Hayes' lawyer sounds off again- this time tries to inject race issue where none exists!

I actually hope that Thomas Ullmann continues along this vein throughout the rest of this trial because ultimately, he is only helping the prosecution.


 By vilifying himself -( and his client by association who needed no help in that dept) he is losing complete credibility with what seems an incessant stream of baseless verbal assaults made upon the lone surviving victim of a triple homicide that his client has admitted a heavy hand in.



Rule number one for any legal professional representing someone accused of violent crime, particularly capital crimes involving this level of brutality, do not, I repeat, do not go after the victim. And certainly do not "call out" the victim, as it were. It's not only morally repulsive but its bad lawyering to boot.


Now much as I hate to, lets address the crux of Ullman's latest whining to the court:


First of all it should be pointed out that the true intended audience for these ludicrous accusations involving the Petit case, Race, minoritys and the death penalty, is quite transparent:


This whole issue concerning the color of the Petit victim's skin and Dr Petit's income and profession, has reared its ugly head before. And you better believe that Thomas Ullmann is well aware of it: Soon after the crimes occurred in 2oo7, Governor Rell called for a special session of the Connecticut legislature. This session was called based upon the discovery that the two men caught fleeing the Petit murder scene were both on "early release parole "


In both cases, the decision to parole them was made without the benefit of either one's criminal history or case file -only a sheet of paper containing each mans last solitary arrest incident! This, when both men had managed to accrue over 30 felony charges in their lifetimes and over 20 felony convictions each. The disparity between arrest charges and convictions is c/o the plea deal model that Connecticut employs as its first line of adjuducating criminal cases. IE charges dropped within these "deals"


Ultimately, the Petit crimes served as a watershed for long overdue clean- up of some serious flaws in Connecticuts judicial system, particularity within the daily operations of The Connecticut Parole board, who it turns out had been putting the public at risk for years by making life and death Parole decisions, without the benefit of an inmates crimnal records never mind an actual eye to eye meeting with the inmate.



At that time" administrative parole" as it was called, was the norm in the state. This term meant that the inmate who was up for early Parole, did not even meet with the Parole Board members, so that they could have the benefit of asking the inmate key questions and take note things such as eye contact, body language and thus, their overall likelihood of re-offending.
*This method has thankfully changed due to some of the crime bills that evolved from the 2008 crime bill reform sessions.


At this special legislative session ie meeting, called by the Governor, who incidentally is Republican, there were a surprising amount of mutterings from the mostly democratic house members, who seemed to feel that the Petit case, although admittedly "awful and tragic" was getting special attention from the Governor-and The state because... get this : the victims were white, the surviving victim was a doctor, and the family lived in an upper middle class suburb.



I for one, could not believe my ears as I listened to the recently televised legislative session on the local Connecticut Government channel. The reason for this special session was called was specifically to address the overt failings in our judicial/parole system that had led to two men with over 26 felony convictions each, serving in one case merely a third of his sentence and the other case just under a half of his sentence. Sentences, which by the way, were already liberal to begin with, considering the amount, and the seriousness of the crimes that landed these men once again in front of a judge

.

Clearly having no other avenues to pursue insofar as an actual defense, Ullmann recently resorted to his signature pugnacious aggressiveness now aimed pre-trial no less at the survivor of the crimes committed by his client, mostly because Dr Petit refuses to be a good little victim and disappear or at least shut up. Mud-slinging at a man whose families been wiped out in the cruelest fashion is really not a good idea and mostly it attempts to distract from the real issues here.



Ullmann recently declared within the courtroom in front of the news cameras, that had the victims been black or Hispanic, they would already be serving life sentences and the state wouldn't be seeking the death penalty. This is about as irresponsible and despicable as one can get.
Stirring up muck and hatred and indeed encouraging divisiveness between people of different race and color merely for the sake of distracting from his clients guilt is unforgivable.


Did the state not pursue the death penalty against the accused killers of little B.J and Karen Clarke ten years ago ,Mr Ullmann? In case of point, the state sought the death penalty not only for the actual trigger man, but for the man they believed gave the order to kill the Clarke's, as well as the man who drove the getaway car. Both Karen Clarke and her son B.J were African Americans. The whole state grieved for them, most of us who knew the details of the case were furious that as key witnesses in a well known dangerous murder trial, the system didn't protect them well enough. In fact a new law was passed by the Connecticut legislature to ensure proper and complete protection of all private state witnesses, they entitled the legislation the Karen and BJ Clarke law.



And what makes all of this especially ironic is that Attorney Ullmann himself is "an upper middle class white man " who would likely be considered a" prominent member of the community" if God Forbid his family and/or he, were victimized in a similar fashion !
.
I cannot help but wonder if this situation were to present itself, how Mr Ullmann would react if a lawyer that represented the man that raped and killed his wife and children, was employing these same kinds of disgusting tactics?


