editorial-see link above-not a big fan of pattis in general- his lack of compassion and ability to empathize with the victims of crime clearly overshadows the value of his legal experience. But he makes a few good points albeit one must Wade through his usual dispassionate stance and oft times outright disrespectful cruel and biased comments regarding the tragic victims of violent crime.

State psychiatrist’s vacation delays Petit homicide trial- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

Petit Bracing To Be The Face Of Slain Family - Hartford Courant

An older article but very apt and notable for its courage in speaking in real terms about a crime victims experience within Connecticut courts and just how much tenacity this family has, God bless them.

Journal Inquirer > Archives > Page One > Judge to review jail treatment of Cheshire suspect

Anything to delay this Man's trial would seem to be the defenses strategy; I hope that the current presiding judge -there have been three to my knowledge thus far, will have the necessary insight and indeed education re the manipulative tactics of criminals with personality disorders which both Mr Hayes and his cohort Komisarjevsky clearly possess. Regular folks just often cannot fathom the lengths that this type of criminal -or person-will go to-in order to get what they want, whatever it happens to be at that moment. And it is unfortunately that general goodness/compassion/forgiveness in most people that make them perfect targets for these men and in this case even their paid henchman several of whom have taken on thier defense obligation in a near rabid fashion.
These henchman -ie the state attorneys I speak of are ironically paid for by the state of Connecticut, as is the prosecutor.

The Petit hawke families, and many people within the community the state and even across the country have been deeply hurt and traumatized by these crimes -theyve already been lead around the block dozens of times by komisarjevsky and his bulldog-like lawyers, who have repeatedly misused our countries equitable fair defense for everyone even those whose guilt seems clear notwithstanding and within this propaganda and perverted manipulation of the law and the tenets our forefathers sought to protect and have unabashedly been utilizing the morally repugnant ambulance chaser tactic of going after the victim and his family no matter the cost as long as they save their client" As if how they do their job matters not a whit nor what victims and family friends gets hurt and ultimately re victimized and in some cases re traumatized.

Most recently The Petits hawkes and all caring and connected members of our states community been put through the mill by their client Mr komisarjevsky's graphic and manipulative so- called tell all paperback book re the murders- A book that one of the murderers co wrote in effect via an unauthorized writer who visited him numerous times in prison while a gag order was in effect for everyone connected to the case. They and we were still reeling from that books release prior to trial the least of the issues, and sure enough next were hit with the defense for Hayes the other co defendant that another delay is necessary because of this book and that was just the beginning.

As I know that there is A God I derive some comfort in knowing that all of the people involved with aiding and abetting the evil done and continuing to be done, they too will answer for it.

Cumbersome Jury Process Wastes Time And Money - Hartford Courant

well at least someone is finally writing about this/and having the courage to stand up and say the true...

Petit family murder case as it relates to Annie Le Murder?

Murder Victim Annie Le

Jennifer Hawke-Petit, her husband, William Petit, and their two teenage daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, were sleeping in their Cheshire, Conn., home early in the morning of July 23, 2007, when two men crept into the house. Within two hours, Hawke-Petit and Hayley were raped and the home was set on fire.

By the time the alleged perpetrators were caught, Hawke-Petit had been strangled to death and the two daughters had died from smoke inhalation. Fifty-year-old Petit, though beaten with a baseball bat, managed to escape.

Almost three years later, the two men charged in the notorious triple homicide, Steven Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky, have yet to be tried. And Monday in New Haven Superior Court, Judge Jon Blue delayed jury selection for Hayes’s trial for at least another week. (Komisarjevsky will be tried after Hayes’ trial has concluded .)

Exactly two weeks after Raymond Clark III, the man charged in the slaying of Yale graduate student Annie Le GRD ’13, pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and felony murder, the Hayes trial suggests a lengthy judicial process lies ahead for Clark as well.

NOTORIETY

National news organizations have extensively covered both cases, making the selection of impartial jurors a challenge, three legal experts said. One of the public defenders representing Clark, Beth Merkin, said “it’s common sense that in a high profile case, you want to minimize any impact of media exposure on the jury pool.”

In cases as well-known as these, lawyers hope to fill juries with people who at least demonstrate an ability to be impartial despite prior exposure, said New Haven-based criminal defense attorney Paul Carty. Jurors need to be able to “empty the cup of all that they’ve read or heard and let it be filled with information from the trial,” he said.

Given widespread publicity about these cases, it will be a challenge to find jurors who will not feel pressured by how their friends, family or colleagues might react to a surprising verdict, said former federal prosecutor Jeffrey Meyer ’85 LAW ’89, now a law professor at Quinnipiac University.

The state prosecutor handling the case, Michael Dearington, and Hayes’ public defender, Thomas Ullmann, both declined to comment because the judge has ordered them not to discuss the case with the media. The order is intended to limit pre-trial publicity to ensure an unbiased jury, they said.

Meyer said high-profile cases draw attention to the jury selection strategies of the defense and prosecution. The prosecution in Hayes’s case wants jurors who believe in an “eye for an eye,” whereas the defense, he said, is looking for jurors who are open-minded and have a diversity of experience.

As in the Hayes case, the judge in the Clark case, Roland Fasano, has needed to strike a balance between releasing information to the public and not biasing the jury pool, Merkin said.

“But I can’t predict whether it’s even going to go to trial,” she added, because the police investigation is ongoing.

Steven Duke LAW ’61, an expert on criminal law and professor at Yale Law School, said he would not be surprised if the Clark case takes a year to come to trial.

But notoriety aside, Meyer said the most troubling parallel between the two cases is the lack of an established motive.

“Neither case involved infidelity or refusal to hand over money or any other typical motive,” Meyer said. “There are real question marks.”

The state prosecutor for the Clark case, John Waddock, declined to comment Monday.

LONG ROAD AHEAD

Jury selection for Hayes’ trial was halted last week after Hayes, of Winsted, Conn., was found unconscious in his cell at the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield, the maximum security facility where Clark is also being held. Hayes had overdosed on medication he had been pretending to take for several days. While his condition has since stabilized, Judge Blue postponed jury selection until at least Feb. 16.

Since jury selection began on Jan. 19, four jurors have been selected for the panel, which will include 12 regular jurors and up to eight alternates. The trial is scheduled to begin in September.

But selecting the rest of the jurors to try Hayes may take several more months, Meyer said.

Jury selection in Connecticut’s capital cases can proceed exceedingly slowly, he added, because state law allows lawyers to question each prospective juror one-on-one.

“We need to ask at what point justice delayed becomes justice denied,” he said.

Duke said individual questioning of jurors is an uncommon, but not unheard of practice outside Connecticut. Though jurors are usually questioned in groups to save time, jury selection for murder trials can take weeks or even months, he said.

Though progress on the case has been made, the long road to trial has taken a toll on those involved.

Petit, once a prominent endocrinologist, gave up his medical career after the attack to advocate for tougher sentencing laws for repeat violent offenders. Both Hayes and Komisarjevsky were on parole when they allegedly committed the crimes. At an October 2008 gathering in Woodbury, Conn., Petit said he felt abused by years of waiting for the trial to begin, the Hartford Courant reported.

“Somebody murders your family in 2007, and they tell you they’re going to go to trial in 2010 — what a great system we have,” he said.

Both Hayes and Komisarjevsky, whose trial will take place after Hayes’, could face the death penalty if convicted.

Danny Serna and Esther Zuckerman contributed reporting.

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2010/02/09/cheshire-case-a-clue-for-clark/

Evidentiary hearing set for Hayes in triple homicide- The Register Citizen News - Northwest Connecticut's Daily Newspaper

Just when you think this dace could not become more of a farce...

Judicial Marshal Investigated Over Comment At Cheshire Murder Trial | Law Advice

Cheshire Slaying Trial Now Turns On Treatment Of Steven Hayes In Prison - Courant.com

Dr. William Petit Angry Over Trial Delay | NBC Connecticut

Keep up the good fight Bill Petit, you have perhaps unwittingly become the voice for all victims of violent crime and our perverse Ct Judicial system.

Cheshire slaying suspect in court Monday

Paperwork snafu delays trial for triple murder suspect-

Medical error may have played role in Cheshire suspect’s OD- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

This really looks like one or all of the following:
a) a stalling maneuver by Hayes
b) An attempt to appear more human to the potential jury pool ie "ee Ive got a conscience unlike that sociopath komisarjevsky who was the real ringleader, and I just got dragged alomg for what I thought was+9
When exactly did these drugs become a staple of Mr hayes daily life? Was he supposedly on these meds prior to coming in to prison OR as the case MORE likely was, di he successfully manipulate some hapless prison doctor/psychiatrist who perhaps young and thus too well meaning opted to be;ieve Mr Hayes's complaints were genuine-and having taken that hypocratc -to forget for a fre minutes the absolute heinous group of crimes that he was literally caught fleeing the scene of be were these drugs an opportunistic tool designed with multi-fold manipulations behind thier use?
For example Hayes defense could have been considering the option of setuing up an insanity defense from the get go-after hayes a long time loser with especially when the relativelyrare use of anti-pschotics-altho even these are becoming easierr to hrt aaaanywherdid these "meds" beginanti-psychotic and anti-anxiety ( Benzodiazepine group-think valium zanax clonipin ) all began after an evalution with prsison staff psychiatrist. Then there was the CLONIPIN AN ANXIETY DRUG OF THE BENZODIAZIPINE CLASS IE THINK ZANAX VALIUM but longer lasting in the system) he has been given this as well close to the time of his initial incarceration for these murders-

All this adds up to is he knew what it would take to kill himself-he is a drug user from way back. He likely knew that this little maneuver would both buy him time-easy time in the infirmary after the intiial hospital stomach pump and possibly garner public sympatathy from fol;ks who might percieve the attempt at suicide as a sign of remorse for the rapes murders and assualuts of the petit family members.

For a man that supposedly wanted to die hayes has refused to leave his cell even accompanied by mulitple guards and sharp shotters for fear of being attacked by other innmates-who historically dont like rapists and least of all children killers-Not to mention because of he and his co defendent being paroled early and abusing the privledge despicably ie slaughtering a family and a 11 year old child whom he tried to burn to death after raping strangling her mother within earshot of her adespite the fact that the doomed mrs petit had just returned from the bank with Mr Hayes having withdrawn 15000 dollars 5 thousand dollars more than they demanded in exchange for her familys life!

. All I can think about is that moment when they returned to the petits home where komisarjevsky admits he was sexually assaulting 11 yr old michalea and taking photos of her nude body as well as her in the bath where hed ordered her to scrub herself (ie dna of his) he turned on jen petit and began tying her down to a table to rape and choke her to death as she tried to scream for her life and her daughters lives tied to thier beds upstairs.
remember too those poor sweet girls heard thier mom being assaulted and murdered while they lay helpless tied up and about to be doused in gasoline that both men poured liberally upon thier bodies and beds and carpeting leading up from thier moms now lifeless body. I mention these details because this is what happened to these women the victims and it should never ever ever be forgotten. We owe them this, no matter how unpleasent nor disturbing-it is that very tendency of some people to distance themselves from the reality of what the victims were put through in thier last hours-or minutes or sometimes even days and weeeks as weve seen recently in the story of rescued twenty eight year old kidnapped at age eleven. The point is these details are the truth the truth is the center of everything. We must be thier voice, no matter how painful it is.

I also couldt help but recall that hayes attorneys had been madly trying to delay the jury selection process which was finally alated to begin in jan two and half years after the murders and rapes.Thankfully the most recent judge saw thru thie attorneys latests subterfuge stall tactics and said NO WE WILL PROCEED. Only a week or so into that very ardous process which conn is famous for retaining such an arcahaic and defendent oriented voire dire system, this meant that Steven hayes co defendent in these murders was about to begin the provess of facing his accountability and exact involvment in this grotesque crimes

Thus the "suicide" attempt would most importantly ultimately serve as a big delay in the long overdue inniated jury selection process for his trial-hayes is to be tried first, and his cohort komisarjevsky who many including myself consider the master mind will be thus tried when hayes's trial is finally adjudicated.

This guy hayes will do anything it takes to stall his trial from becoming underway-a process that in Ct begins with an already famously arduous voire dire potential jury process, by which both sides. the defense and the prosecutors, get to question propspective jurors ad nauseum often willy nilly with the defense almost always employing an expensive jury selection expert company who do nothing but study how to choose just the right kind of ignorant or pliable folks as jurors for thier clients trial.

This process is rare in most states not voire dire itself but the ultra liberal time consuming and seeningly without common sense nor requirement for either side to cite thier endless supply of strikes- a legal term that basically means we doont like this giu or gal for a juror and we dont have to give any reason at all. Again Connecticut is reknown for straying off the common sense beaten path and allowed its liberal legislators who have little to nothing to do with the actual say to day machinations of choosing juries for multiple rape murders kidnappings home inasions arson torture and dhild rape as are the basic tenets in this particular case. A case that I might add has has far reaching effects on not only a formerly trusting safe community but also on a larger scale an entire state that has been post traunatized by the heniousness of the crimes and then again cruelly by a recently illegally begotten cheap paperback novel written laregely from the perpective of one of the co defendets caught fleeing the burning murder scene.

In this illegally obtained and written book such details wer profferred by one of the killers who almost gleefully describes his sexual assault on a tied up 11 year old terrified michaela Petit whose mom was at the bank with mr hayes the other defendent murderer promising her that no harm woulkd come to her children as long as he got the 10000.000 hed asked for while komisarjevsky waited at home aspparently breakibng his part of his promise to Mrs Petit by raping her 11 yr old a d then forcing her to shower to get rid of any bits of semen he might have left on her. As a woman a fomer surivor of viorlent crime I couldnt help obsessing over that little girls fear and pain and terror as well as her older sister hayley who we have no proof was not also sexually assaulted at some point in the evening morning or even when hayes returned from the bank with Mrs Petit and the promised money in tow-again I cannot help but imagine what jen petit felt and thought as her captor whom she gave evrthung and more to protect the lives of her daughters and Mr Hayes and perhaps mr komsarjevsky also turned upon her immedietally tying her arms legs and noose abiout the neck as he raped a d strangled her while her husband unconscious and nearly dead from blood loss was awakened by the screams and begging by his wife on the living room floor above him in the basement where the intruders had left him beaten bloodly lilely dead tied to a pole with zipties hands and feet.