I think its a fair bet to assume that Ulmann, notoriously combative and napoleonic would show none of the restraint nor class that William Petit has shown  throughout this arduous and cruel ordeal, this is for certain,


In my opinion, how Ullmann has been carrying himself in this case makes him more evil than the killers and rapists that he defends for a living. That said, I highly doubt that Mr Ullmann gives such things a moments thought. Instead he puts his energies into "winning" at any cost: victim baiting, slandering and constant whining would lead one to believe that he was the wronged party, the victim as it were.

In the end it is about crude maneuvers designed to distract from the cetner stage issue- his clients glaring guilt. And within this latest race accusation, he is trying to grab up any support from wherever he can. albeit in a willy-nilly fashion that reeks of desperation.


First its the anti death penalty activists, then minority legislators that feel the death penalty is disproportionately given to minority offenders. While these are valid issues, it would be nice if any of them had a thing to do with this criminal trial. Ullmann is using racially based hate rhetoric that he knows is parallell issue within the Connecticut legislature, as an opportunistic ploy, hoping to sling enough mud in enough directions to a) lessen the public's support of Bill Petit and thereby lessen his power as an extremely sympathetic survivor, victim and activist


 B) draw as much attention away from the fact that his client is responsible for raping and strangling a mother of two,while her children lay tied to their beds within earshot as did Bill Petit crumpled and semi--conscious, bleeding from head wounds tied to a pole in his basement awakened by his wifes moaning..

Does it get any worse Mr Ullmann?


To any decent human being, the mere horror of what Dr Petit lived through,and the subsequent loss of his entire family, children that he nurtured from the time they were born, should warrant at least a modicum of respect -no matter which "side" of the case they are on..


We've seen none of this basic human decency with Thomas Ullmann,.
Bill Petit was a talented endocrinologist before these crimes were committed against him and his family. within the commissions of the crimes, he suffered traumatic brain injury severe blood loss and damage to the delicate inner ear system, causing daily vertigo.


Most of the injuries were due to repeated severe blows to his skull with a baseball bat by one or both of the defendants as they sought to disable the biggest threat in the house. They took a real chance that they could kill him via those blows to the head.


Many people have died from one single punch to the head. \He was beaten as he lay sleeping, so that Mr Hayes and his side kick couod more easily pursue the real prize, the main motivation for breaking into this particular home on this particular night. To restrain, terrorize and sexually assault Jennifer Petit and her 11 year old daughter, Michaela, who were both singled out, stalked and followed home from a trip to the supermarket earlier that same evening.

I have personally watched with great respect and a growing admiration how Bill Petit conducts himself, both with the press ,who are now perpetually staked out in front of the New haven courthouse, beginning with the pre-trials and later- the jury selection, which lasted well over a month.. Something that many people forget is that Bill Petit is a victim himself ,and this is likely because he never speaks of his own injuries which are substantial and long lasting, nor his own personal pain and trauma.



The same crimes that ultimately stole his family, his home and his life also left him with permanent physical injury as well as what must be a severe case of Post traumatic stress disorder. This kind of trauma is something that never truly leaves a person. It becomes part and parcel of every fiber of ones being. Yet despite having every reason to be hateful, cynical and indeed, filled with rage ; rage at the men that committed these cruel and evil crimes, rage against the Connecticut court system and parole board that negligently set these repeat offenders loose upon an unsuspecting public, despite voluminous criminal records that defied the imagination.



Rage against many members of the Judiciary committee and legislature, who rather clandestinely pushed through a bill to abolish the death penalty in the midst of the Petit family case.
Rage against one of the men that instigatedthe killings, for meeting surreptitiously with a writer for the purposes of helping co-author a book about the crimes including graphic description of the brutal assault on the sleeping Dr Petit and the sexual assault of eleven year Michaela Petit.

Rage against the author of this book for seeking to profit from a set of crimes that have not even been tried nor resolved in a court of law. Rage against the Cheshire local library for choosing to put this horrible book upon their shelves, despite a huge outcry and petitioning from all over the state and beyond.

No, despite the crimes and all of these wrongs and other moral insults Bill Petit does not speak with hate, nor rage, though many of us would understand and forgive him if he did. He remains a soft spoken decent man, a man who chooses his words carefully with seeming thoughtfulness, consideration and decency. He does not sensationalize, he does seek pity, he does not hem and haw and he most certainly does not whine - a characteristic that I personally find especially repulsive in Attorney Ullmann.


Which brings me to another of Ullman's nonsense accusations; Bill Petit does not "hold press conferences outside of the courthouse at every break " This was Ulmann most recent strategic lie to the presiding judge-and the Connecticut public at large, because as Ulmann knows that members of the media in the courtroom, record every word spoken at every hearing.


So despite the gag order Ulmann has been using the court as a platform for whatever latest BS he is trying to foist upon the Connecticut public at large- and thus his Jury.