These were the details we already knew from some of the warrents published by the bristol press shortly after the crime. I like many many others soent a lot og time and angst wondering what else we didnt knoe=w and how these victims lived out the last few hours of thier lives.
The murders were no sudden panic happenchance as Mr Komsarjevsky originally tried to bamboozle the police with in his version of his confession" as later in the very book he dictated thru lettere and personal eetings with the author brian macdonald, who made his way thru subterfuge into the correctional center visiting list for lomisarjevsky by posing as an attorney sertainly not offerring the infomrmation that he was indeed a writer as the conn dept of corrections were well aware that there was a court ordered gag order on anyone related to the case including defebdebts lawyers prosecutors police judges and even victims adn thier family members. Oops another so called slip up. But the worst was yet to come when not only was this book given a good deal of pre trial publicity in the courant and the authors website itself but indeed hyped to the point of tittilating the public and misleading them once into claims of 'shocking never before seen photos-lies- and a comparison of the book-written for the most part with little to no research just letters from this kid whod snuffed out a family raping a child and leaving her tied to her bed to burn to death in what was a pre meditated plan to burn the victims and all the dna evidence of the rapes and thier prescence in the house. Ludicrous really considering komisarjevaky had the arrogence to use his cellphone to call his own job to call in sick using his own infant daughter being sick" as the excuse. He also forced Jen petit to call her husbands medical office saying he was sick and wouldnt bwe in. None of this behavioer lends itself to a panic stricken mode and a spur of the moment descsion to burn up the whole house with all the girls and thier mom and dr petit in it by dousing the tied up women two still very much aliove- Mrs Petit dead strangled and raped left thrown with her clothing ripped where she lay after being violently raped by hayes and possibly komisarjevsky-we dont know yet until all dna is presented and testimoney-but either way these are men who planned to torch this home and the children and thier mother and father with it. They procured the gasoliine at 6 am recipts and cameras show as does komisarjevskys redacted confessuin initially made to cheshire police right after he was caught fleeing the burning home with hayes in one of the petit family cars no less. Fopr men who supposedly were going to such lengths to hide thier part in these crimes they ceretainly sere putting themselves all over the crime via stealing the petit car and jewelry as well as stealing many personal items of the kids including cell phomes-which can be traced easily enough and of course the ever famous by now hat of hayley petit that hayes presumably ran out of the burning petit jouse wearing atop his head.

In the recent paperback book by brian mcdonald co authored by komsarejevaky he actually admitted to planning to kill hayes his partner in these crimes as soon as they got away from the petit house he cites his reasoning supposedly for hayes leaving his fingerprints in the hiouse after removing his gloves for a short time while rifling thru the drawers looking for sellable ite,s. Again I do not believe this was the reasom for the planned offing of hayes at ll jk tried to make it sound almost gallant as if to say because of his screw ups we had to ascalate the crimes. which i aslo more mendacity-sociopaths are reknown for lying and manipulation and it is quite clear that JK is in fact a classic textbook sociopath and it was hje who made these murders happen.


As I have \mentioned in the past posts both hayes and komsarjevskys snake oil salesma. attorneys have both behaved in despicable fashion assailing the surviving victim Bill Petit aloud in court thomas culligan even went so far as to slaim that the fact that the court was even sonsidering the petit families request for 2 simultaneous trial for hayes and komisarjevsky ridiculous on its face and was only being considered becasue rill petit was once a doctor and therefore somewhat affluent he went on to tell the judge and the televised courtroom that it made him sick: bc if this victim were black or poor this request qoulve never even been considered. In the end DrPetit and his attorny prosecutor decided to withdraw the request which theyd nade in genuine hopes of sparing the extended hawke petit family from having to hear details re rapes and horrible details re crimes agasint an 11 yr old an d a 48 yr old mom with ME no less, from being repeated twice abd enotionally regugitated. Seemed valid and sensitive to anyone with moral decency which both sets of defense attorenys paid for by our state dollars ironically clearly sorely lack. making the entire legal proffession in Connecticut more of a a farce than it already was-which is really saying something. As the jury selection eventually resumes-and it will-I will be covering the ins and outs and the hidden nuances that the average onlooker isnt privy to. I will stae the truth-plain ans simple-something this entire circus has been lacking from the onset.

One thing is for certain, despite boith defendents attempts at dragging out the judicial and administrative process imvolved with finding and presenting thier actual culpasbility in the kidnappings rapes and torture murders of three members of the Petit family, with a fourth kidnapping and attempted murder on the lone survivor Bill Petit father of the two little girls and husband of Jen Hawke Petit

Cheshire library power grab hits snag- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

Jury Selection In Cheshire Case Off Till Next Week - Courant.com

Jury Selection Halted in Triple Murder Case in Cheshire - NYTimes.com

No Kidding.

Petit family murder suspect attempts suicide in prison cell

Petit Murder Suspect's in Medically Induced Coma

The word has been released that "attempted suicide" is in fact the medical emergency that caused the hospitalization of Steven Hayes, co- defendent in the Petit family assaults, murders, arson and a litany of other crimes, including the murders of two children.


Hayes apparently had been stockpiling his daily anti-anxiety, anti-depressant and anti-siezure drugs, whilst pretending to swallow them, and at some oppoortune date when he felt he had enough pills, he chose to make a dramatic scene and take them all at once - clearly not enough.


Interestingly, hayes the first of the two murderer's scheduled to be tried, pulled this stunt, wouldn't you know it, just as as his jury selection was under-way,( and the reality of the trial and the impending exposure of his part in the brutal murders of a mother and her two children, came to pass. His lawyers had already tried to delay the jury selection, and thus his trial, .based upon the nonsensical logic that a recently released trashy book, essentially co- written and spoon fed by his co defendant Joshua komisarjevsky to some fool writer looking to make a quick buck, , was prejudicial towards Hayes, in essence attempting to lay the bulk of the capital crimes at Hayes feet.

At any rate, if he was truly planning on ending his life, why not do one right thing, as a parting gesture to this world; confess his complete role in the crimes and share the details these crimes,  making it easier to convict his fellow defendant, and undoubtedly, the mastermind -Joshua Komisarjevsky'. 

You'll recall that Komisarjevsky had no problem whatsoever doing his best to foist all responsibility for the murders and rapes on Hayes, within both his statement to police and within material dictated to the author of the illegally procured "novel " a book supposedly about the 2007 crimes, largely based upon the dictation of sociopath Joshua komisarjevsky" via his letters" and interviews with writer Brian Mcdonald.

McDonald, a writer of less than mediocre talent, and even less scruples, apparently snuck into Komisarjevskys prison, posing as an visiting attorney. He knew, as did komisarjevsky, that they were prohibited by a court ordered Gag on the case, to discuss any details about the crimes.
 This Gag order had been put in place shortly after the begginnings of the criminal case by Judge Damiani and it applied to not only defendents, but their lawyers, including the prosecution. This is why there were very few details about the crimes in the mainstream media in the years following, the hartford courant actually brought the issue to court contesting the gag as an encroachment of free information act

 A clutch of detailed letters were exchanged between murderer and writer and several more face to face meetings transpired before the Connecticut dept of Corrections figured out that McDonald was indeed a writer-only after a bunch of money was found to appear in komisarjevskys prsison account fund after the meetings-something also illegl in Ct and most states since the dahmer case)

and was only then was he finally stricken from komisarjevskys visiting list with purportedly no explanation by the DOC to either writer macdonaldorjoshua komaarhekyman. I like many others, smelled a rat within the Connecticut Dept of Corrections. It is no secret in those inner chasms that only certain people trvaerse, that the Conn DOC is long notorious for their susceptibility to bribes- money sex etc from both inmates and even visitors; And this I do not state with un substantiated cynicism, it is spoken with absolute assurance having been made privy to a multitude of specific examples by many many former and current inmates housed within various Connecticut prisons, I'm sorry to say.

Only time will tell if this was a genuine desperate suicide attempt by a man who is inching closer and closer to FINALLY being held accountable by a jury of his peers for a Vicious rape and strangulation of a 48 yr old beloved member of the community and his part in the muliple murdersof her two young girls, one of whom was sexually assaulted and the other who was reportedly at least beaten supposedly whilst trying to escape- This coming from komisarjevszky must be taken with a grain of salt as he is clearly a sociopaath and will do or say anything to escape blameorconsequences for his own actions/
The other option here is that this so called suicide attempt by HYES is in fact subterfuge and/or another form of procrastination that he and his attorneys were seeking when his lawyers were recently turned down in their bid for a jury selection delay last month ( based upon the release of komisarjevskys book
Mr Hayes hadbut one or two jurors approved within connecticuts excrutiatung
slow iberalrimes themselvesand the publicddidmglwhereupon our state has needed a mjor overgaul by legisdlatorsgoverbirs victims advocates et al because of the fact that it has becimne so used abused andmisused by the defene teamuntil it has actually hijacked the very judicxil process by putting as much time between the crimes and rhe communities collective memory of them.

Of courseHayes co defeiar jevsky really thru a boomerranfginmto that plan with the releaseo OFHISNE;U RKehich he illegally co=wrote ignoring a gag orderthat even the victims were held to chompig at thebi themselvesImsuireto tell the worldthe awful things done to thier belovedfsmily me,bers despitemcooperating ib every way that with thr criminaks demancdd.

Connecticut Law Tribune: Cheshire Case Illustrates Jury Picking Problems

For once Norm Pattis makes sense regarding our states unusually ludicrous and costly voire dire process which beyond costing our state many dollars when it is used costs many more lives because it is more often not used due to the money ie time involved. This means that trials have become a thing of the past in the state of Connecticut, leaving most cases to be dealt with via the 'PLEA DEAL" which is only a deal for the violent criminal.


This new found concurrence with Mr Pattis is a bit of a surprise as my past experiences with him seem to be of a editorialist who oft times shows himself as a predictable tow the latest liberal line kind of guy-(and remember, before making assumptions, I too am a registered democrat ) No my issues with Norm Pattis go beyond merely politics" for the kind of issues that I endeavour to explore, expose and hopefully even on the rare occasion- change are of the moral ilk; life and death, human suffering, justice. I have found his past Op-Ed pieces re these noble issues altho well written to be lacking one key element --true human compassion-not the standard obligatory nod to the latest victim of the latest heinous crime that has made its way into the political or legislative forum. It isn't his acerbic style his cynicism or wryness that I object to-how could I...in all fairness I don those very same...shall we say, weapons on a regular basis myself. No its something else; and that something is at the core of much of what is wrong with often otherwise well meaning liberal politicians legislators writers and "pundits". Its the actual desire and then ability to imagine the horror and pain of their fellow human beings once fallen to victim of violent crime. No one wants to go THERE.

First juror picked in Petit murder case- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

Justice moves excruciatingly slow in this trial but it it moving towards a finite and just end just the same, I FEEL IT.

Richard Meehan Jr.: Jury selection in capital case an arduous, tricky process - Norwich, CT - Norwich Bulletin

Richard Meehan,a well known and level headed attorney with an above average helping of moral integrity (for a lawyer in the first place THAT IS) weighs in on the Petit trial jury selection for defendenet steven hayes.

Judge denies request for jurors to preview Petit photos- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

Very interesting kick off for this upcoming trial I would say...

State's tech upgrade for criminal justice: Where's the money? - NewsTimes

Very essential article-pls read.

-L

Cheshire Slayings: 18 Potential Jurors Excused On Day 1 - Courant.com

Cheshire Slayings: 18 Potential Jurors Excused On Day 1 - Courant.com

Gambling With Our Lives – the Cheshire Massacre | NowPublic News Coverage

Jury Selection Slow in Cheshire Triple Murder Case - NYTimes.com

Sight of suspect sickens Petit supporters The Republican-American

Petit Plans To Be Face Of Victims At Murder Trial

Taken from a piece in the Courant, good stuff

Cheshire's Lights of Hope

Bridgeport has fewest killings in decades

Opponents of Petit book follow new strategy

Good thinking!

Lights Of Hope Branching Out To Help Multiple Causes

It's that time of year again and volunteers are still needed!
www.cheshireslightsofhope.com/

My Sister's Place

A great find in Ansonia - do visit- its worth the trip!

Crime Survivors | A Resource for Crime Victims and their Families

Its not too late to make your tax deductible donation to this great organization.
Please visit this site and GET INVOLVED - even if it's buying one emergency bag for a child or adult in crisis;
Every gesture of giving from the heart makes a difference...
Thanks.

-L

Stories Of The Year, No. 2: Violence in The Valley

Police Capture "Big-Nosed Robber"

This story is amazing.

An In-State Treatment Facility For Registered Sex Offenders Still Just A Pipe Dream - Courant.com

This article about a chronic sex offender that was recently released from prison is a perfect example of why a strict persistent offender law is desperately needed in this state.

While some members of The Connecticut judiciary committee would have us believe that Connecticut has a persistent offender law, from a practical standpoint it is not being utilized and therefore it is not legitimate.
The offender cited within this article, despite having shown himself to be a dangerous sexual predator, was given chance upon chance upon chance by Connecticuts court system -- Not only did "RE-OFFEND" as it appears on paper, but as is the inherent danger of such ill conceived "chances" he went on to assault a multitude of new victims after each and every release- And these are the ones we know about thus far: Experience has shown law enforcement that for each rape or murder a predator is caught committing, there are usually several others that he/she has not been caught for and may VERY WELL never be.

Some Connecticut legislators believe that a re-entry program for sex offenders is the answer, the missing link if you will,to our ever- burgeoning "recidivism problem"---- I cant help but wonder if either they or thier loved ones were to be the next victim of just such a chronic offender, if they'd still feel that a program of this sort was the answer or enforcement of the maximum sentence allowed by law for this or any violent crime?