Ullmnn has also tried to demand that the judge remove the gag order from the case, citing his desire to basically have it out and "respond in kind "to victim William Petit's courthouse step interviews. Interviews which are in reality very low key, respectful and cursory at best, a far cry from the perpetually mouthy Ullmann.


Despite the very palpable pain that covers every inch of Bill Petit's countenance these days, he not only refrains from bad-mouthing the attorneys for the men that stand accused of strangling and raping his wife and assaulting and murdering his daughters, he consistently carries himself with a quiet dignity each and every time that the press approach him, including the many inopportune moments when I'm sure he and his family would much rather be left alone to deal with the draining emotions created by days spent in a courtroom just feet away from the very man who raped and murdered his loved ones and burned his home up in the process.


What is likely on Bill Petit's mind these days is an unwavering commitment to a obtain justice for Jennifer Hayley and Michaela and TO continue to carry on their Collective sense of values; idealism, kindness and good works through assisting other victims of violence, mostly within the framework of the non profit foundation named after his murdered family .www.petitfamilyfoundation.org/


Note The Petit family foundation is a three year old charity started shortly after the crimes It has quietly helped hundreds of victims of violence, through projects such as the recent subsidizing of a desperately needed domestic violence shelter within the hartford area. PFF also raises considerable monies for other groups of people who are suffering and in need, many of whom fall between the cracks of more mainstream charities.

Lawyer Criticizes lone survivor of home invasionDr. William Petit -

Thomas Ulman's at it again with his usual pathetic attempts to muck up the waters with comments that are obviously designed to be nothing but inflammatory and anything but professional.
'If the victims were black or latino we wouldnt even be having a hearing today" -- "They ( presumably the murdering child rapists, one of whom happens to be his client) would already be serving life sentences without parole"instead of the state seeking the death penalty against them.The inference here is so dishonest and ugly not to mention transparent in design,that I am more than a bit reluctant to even dignify any of this nonsense with a response, but as this is the
not the first time Mr Ulmann has tried to use hate, victim bashing and racial divide as defense methodology--I am thus compelled no oliged to respond in kind.

At the core of this "case" that Thomas Ulmann is so rabidly engaing himself in is the murder of three human beings,two of whom were veritable children when they were assaulted
then murdered in one of the cruelest ways imaginable.
The names of these victims were :
Jennifer hawke-Petit Hayley Petit and Michaela Rose Petit.
Bill Petit is also a victim of these crimes- he was viciously assaulted WITH a bat from his own
garage and very nearly killed himself within the commission of these crimes.
Thomas Ulmanns client Steven Hayes has as much as admitted full culpanility via his own attorneys offers to plea guilty to the rapes and murders in exchange for a life sentence which would spare his client the prospect of a posssible death sentence.

Not that any of us needed this bit of information to determine Mr Hayes's guilt; He was caught at the murder scene fleeing the Petits then burning home riding in in one of the Petit family cars with Hayely Petits school hat perched atop his head for good measure. He reeked of gasoline "reportedely" Hayes also reportedly confessed to detectives at the Cheshire Police his participation in the crimes including the rape and murder of Jennifer Petit -a confession that Mr Ulmann recently unsuccessfully fought
to make inadmissable at the impending trial for Mr Hayes.
While this kind of thing although unseemly to those of us with morals and conscience still falls within the bounds of what one might
expect from an attorney whose got very few options as it were.
however inventing issues of racial discrimination where none exist simply to fan the flames of some other convienent fire-this is beyond bad behavior beyond

DNA samples urged in NY misdemeanor plea bargains

This is a very intelligent idea that we would do well to follow suit here in Connecticut.
When you think about how many felony crimes are committed in this state every day-serious crimes like aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual assault, criminal restraint, stalking and others, that wind up being dropped from the felonies that were committed - to misdemeanors- within plea deals/"bargains", a process basically used to save the state and the courts-time, money and to avoid trials )

Thats right 98 percent of criminal cases are routinely plea bargained each year; these deals by their very nature are auto pilot compromises" between the prosecutor and the lawyer for the criminal-ie thus the criminalBottom line; that there are thousands of felony offenders walking around this state-(and traveling over state lines)- who though have committed often multiple dangerous violent felonies, with misleading "official "misdemeanor criminal records that lets face it show an entirely more innocuous picture of the actual danger that this person poses to the general public, all thanks to the current plea bargain method of processing even the most serious crimes here in Connecticut. Clearly other states share this quandary, but now New york appears to be now at least trying to fill the holes that are left by thier plea deal system that doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon.
.

Since it looks like plea bargains arn't going anywhere in the near future-more and more dangerous offenders will be let out on the streets with nary a prison term-but worse yet and by far more dangerous-criminal records that do not reflect the actual crimes that they have committed but rather a watered down plea bargain version which always includes certain charges dropped entirely while other charges will be dropped down from felony status to misdemeanor status, thus making the offender automatically ineligible for most repeat offender laws such as California's three strikes law, not to mention aide stepping most states mandatory DNA sample databases, which for the states that even have them, require samples from offenders convicted of felonies only - and certain felonies at that. This leaves a hige hole in our preventative criminal justice system-and an unnesary one at that.