I don't know if the attitude that permeates our legislative body can be explained simply by the old liberal knee jerk response to most social ails, including crime, whereby they would seem to believe is a direct result of the age old disparity of income and education between the haves and the have nots

This upper middle class guilt syndrome seems even more accentuated when it comes to issues like crime and punishment... or "rehabilataion" as they would have it
It seems that the whole issue of crime would seem to pluck at some innate guilt strings that the "privileged" or educated, assume (The best part of all of this is that I am in fact a registered democrat, but insofar as the issue of crime I part ways drastically with my left compatriots. Of course the basic premise behind this often includes the naive notion that all evil acts can be explained by poverty, abusive childhoods, neglect, uncaring society, racism, etc etc etc.
Unfortunately reality is simply not nearly so facile; There are are a fair percentage of sociopaths that find themselves incarcerated in our Connecticut jails and prisons and no matter what is done to "help "them, they are going to hurt others again and again given the chance.
And with each crime that they commit, any last vestiges of conscience that they might have once possessed-are quickly abandoned. And it is often the weakest of our citizens that suffer again and again at their hands Children, women, the elderly.

It is long overdue for the state and its people to collectively address the life and death issue of crime and justice. And like any other restructuring project we must start with basic awareness and education; Many people feel that they don't know enough about the issue to affect a change; They simply don't know where to begin and though they might have the best of intentions as well the desire to see productive change in our judicial system, they haven't a clue how to go about it-and thus regrettably, they do nothing.
But they don't feel good about it.

The good news is that its never too late to learn about the machinations of our state legislature-How laws are created and put into effect is something that a lot of otherwise intelligent people are surprisingly ignorant about. unfortunately with the amount of corruption in our states political history it is easy to understand why so many people become complacent about all matters politica; especially on the state level-
With a small investment of time and energy one can easily learn all there is to know about state government and the judiciary. Once we understand how the process is supposed to work then we can explore how it really works and therein usually lies most of our State's problems. In theory our justice system works well, but watch the daily dockets of our cities busiest courts and youll see another story;

The Next step might be organizing like minded neighbors friends family usimg the collective will of the people as a vehicle for change. Like minded needn't equate with sharing the same political views; The issue of crime and public safety should transcend political parties; We all want our families and loved ones to be safe- This is a universal desire and indeed a right, and to that end we must direct our efforts.

Our state legislators are voted in; ASSEMBLYMEN Selectman and Senators, If you don't like the way that your town or city's Representative has voted on bills concerning crime, do not vote for that person in the next election-simple- right?

All sessions ( meetings ) of the Connecticut General Assembly both regular and special sessions-are currently televised on Connecticut's own cable channel - As such, its now possible to keep track of our town and city reps and senators in real time.

Watch the next legislative session, find out what your assemblyman's history has been regarding his/her votes on all bills pertaining to crime, The voting records for all members of the house and the senate can be found online at the State of Connecticut General Assembly website, usually posted within 48 hrs of a given vote. While this is useful information, it doesnt substitute for watching the sessions as they unfold on tv, as well as the subsequent votes; You'll get a much better picture of which legislators are influential which ones dont know what they're doing and who stands where and why. Once you understand the process of lawmaking, you will undoubtedly want to be more involved; Historically organized Citizen action groups have been largely responsible for the advent of a great deal of important new crime legislation such as Megans law, Jessisca's law, and the original california based Three strikes law-several of these laws began as grassroots efforts by family and friends of murdered children. The key is to learn from the past; We dont have to wait until a brutal crime occurs to take action;
the proposed three strikes legislation in Connecticut was a classic example of this. Unfortunately the bill was voted down by Connecticuts largely democratic house of represntatives last year, however several republican legislators have vowed to pick up the baton and reintroduce it in this years session. The more public involvemnt with such bills the more likely they are to become laws.

Do not accept mere lip service from your towns reps re thier stance on crime; many of our current legislators HAVE claimed to be "tough on crime" when they were running for office or re-election, when in reality time after time they voted against bills that would keep violent offenders in prison for longer amounts of time, or they squash these bills before the bill can even make it to the floor for a vote.

Last year in the wake of the Petit FAMILY murders in Cheshire,our Ct Judiciary committee saw fit to pass a bill to abolish the Death Penalty. Despite a public poll that showed a clear pro death penalty choice by Connecticuts residents, The bill managed to narrowly pass muster in both the house and the Senate. If not for Governor Rell's courageous veto of that bill, the death penalty would no longer be viable in the state of Connecticut; In its place, life in prison with no parole would become Connecticut's idea of capital punishment. Most Ct citizens dont realize just how close we came to a criminal/judicial crisis via this proposed Bill.

The reasoning given for the abolishment bill was money. The whole country was in economic crisis as was the state and our judiciary committe thoughtfully came up with the ingenious idea that The state could save lots of money by abolishing the death penalty because built into the states death penalty is an unwieldy automatic appeals process which is extremely time consumptive and costly to the state. (Never mind fixing the problem, lets just eradicate the entire issue. )

There are virtually no limits as to the amount of appeals a death row inmate can file with the courts, thereby creating a virtual endless supply of administrative delays to any actual execution, which by the way, have been so scarce in Connecticut that the last man put to death had to literally sue the state to do so. But thats another story for another day....

Woman, 20, killed in Greenwich murder

This is so utterly horrible and senseless -It breaks my heart and makes my blood boil simultaneously
Why is it that in half of these domestic violence "murder/ suicides" , where a male is invariably the perpetrator, the suicide is unsuccessful but the murder is not? These cowards always manage to successfully murder ( murder being the ultimate control of a person via taking their life) the object of their hate/lust or obsession, and yet they botch the part where they " kill themselves" afterwards?

Cheshire Home Invasion, Triple-Slaying Horrified State -- Courant.com

5 suspects arrested in Darien home invasion - The Connecticut Post Online

Four out of five of these guys are considered minors-unbelievable.

How Do You Fight Evil? - Ethics & Religion

Lawmakers to hold special session in Hartford

Lets all pay careful attention to whether this upcoming special session effects funding for victim services as well as prison sentences in this state.
There was recently some clandestine legislation snuck through the house (piggy backed onto another bill ) which somehow flew completely below the local press radar-- and http://blog.ctnews.com/politicalcapitol/2009/12/11/dr-william-petit-jr-on-the-return-of-re-entry-furloughs-for-prisoners/ The legislation allows for early release "furlough "programs for selected Connecticut inmates- including inmates convicted of so called "lesser" violent crimes; crimes. like assault in the third degree, which on its face may appear to be low level, but when one considers that this charge is only what the person in question wound up convicted of. not not what he/ she was actually charged with and more importantly, committed, then releasing such inmates early becomes a slippery slope indeed. Someone in the general public is now in danger of becoming the "next victim" of this prematurely sprung criminal. Never mind the message that it sends to those who would prey upon others-- Isn't this exactly what happened with the men that committed the Petit family murders in Cheshire? The only difference is semantics - in 2007, the year those terrible crimes happened, the program in question was called "early release program"; it was designed to reduce prison overcrowding and you got it- save money for the state.
The program was halted soon after the Petit murders which brought attention to the dangers inherent with such practices.
Now the state is calling it "early release "furlough": which is in fact a misnomer, as furlough implies a return to the institution at some point in time and as you will note with this program there is no return just a one way ticket out.