The proposed legislation in New York acknowledges the problems inherent within their courts plea bargain adjudication model- and while they seem to be at once accepting that plea deals arent likely to change in the near future, they are rather shrewly trying to work within the confines of a broken system all in an effort to better protects its citizens Kudos.

Of course the George Orwellian references and decries of Big Brother will soon follow even the mere proposition of this DNA database for misdemeanor convictions albeit those arising from plea bargains with more serious original charges. But as usual the the core issue is at risk of becoming lost in the quagmire; Our judicial systems are broken and innocent human beings, including children- are being raped maimed tortured kidnapped and murdered every single day and in many many instances as a direct result of THE PLEA DEAL.

Petit Foundation gives grant to Domestic Violence Project

Two Triple-Murder Trials Intersect, Six Years Later

This is an article about the Petit family murder trial and the lead prosecutor, Michael Dearington and public defender Thomas Ulmann the latter representing co-defendant Steven Hayes both having squared off once before on another triple murder death penalty case in Connecticut;

Ulmann it turns out is a notoriously high profile anti-death penalty activist - which in my opinion is a major conflict in this case and should have required him to recuse himself or be recused, based on the fact that he is inherently against the very sentencing that is being sought by the state for his client's alleged participation in the Petit family sexual assault kidnapping, assault larceny arsdon and murder case. It's like saying I am against incarceration for anyone no matter what law they have broken yet then preparing what is supposed to be an impartial defense for a man accused of crimes that will lead to incarceration if he is found guilty. How can we believe this attorney's objectivity concerning his clients guilt or innocence when we know that he is on the record as being agsisnst prison sentences, It is imposssible for this man to have a clear head concerning the guilt of his client and as such every legla motion he makes will therfore be suspect as it is likely going to be mere manipulation of the court ie jury/judge in whatever fashion he deems neccesary to 'save this mans life" Like I said conflict of interest and impossible impartiality.

Ulmann's anti death penalty agenda has already been injected into the pre-trial proceedings where the issues should center around his defendents plea which incidenbtly Mr Hayes attempted to change to guilty only to be undone by his own attorneys who tried first to have thier client declared incompetent for trying to plead guilty and accept accountability--- and when that didnt work ie a court shrink claimed hayes was competent) They set about the task of earnestly wearing Mr Hayes down until he acquiesed to thier insistance that he say he wasnt guilty, just so they could" save his life" at the cost of millions of dollars to the state and a heaping of grief and pain onto the loved ones of the victims-jennifer hayley and michaela Petit.
who after all Mr hayes was accused of kidnapping raping and murdering-despite the full cooperation of Mrs Petit who valiently tried to save her daughters lives throughout the ordeal even providing hayes with 15000,00 dollars in cash when hed only asked for 10,000 in exchange for her familys life. A promise hed had no intention of keeping as he turned on Jennifer Petit literally the moment they returned from the bank together-first raping then strangling her. Then with the help of the co-defendent hjosh komisaraerejevky they poured gasoline on the Mrs Hawke Petits body and then the girls who were still alive and terrified tied to thier beds as they were drenched with gasoline in preparation to be burned alive in hopes of destroying witnesses and dna evidence.

Now while It is clear that Mr Ulmann seems to fancy himself some kind of modern day crusader for our states very worst murderers and rapists right to live, this life long crusade is in direct conflict with his responsibilities as head public defender for the state of Connecticut.

It has been made clear that both Ullmann and Jeremiah Donovan , the other Petit crime public defender for co defendent number two, both plan on using anti death penalty sentiment as the main focus of thier defense; they have little else; both of their clients were caught red handed as it were, fleeing the murder scene in the victims family car, not to mention both men confessed in varying degrees of detail to The Cheshire Police, shortly after thier arrests.

Oddly enough, the two murder cases discusssed in the linked article happened over a decade apart and yet they are the only two cases that prosecutor Michael Dearington saw fit to pursue the death penalty for, throughout his 20 year career as a Connecticut lead prosecutor. This only proves to me that Dearington is a steady and fair minded prosecutor who obviously pursues capital punishment sparingly and with great aforethought and consideration as well it should be-this is a grave matter.
He clearly felt that the Petit family crimes pre medidated kidnapping and sexual assaults including that of an 11 yr old child, aggravated assault with a baseball bat, extortion, larceny and multiple murder-- had enough aggravating circumstances to warrant our states rare pursuit of a death peanlty sentence.

Appeals panel considers van der Sloot's confession

Judge allows statements to stand in murder trial of Steven Hayes

As predicted, Judge Blue made as sound ruling once again.