After being told that he was being given early release parole in the spring of 2007, Steven hayes, co defendant in the Petit murders, was reportedly incredulous and admitted to friends that he "couldn't believe they were letting him out... but he sure as hell wasn't about to argue with them- ha ha ha. "

Ha ha indeed. As we all know, Hayes, a chronic felon of epic proportions, was given his early release, and he was not shoved out of the prison doors into the "real world" left "hanging" as many members of the Ct legislature would have us believe is the norm and indeed at the root of the states high recidivism rates with newly released prisoners. To which I say- nonsense.

Mr Hayes was helped by the state in obtaining decent paying full time work- incidently fulltime work was a requirement of his parole.

The state further ensured that he had somewhere to live when he left prison, and somewhere that was safe-In his case his mother reportedly gave him yet another chance to start his life again crime free. He was loaned a truck by family members to use for transportation to work and recreation- the latter as it fell within the parameters of his parole agreement which typically requires some kind of curfew and disallows parolees from paling around with other known felons, particularly newly paroled ones when the potential for newly formed criminal alliances is at its greatest. He had counseling available to him in order to help him with the re-adjustment of life from prison to the "normal" lawful workaday world.

But despite all of these tools, assists and opportunities, Steven Hayes chose not to play by the rules like the rest of us and work hard at a job, eventually making more money as experience and time at the job accrued. He chose not to take advantage of the many many fresh starts he was given despite a terrible track record both in and out of prison. Mr Hayes did not want to work for his money-he desired the quick easy money that he could get by robbing others.
And thanks to the states decision to send mr hayes and thousands of other imates to halfway houses after less than a third of already cut short sentences, he now made a new friend with a similar criminal mindset. That friend... johua komisarjevsky.
The two meshed perfectly and no one either in the halfway house or on the outside either family ir friends, discouraged the ill fated union despite the obvious potential for trouble.

Komisarjevsky happen to live in an affluent town among trusting folks that often left their doors unlocked, despite having so much to lose afact that he was quick to share with hayes, a reputed thief of admittedly smaller proportions; supposedly most of hayes smash and grab larcenies were committed to support a crack cocaine habit.
Komisarjevsky was a different species well known by local police since the age of 14, he'd spent his relatively young life setting abandoned buildings on fire and stalking young girls. As he grew older he graduated to perfecting "skills" like advanced breaking and entering a favorite of his was committing break ins while the homeowners were home sleeping in thier beds. He bragged to friends and police that if no-one was home during the robberies it was too boring. This was a missed red flag of grave consequence. There would be many others over the next 14 years or so.

No sooner was komisarjevsky's ankle tracking bracelet removed, then The pair began robbing the nice homes that peppered the well kept streets surrounding komisarjevskys modest childhood home where he still lived with his now elderly parents and his 3 year old daughter borne to an underage girl of 15 (Another red flag missed)

The two men robbed from others who had worked hard for those lovely homes, people who had put the endless hours days and years into a life that perhaps just now was finally beginning to yield the fruits of that sacrifice and labor.
Hayes and komisarjevsky could care less about other peoples hard work- they only saw that others had what they desired and indeed what they believed they deserved. They werent suckers like these people- they didn't have to earn these things- they could simply take them. No matter who paid for it.

And On july 23 2007 At approx 3 am the two broke into The home of Dr William Petit and his wife and 2 daughters, komisarjevsky had spotted Jennifer Petit and her 11 year old daughter Michaela while they were shopping at an area stop and shop earlier that same evening. With a sick plan already hatching in his mind he furtively followed the unsuspecting pair back to thier home.

After sharing his plan with hayes the men purchased an airgun at walmart cutting off its orange tip in order to make it appear more deadly. They brought rope and zipties in order to restrain Mrs Petit and the girls who they planned on sexually assaulting.

By 10 am Jennifer hawke Petit and her two daughters Hayley and Michaela would be murdered. At least two of them would be sexually assaulted and one of them beaten. Dr Petit the lone survivor would be near death from blood loss inflicted by repeated blows of a basball bat-and a town and a state would be mired in shock and grief . The anger would follow.

In the state of Connecticut approxamtely 97% of our criminal cases are disposed of with plea deals This means that there is no trial for these cases. There is instead a deal made between the lawyer for the defendant and the prosecutor assigned to that case; the majority of these deals made in the back rooms and hallways of the courthouse. Many prosecutors are inundated with full daily dockets and to save time and money theyll usually hammer out a deal after a series of monthly hearings, that are really little more than perfuctury protocol.

These plea deals result in lowered charges for the defendant in exchange for a guilty plea to usually substantially lowered charges; This means that charges that are quite serious like violent felonies such as assault in the second degree, winding up through a deal as assault in the third degree or even less ( assault 3 is only a misdemeanor). Or, sexual assault in the third degree involving a child could easily wind up as risk of injury to a minor. And This is assuming the police did thier work well and wrote up a good warrant did not violate any of the defendents rights and that case is relatively strong-- If not the charge (S) may be dismissed outright for " lack of evidence." or any number of other reasons.

Another daily standard practice in our Connecticut courts is the dropping of charges entirely within cases that have multiple charges- ie A defendant might have committed 4 serious charges, yet via the plea deal hell walk away with a conviction" for maybe two of those charges, and remember those charges will usually be lowered charges, at that.

This is all done in the name of judicial compromise mostly for expedience sake. And this doesn't happen in one hearing mind you, the average time frame for the ultimate resolution of a criminal case here in Connecticut is 6 -9 months. The norm is a hearing on the case transpires approx once a month, and it is "continued" until the next court date. This is a means of clearing the docket for the day and in effect procrastinating for the prosecutor and bulking up the defendants bill for the attorneys- lawyers are paid by time and court appearances are billed higher thus each time a hearing is "continued "he/she must show up with his client in front of the judge and the prosecutor, who has usually been talking with the lawyer behind closed doors or on the phone re the case and the general facts involved, announces to the judge that the defense is asking for a continuance while they sort out the facts of the case.

Pretty much Without fail the judge usually gives the prosecutor whatever they re asking for insofar as time and the same with any deal that the prosecutor eventually presents to the judge. Once in a while youll get a tough judge who will override prosecutors, and refuse plea deals that seem too liberal, espcieally for violent crime such as domestic violence and crimes against children.

While this might be acceptable for motor vehicle charges and non- violent drug charges and the like, it is another story altogether when extended to those who commit violent felony's., remember it takes alot to be charged with a violent felony in the first place-For example In the instance of assault two one must severely injure another human being in order for police to charge someone with this crime.

This charge would not result from your typical bar fight nor even your "average" domestic violence incident where someone has struck another person with a fist-these acts would in all liklihood result in an assault 3 charge. which is a misdemeanor- And then accordingly plead down from there to either nothing in a "Nollie," or Accelerated rehabilitation-a ct program for first time offenders which erases the criminal record after a year of compliance. The worst case scenario would be that this offender might receive a lesser charge in a plea deal something like reckless endangerment, that is if they have been convicted in the past of another violent crime.

One can easily see that our states court system already affords too many chances to someone who has committed violent crime, the last thing we need was new legislation that in effect gives some of these criminals a get out of jail early card.

Lets Keep a sharp eye on the states legislators within this upcoming session, and every session for that matter. All sessions are now televised on the local Connecticut cable channel. Watch listen and most importantly-vote accordingly when these people come up for reelection. We must be vigilant in letting our lawmakers know that it is no longer acceptable to treat any violent crime cavalierly. Our lives may someday depend on it.

Delay rejected in Petit Trial

Good news! Last month Steven Hayes's attorneys' asked for a 6 month delay for his trial and today in a hearing in New Haven, the judge said NO.

Thank heavens the good guys finally caught a break, the way this case has proceeded thus far I half expected these guys to get their damn delay; Youll have to Excuse the cynicism but it really seems like the deck has been stacked in favor of the criminals lately but thankfully todays judge had integrity and intelligence and he denied this latest ploy by the defense.

The request was purportedly based upon a book that was recently released about the crimes- the writer apparently met with one of the defendants in the case and indeed based much of the book upon That mans VERSION of the crimes a version which largely implicated the other man insofar as all of the most serious murder charges...naturally.

btw It has been 2 and half years since these murders happened and neither defendant has even begun jury selection-- We've been reading for months that jury selection for Steven Hayes, would begin in janurary 2010. A request by the prosecutor for simultaneous trials for both men was dropped when it became clear that it would a) likely be denied from the already vociferous defense objections, and
B) If it wasnt denied joint trials could be used later as a reason for a possible mistrial by either defense.
So despite the fact that it would have saved the Petit and Hawke families from having to go through the pain and trauma of rape and murder trial twice...they decided to drop the notion of simultaeneous trials in leui of a gurantee that a guilty verdict will mean a death sentence.

It was bandied about that since one of the defendents decided to meet with a writer for the purposes of writing a book about the crimes while there was still a gag order on the case, then he should be forced to go to trial first
-for the record joshua komisarjevsky the man who basically co authored this disgusting book was scheduled to go to trial after steven hayes, but since he changed the climate surrounding the crimes ie the press media and public interpretation---then its ownly right that he should have to live with the negative effects - discernabile or not.


I agreed with this myself but it would appear that Komisrjevsky once again gotten away with breaking the rules. I suppose if he cannot respect the sanctity of human life we shouldnt expect him to abide by the tenets of the court--it just seems as if there should be a greater penalty for purposely manipulating the jury pool in defiance of a court ordered gag, other than a toothless charge of obstruction of justice" which is what has been proposed for komisrajevsky by mr hayes's attorneys.
After all when your facing multiple capital murder charges are you really going to lose sleep over an obstruction of justice charge-probably not.

Early release: Dangerous money-saver? - The Connecticut Post Online

Bad news for Public safety in Connecticut- once again.

State opposes delaying jury selection in Cheshire slayings (with documents)- The New Haven Register - Serving New Haven, Connecticut

This backwards reasoning on behalf of Joshua Komisarjevsky's lawyers, that Steven Hayes's suicide watch for the past 2 years in prison only "proves " his guilt in the murders of the Petit women, is truly astounding. Moreover, the leap that they make that hayes's guilt somehow equates with thier client's innocence, is even more insulting to our collective intelligence.
Its quite clear to me that this "book" that komisarjevsky spoon-fed writer Brian mcdonald, was created with the express purpose of re-vamping public opinion re komisarjevsky and the events that transpired on the night that Jennifer hawke Petit and her two daughters were murdered.
Despite a gag order imposed somewhat belatedly on the case, many facts including copies of redacted warrents were made public, and these facts were damning indeed for both defendents.

The book in the middle of the night which was in effect co-authored by komisarjevsky, was made in hopes of bamboozling the public and thus the potential jury pool -into believing that co-defendant Steven Hayes was responsible for all of the "really bad crimes" committed that fateful night.
The crimes that are in contention are the capital murder charges- these are the only ones punishable by death.

And thrown in the book for good measure is a generous helping of tragic childhood background replete with purported sexual molestation of komisarjevsky at the age of 14, which we have absolutely no way of verifying especially when one considers the chronic manipultive nature of this guy.
Either way the intention of the book is clear; humanize and very nearly excuse the behavior of this man who admittedly raped an 11 year old girl and at the very least largely contributed to the deaths of three human beings.

But What really irks me is the depths to which these lawyers sink in their rabid attempts to save their client from accountability for his own actions. This is not the first time I've heard or read about komisarjevsky and hayes's lawyers verbally assailing the sole survivor of their clients criminal rampage.

But somewhere in the middle of all of this they tryed the soft peddle approach, wooing Dr Petit and other members of the Petit/Hawke families via a thinly veiled letter from a "restorative justice firm" working on behalf of Komisarjevsky and co, which was in effect lawyers on the states public defender payroll posing as well meaning "intermediaries" between the defendent and surviving victim.
The letter offered to answer "any questions about the crimes" that Dr Petit and family might have and to clear up any misunderstandings" There was a name and a phone number of a third party contact proffered.

Dr Petit, an intelligent man, saw through the subterfuge and proceeded to refer the letter to the office of victims advocate as well as pursuing a protective order againt the entire komisarjevsky defense camp in order to block any more attempts at contacting him or his family.

Almost immediately following this, the komisarjevsky lawyers dropped thier schmoozing and did an about face, lashing out at Dr Petit in the press, accusing him of spear-heading a " public campaign to have their client put to death."
This of course only showed up the disingenuousness of thier recent conciliatory posturing.
Oh yeah, and they didn't like that Dr Petit called their client, a man who admitted to beating Petit in the head with a bat"like he was chopping wood" ...an "animal" . within a letter he wrote to the court.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that komisarjevsky has become indignant over someone calling him an animal in a public forum; Last time, it was the prosecutor assigned to the 12 felony charges that he was convicted of several years prior to the Petit family crimes. He was on parole for those crimes when he decided to break into the Petit's home with a plan of sexually assaulting 11 year old michaela Petit whom he had stalked together with her mom at a neighborhood stop and shop.

In the sentencing transcript for that case, which was conspicuously absent from his criminal file, along with most of his pertinent criminal records when the state decided to parole him, one can read verbatim Mr komisarjevsky bitterly complaining to the court that the prosecutor referred to him as" a wild animal within one of his addresses to the court concerning the seriousness of the crimes.

If you read the rest of the transcript, which is available online, you will see that the presiding judge in that case also called komisarjevsky" a cold calculating predator who is a decided threat to the people of Connecticut"

This was clearly a savvy judge who recognized the signs of a dangerous offender whose crimes were escalating. He had intended Komisarjevsky be behind bars for 9 years minimum with 6 years of special parole. Instead, komisarjevsky was in a halfway house within 2 and a half years and paroled after 3. He was in solitary confinement at his own request during most of that stint due to "issues with other inmates'

Fast forward 4 robberies, a sexual assault of a minor, severe battery and three capital murders later and Komisarjevsky is still indignant over being called "an animal"- This time his hackles are up against the man whose family komisarjevsky stalked and hand picked for an evening of rape and robbery( in the MacDonald book as in his confession to police, he readily admits to this .