Hayes Wants Cheshire Murder Statements Kept From Jury | NBC Connecticut

The argument over whether to allow the jury to hear Steven Hayes' confession to police following his arrest at the Petit family murder scene will be heard tommorow at a hearing in New Haven Superior court.

Its amazing how voraciously this guys state financed attorny's are fighting for him. Thomas Ulmann in particular has behaved so badly, both as a human being and an attorney from the moment he volunteered to represent this man. He has crossed the line multiple times seemingly taking hayes's defense utterly personally and waging all out attacks on the surviving victim, Dr William Petit in the process. He does so under the guise of anti-death penalty propaganda, posturing as if his defendent is the oppressed and abused here. Thank goodness the presiding judge-Judge Blue seems a very level headed sort who is not likely to be swayed by Ulmanns cheap and purosely-time consumptive theatrics.

Aruba suspect a poker 'punk' to Glouco man who played poker with him

Yet more evidence of this guys generally repulsive personality.
While many sociopaths often have a charming and articulate side, something they commonly will use to manipulate and ensnare victims, I never saw a hint of this with Van Der Sloot, beginning way back when he was the prime "suspect" in Natalee Holloway's disappearance (and suspected sexual assault and murder.)

To me, this kid seemed a typical misogynistic punk, who if anything, relied on his obnoxious' I dont give a sh-t' attitude to attract susceptible girls either drawn to the disaffected bad boy type-- usually due to self esteem problems that stem from father or stepfather issues.

Or the young girl that surmises that 'although this guys is kind of a jerk to most people, he really cares about me and thus I can change him, help him, heal him etc.
You see this sick phenomonon a lot within the endless procession of women who write to pursue and even marry serial rapists and killers after they are imprisoned for horrific brutal crimes against women. Despite glaring evidence that the man is very dangerous and would likely +just as soon kill her if he had one tangible thing to gain as a result, these gals either suffer a severe case of the broken wing syndrome or worse yet the attraction is actually based upon the notion that this man is dangerous, hence the "bad boy phenomonon" rearing its head once again and as before the women in question often believes that the accused killer would never hurt them but a smaller faction appear to be masochists of a particular sort and they are actually tittalated that this man has killed and are somehow excited by the knowledge.

Case in point and maddening to me as both a woman and a victims advocate, Van der sloot has been heard bragging about the- -hundreds ---of letters he recieves daily from women wanting to marry him have sex with him and/or have his child.
Womens attraction to killers is hardly a new phenomonon; Charles Manson, Tex watson, Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez and dozens of other serial killers were franticlly pursued by women who otherwise had led normal and law abiding lives.

There is a well known case in the mid-west where a female public defender assigned to defend a notorious serial killer of young college age women, lost her job as a successful up and comer attorney for the state, because she was discovered to be emotionally and sexually involved with the man she was supposed to be representing.
And it didnt end there. Married to another successful attorney at the time, after losing her job as a public defender, undaunted she set up shop as a local legal consultant and proceeded to leave her husband as well as her children in order to pursue a marriage with an imprisoned man who had been tried and convicted of brutally raping and murdering five young women.
While this is an extreme case it is a perfect illustration of the curious psychodynamics involved with women's attraction to the sociopathic male. But we cannot overlook all of the assistance that family and freinds give to the developing young sociopath:

While his folks would had him masquerading as a clean cut upper middle class high school honor student, drinking and gambling WERE already a favorite past time of Jorm Van Der Sloot by the age of 17, activities that he reportedly shared with his overly indulgent father who seemed to want to be more of a pal than a father prior to the Holloway murder. A Dutch National and an area Judge in Aruba at the time of Natalee Holloway's dissapearence Van Der Sloot died a few years after the frenzy surrounding his and his sons "detainment" by Aruban officials for suspicion in her disappearance.- Jorans dad was suspected of complicity in covering up his sons crime,.after the fact.

Dead from a premature heart attack at age 50 that occurred during a tennis match of all things he was a very active/fit man who happened to be living with the knowledge that his only son has killed a young girl with the whole world watching.

Worse yet was Jorans habit of landing in the headlines for opening his big mouth to various people about Natalee's murder, once even being caught on tape confessing to the crimes to an undercover investigator hired to befriend him and dig for information about Natalee's disappearance.

The world listened to Joran describe in despicable fashion how "the bitch" "started "shaking " while he was sexually assailing her while she was apparently in an unconscious state. the shaking if true was likely convulsing or seizing either from a head injury which is my guess and/or the drug that Joran slipped into one ofNatalees drinks.

A date rape type of drug was found in a drink given to Florez prior to her murder so this would seem a signature move of this thug.

In any event throughout the secretly taped conversation which took place in a car Jo ran appeared not a bit sorry nor guilty but rather disdainful of Natalee Holloway for causing him all this trouble"

My guess is that after his father was gone, Joran Van der Sloot began a spiral into full blown decadence and anti-social personality disorder. He was blooming into this when he killed Natalee Holloway, with the either conscious or unwitting assistance of his father.