What is striking here is the audacity of this guy- He is not content to merely sit quietly and await his trial with even fiegned remorse or humility- but rather HE breaks a court ordered gag on the case, writing and meeting multiple times with a true crime writer for the purposes of publishing a book outlining the crimes and convienently placing all culpability for the murders on his co-defendent- steven hayes.

He knows that the book will be published quickly and this fits his motivation perfect;ly; his own trial is scheduled after hayes and this leaves plenty of time for his "version" of the crimes to take ahold and voila- they are transformed into" fact." Even the newspapers and online magazines seemed happy to oblige him, using komisarjevskys claims in the book and laundering them as verifiable fact. Titles like "2nd killer laughed maniaclly as he ran out of the burning Petit home." Not " first killer trying predicably to place blame for murders on his accomplice...."
Not surprisingly all of the " confessions" that komisarjevsky made in the book were connected to facts that were already well established by very prejudicial evidence against him ie nude pictures of michaela petit on his cell phone, phone records from his cell phone placing him at the Petit home and calls to his house and his job on the morning of the murders- clothing with gasoline and dna found on his person as he was caught fleeing the burning crime scene in the Petit family car. And testimoney of police at the scene one of whom witnessed BOTH MEN LAUGHING AS THEY RAN OUT OF THE BURNING HOME.
And in typical fashion he prattled to police detectives prior to lawyering up, a habit he had of almost bragging about his criminal exploits to astounded law enforcement.

Now Anyone who has watched Dr Petit' conducting himself within the pubic forum knows that he and the rest of his family have shown remarkable restraint when speaking of the two men responsible for the murders of their loved ones.
The fact that Hayes was put on suicide watch shortly after his arrest and continues to be on it for over two years, is not only not indicative of his guilt for the murders. as komisarjevsky and lawyers would have us believe, but rather shows me that Hayes, unlike his criminal counterpart, possesses at least some modicum of a human conscience. I absolutely believe that joshua komisarjevsky has none.

Ive concluded from the start that despite his older age, Hayes was the proverbial follower in these crimes, komisarjevsky the instigator -the crimes were his brainchild. He is a sociopath of the textbook variety-remember the hallmarks of anti-social personality disorder are manipulation, deception and a complete lack of conscience. This isn't to say that Socios cant feign these qualities when neccesary; theyll muster up whatever they surmise is neccesary in order to get out of the various scrapes that they get into with authorities and institutions in their lives- be it school, police depts, courts- crocodile tears notwithstanding.

By all accounts komisjevsky is intelligent and articulate and his boyish appearance that belies the criminal mindset beneath. I am guessing that his looks, his youth and his family's respectable middle class roots all combined to help him in escape appropriate consequences all of his life, whenever he was caught disregarding the rules, or the rights of others (another hallmark of the sociopath persona and teens with conduct disorder)

He set an abandoned gas station on fire at 15. He stalked a young girl who he knew from school repeatedly peering in her windows at night. He broke into neighbors homes over and over again. He was found to have stolen personal items from the women who lived in the homes that he broke into. Pictures lingerie clothing-This is a classic sign of the early stage sex offender. Once thought to be fairly innocuous, peeping toms and panty thieves have been exposed as serious pre-cursors to full blown sexual assault and murder.

Many would have served a full ten years for the sheer quantity and seriousness of the last string of house robberies that he committed in 2002. In almost every case the robberys took place at night when his victims were home, setting the stage for possible violent confrontation. Those home owners were violated, they were victims. Komisarjevsky bragged on more than one occasion that this was the only way "he got off" -breaking into empty houses was too boring he claimed. All of these facts, many of which hed shared with local police upon his arrest, should have been red flags for the Ct judicial system, especially the parole board.

to be continued ...

Attorneys: gag order doesn't apply to Cheshire murder defendant The Republican-American

Boy, these lawyers have no shame whatsoever.

Prosecutors Criticize Defense Request For Delay In Petit Slaying Case -- Courant.com

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Rell Asks Correction Officials To Recommend A Prison To Close -- Courant.com

Richard Meehan: Cheshire slayings book pushes First Amendment limits - Norwich, CT - Norwich Bulletin

Very good, thoughtful op-ed piece regarding the controversy surrounding the new book written about The Petit family murders.

Vote for The Petit Family Foundation

Murder in America : The New Yorker

A very good essay that centers around the Petit family murders and thier implication in the bigger picture of our countries violent nature.

Rihanna: 'No Soul' in Chris Brown's Eyes

Despite the fact that this case involved partner violence and all of its trappings I've stayed away from this story for some time because so much publicity was being given to the case and almost all of it the wrong kind-You know,the kind that would seem to delight in the ugliness of the rich and celebrity falling down on their faces, if you will.



But the other day I caught some of the Rhianna interview with Dianne sawyer and I was soon Struck with respect and admiration for this young woman, who despite a very public experience with severe interpersonal violence, managed to defy the worlds expectations, my own included, and extricate herself from her clearly dangerous relationship with Chris Brown and learn some important things about herself through this ordeal.



For a time just following the assault there was evidence that Rhianna had returned to the relationship- at one point being very vocal about her lack of desire or the need for that matter for the protective order against Chris Brown, which the presiding judge wisely ordered despite her complaints for a minimum of one year.
In fact It seemed almost a foregone conclusion at that point that Rhianna had fallen victim to one version or another of the classic " battered woman syndrome", a variation of the Stockholm syndrome ,whereupon victims of abuse are trapped in a cycle of violence and conciliatory gestures aka the honeymoon period following the episodes of abuse. Bear in mind that this is a very pared down and simplistic definition of these relationships, there are many dynamics at play and very often a victim of ongoing abuse has to be deprogrammed in order to truly break away long enough to pull back and view her own predicament realistically. I think that Rhianna, by the grace of god, was the recipient of some serious intervention and thankfully had the strength to listen, and ultimately listened to her own inner voice, which the longer she was away from the abusive relationship, the louder it became.



So today whilst mulling over the aforementioned interview and what I wanted to write about it on this very forum, the abovetitled caption on a webpage grabbed my attention; I was immedietly compelled to read more about this statement re Browns "soulless eyes."
I instinctively knew exactly what that meant.


 I too have seen those "soulless" eyes.

In fact, I tried to describe this very phenomenon to the local area detective who was assigned to my criminal case many years ago; I believe I likened my assailants eyes during and after the attack to a souless animal .human.



As a survivor nyself there were a good many things that I related to with Rhianna but one of the most emotional for me was something that she said about thinking that the assault upon her seemed to " go on and on and on " and she just kept "wondering "when is it going to stop?"


When I read those words, that exact emotional remembrance flooded back, it seemed the crimes had just happened,, rather than the eight years which have passed since then.



To be Continued as  I have a feeling Ms Rhianna is srill stuck in the cycle.

An Obama Relative in China Relates His Own Journey from abuse

Rell's Veto Is A Cruel Blow To Abuse Victims -- Courant.com

Bad news all around here.

Petit Calls On AG To Investigate State Department Of Correction -- Courant.com

Blumenthal: Investigation under way for book on Cheshire murders- The Register Citizen News - Northwest Connecticut's Daily Newspaper

Hallelujah for the good guys for once.