The Word is that Joran worshipped" his indulgent father-and why wouldn't he they drink together gamble together and his dad covers up murders for him) but from what I've garnered, there seemed a certain distance between his mother and he, which probably increased ten-fold after the Natalee Holloway crimes.

Although oddly mom still states that she believes Joran was innocent of that first murder, though she admits he probably killed Flores. In fact she has stated to the media that it was being falsely accused of this crime that pushed her son over the edge. Denial can be even worse in upper middle class families where ones own parenting comes into question via their child's criminal or immoral actions.

Reportedly, according to his sometime girlfriend and others, he had been compulsively lying about anything and everything and remember he was in the midst of trying to extort money from Beth Twitty Natalee's mom, in exchange for giving her information re where Natalee's body was. This is likely what led his mother and family to arrange for him to be "committed" to a psychiatric facility" just prior to his taking off to Peru.

An interesting observation I have made is that both victims of Van der Sloot- Natalee and Flores had bold facial features, not unlike his mother.

Van der Sloot showing 'psychopathic tendencies'

Geez...ya think?

Capital punishment endangered The Republican-American

Telling Amy's story

""

Judge's Decisions Pave Way Toward Hayes Trial

A Guide to the Aug. 10, 2010 Connecticut Primaries - Governor, Republican Candidates -

Vote for Mr Malloy for Governor-do not vote for Businessman Ned Lamont-Malloy he supports the death penalty and states that he would veto any legislative bill/ successful vote to abolish it.
Ned Lamont only when pinned down by the media, finally admitted that he would not veto any bill to abolish the DP that the kegisature passed last year. It then managed to miraculously pass in the Senate, much to the Shock and anger of the Connecticut public. Check out the rest of the the primary election results to see where we stand as far as who has moved forward to run.

Conviction for Cheshire suspect can still lead to execution The Republican-American

Two Triple-Murder Trials Intersect, Six Years Later

VOTE TUESDAY: Our guide to the Aug. 10 Connecticut primary

Please read the post below and if you havn't already - Please register to vote Monday for Tuesdays Connecticut primary!

Death Penalty Divides Candidates in Connecticut

Connecticut residents: Please be sure to vote for the candidate that supports the Death Penalty within your local primary on August 10th. If you are unsure of the candidates position on this key issue, go to their official web-sites and/ or call the candidates office base and ask the office directly "Does ____________(the candidate) support the death penalty? Does he or she support abolishment?

The information can also be found on the web with a little research- In the case of the Govornors seat, a key question is will the candidate for Governor veto a death penalty abolishment bill if the Ct legislature were to pass it again? Ned Lamont running for the Governor for example, has stated that he would not veto an abolishment if it were once again passed by the legsilature.

For those of you who have bot been following this issue closely, please recall that a Death Penalty abolishment bill very quietly originated in the Connecticut Judiciary Committee last year and was pushed through to the Connecticut General Assembly from there.

With little fanfare or advanced media coverage, the controversial bill was seemingly slipped by the somewhat stunned Connecticut citizenry and voted on by The Connecticut General Assembly, where it surprisingly pass muster, garnering enough yes votes to proceed to the floor of the Connecticut Senate.

Although both the Connecticut House of Representatives and the Senate are largely Democratic, few people , myself included, ever expected a death Penalty abolishment Bill to pass in the Senate - thoughtfulness commonsense and intelligence has historically been in much more abundance here than within the General Assembly.

But in the end count far too many members of The Connecticut Senate would ultimately surprise and greatly disappoint the Connecticut public, casting a yes vote to abolish the death penalty in the state of Connecticut.

The surreptitiousness surrounding the introduction of the bill was not a surprise; the timing of a bill to abolish the death penalty seemed nothing short of obscene. There had been a protracted climate of tougher on crime attitude prevailing within the state which had begun after a series of seemingly avoidable multiple murders that all started with the Petit family home invasion in July 2007:

Jennifer hawker Petit 48 and daughters Hayley and Michaela were kidnapped assaulted and murdered in their own home by two recently paroled felons both with long criminal records that defied the very notion of early parole.
Only the girls father, Dr William Petit escaped and survived severely beaten in the head with a baseball bat and left tied up in the basement while the men terrorized and sexually assaulted Mrs Petit and at least one of her daughters.

Police apprehended the men as they fled the home which they had just set on fire in order to kill the two girls who they had tied to their beds and Mrs Petits body who had been sexually assaulted and then strangled.

Neither man in retrospect should have ever been granted early release parole-yet the Connecticut parole board had done just that paroling each man 4 months apart, without either one physically present- as was the standard parole custom at the time. Most reprehensible to Connecticut residents was the fact that the decision to parole the men has been made without the bulk of either mans criminal history to guide them in their decision.

The Connecticut public was to discover that this was not an anomaly; reportedly, conflicts over who would pay copying costs for the inmates criminal records between states attorneys offices and the Parole board had resulted in the board making life and death decisions over paroling offenders, without the benefit of most or in some cases- any- of their criminal records/files.

In the case of Joshua Komsiarjevsky, the man who targeted Mrs Petit and her 11 yr old daughter for the crimes, the board paroled him with little more than his last arrest sheet. Komsiarjevsky had been arrested for over 40 house break ins (though only 27 felony convictions officially resulted on his record thanks to the states plea bargain model of crime resolution) The break- ins almost all occurred at night when the home owners were in the home. Komsiarjevsky would later brag that he considered breaking in when noone was home "too boring" and referred to his house robbery/home invasions a form of "extreme sport"

He was paroled after considerably less than half of the sentence that the presiding judge had carefully constructed at his last suntanning hearing. If one didnt count his time at a half way house which is hardly prison, it was less than a third.

After reviewing the multitude and seriousness of komisrajevskys break ins, the judge gave very specific instructions re his sentence which was to include a 9 year prison term and six years of special condition parole. He was in a halfway house after 2 and a half years in prison- (which he spent isolated from the general population due to reported threats from other inmates")

The unusually conscientious judge elaborated about the serious nature of the crimes that this man had committed and the unique potenmtial for violence that he posed to the Connecticut public" He had intended Komisarjevsky to quote "finish with the department of corrections by the time you are 35 years old" "if" he added "you use this as an opportunity to start your life over"
None of the sentencing report containing these admonishments and directives were in the parole boards possession at any time.

He was 27 years old the weekend his dept of corrections tracking ankle bracelet was removed after 3 months. That very evening he was breaking in to homes in his hometown of cheshire, this time with a pal he had met at a hartford halfway house steven hayes. Two days later, Mrs Petit and her children were dead and Dr. William Petit lay in an area hospital having lost his family, his home and all of his belongings. A gifted endocrinologist he has not practiced medicine since the crimes.

Please use your votes intelligently. Find out where your candidates stand on this most crucial of issues and vote accordingly.














.

8 killed in Connecticut workplace shooting

Omar Thornton ,a just fired employee at Hartford Brewing Co in Manchester Ct, decided to bring a gun to work today-Today was the day of a pre- scheduled meeting with Union officials and Company dept heads regarding Omars alleged workplace stealing-- He was shown surveillance tapes that clearly showed the theft and apparent re-selling of Beer. He was let go with no fanfare and no resistance or argument from him. Reportedly Omar even admired the quality of the surveillance tapes.

After the meeting, where union officials had accompanied him and according to inside sources, likely tried their best to save his job-Omar reportedly calmly asked for a glass of water outside the kitchenette, which he was given. This is where he had apparently stashed a gun sometime prior to the meeting. He began a shooting rampage that left eight Hartford Brewing employees dead including his union representative, and many more injured. Although some of the victims seemed specifically targeted, others appeared to simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When police arrived Thornton was alive and had called 911 operators calmly discussing what he had just done and claiming company racism was the reason for it. He also claimed to be the only black employee, though HBC has at least four other African American employees.

When the shooting was over Thornton apparently turned the gun on himself killing himself immediately. He told police operators who tried to mediate " These cops are gonna kill me. - Don't worry I'm not gonna kill anyone else-I'm done."
.

All of the Hartford Brewing Company is in a state of shock and grief. The company boasts a family like atmosphere with most employees of very long tenures. Most of the fatalities were men who were just about to reach full retirement with the company. There were many employees injured as well, and they were taken to area hospitals.

Cheshire Killings Defendant Challenges Death Penalty - NYTimes.com

I saw one this coming a mile down the road - They're really grasping; soory fella's the Supreme court already decided this one, as did our Governor and the people of the state. Not to mention when these crimes were committed the death peanlty was in effect for capital crimes period.
Both Culligan and holigan should no better than to argue the moral and ethical viability of the death penalty in this forum - Itisnt
isnt appropriate
and theyknow it-hence the grasping at straws remark

Case continued for man accused of killing UConn student

These "continuances" will last at least a year, unless the case goes to trial . For once I'd like to see an actual trial over any crime that stops short of multiple murders of a heinous nature -Only this type of case seem to be the rare exception to the plea deal model that Connecticut courts have adapted as their prefferred adjudication method.

And by default the victims of these violent crimes resolved via plea deal, they and public saftey at large- will pay the price for thathuge gap between crime and punishment that results simply by the very nature of these deals.
And to many Connecticut residents surprise lets- make- a- deal- style s often employed in cases involving the loss of someones life.

This young man killed violently at what was the prime of his life .Another man is responsible. That defendant's intent during the assault will become an integral factor in
whatever criminal charge that prosecutors office believes he/she can back up, Ifforced to trial.
Not that this will go to trial the plea deal that sometimes resembles poker as it also involves
bluff, risk and how difficult or cooperative the attiorneys client is-ie the criminal
murderer, assailent et al.
Sometimes it may become about which side can hold out the longest and roll the dice that a 12 member group of strangers will decide favorably for them what ultimate charges and sentence a man accused of killing another should recieve. Mind you this poker analogy implies at least a

modicum of professional adverserialism-between prosecutor and defense attorney,but I must point out that this is decidedly not the general rule in our Connecticut courthouses,which operate more like ineffectual , wasteful crime processing pits with cronyism galore which at
its least malignant includes a mood of cooperation between certain regulars(attorneys well known/liked by the [prosecutors ) and the states attorneys assigned to their cases.

n the end the victim and the victims family pays the price for the huge expanse between the crimes committed against their l;loved ones and the charges and concurrent sentences that are actually handed down within a compromise designed to save the courts time effort and money.

They ll be handed something that does not even vaguely resemble justice and spend the rest of their lives trying to come to grips with how and why society so devalued their child's life
and their emotional devastation and trauma.

Gunman Came Prepared to Connecticut Workplace Shooting

This is absolutely horrible, I cannot imagine this kind of violence occurred over a lost beer delivery job:

The Hartford Brewing company in Manchester Connecticut is in a state of utter shock and despair today; they lost nine employees - nine friends really, as by all acccounts this was a company with a very close knit familial-like workplace.
As more details emerge about Omar

I will be praying for the survivors, the victims and the victims families. Rest in Peace.

Anita van der Sloot will not visit her son in Jail

Finally, some responsible behavior from the now sole- parent of a serial killer. And yes, I strongly suspect this man has killed other women that have yet to be discovered or officially announced.

Perhaps if these same parents had not propped up and protected their son after his last...um mishap with the law ( facetious reference to Natalee Holloway's murder -I do not mean this disrespectfully to Natalee or her loved ones ) the murder of Stephanie Flores might very
well not have happened.

I see this again and again with killers of this ilk: Born to middle class or upper-middle class families, their parents commonly will not only refuse to hold their "children" responsible or accountable for crimes that they commit throughout their lives, but indeed, aid and abet them in escaping culpability when invariably caught by school and/or criminal authorities.

This behavior often begins in tween/teenage years, typically starting with acts less serious than murder. Chronic lying and conniving behavior, Physical assaults on peers, girlfriends or even family members, fire-starting, vandalism/break-ins/thefts, and sometimes cruelty to animals - Any of these are clear signposts for the young sociopath in the making, who usually evolves from what is known as" conduct disorder" or " oppositional-defiant disorder" (ODD) the designation for such by the psychiatric community when a child is under the age of 17.
These formal diagnosis' will too often go formally undiagnosed, largely due to parents entrenched in a thick denial regarding the seriousness of their child's issues ( at least denial toward the outside world.) and at times parents will even be found repeatedly covering up/lying for the child/teenager/young adult.

Within the home, the issues might be openly or quietly discussed and hand wringing may abound between parents and other family members- but when it comes to the world outside the home, parents can perceive their children's negative behaviors and actions as a possible reflection on their parenting, and their families ?name" and thus, if they are forthright and honest about their child, they risk being judged .

It then becomes even more important to deny deny and deny some more and when even that becomes impossible, the excuse making and outright covering up for the problem child begins. Likely this is the point where Joran Von Der sloots father found himself on the night that Natalee Holloway disappeared. Now, what began as over indulgent father permissive who too often looked the other way,denial, and irresponsible parenting turned deadly with the then teenage Joran. We have heard many attestations that Joran was a pathological liar and no doubt he lied to his mother about the circumstances surrounding her death and his involvement with it but many of us have suspected that Joran might have shared much more with his father that fateful night with his father perhaps even being complicit after the crime in some clean up of the crime scene. This was always my feeling and when his father died of a heart attack just a few years after the crime I was not surprised as the weight and stress of knowing your own child has killed someone - well that can do great damage to the psyche and the body of a person with a conscience-ie a non sociopath and I believe he was just that-but a weak man an irresponsible parent and human being none the less.

I see this over and over again with men who wind up becoming rapists and murderers. When tracing their histories you will so often find this same brand of parental denial and even shielding of the "problem" child / teen and later, even the young adult. I find it reprehensible because I recognize that many of these murderers in the making could have been stopped dead in their tracks with proper intervention by parents and the legal system - the very first time they are caught committing an act of criminality.

I've given it a lot of thought and consideration and spoken with many parents about this, posing it as a hypothetical real life moral dilemma that they would have to face in their own lives.
I have queried my own mother at length, as to what she would see herself doing if first off I were a son, rather than a daughter, and had been accused of committing an act of criminal brutality against a vulnerable person resulting in serious harm or death--Would she stand by me no matter what I did because "I was her flesh and blood" and more importantly would she help me to escape accountability by doing things like posting bail and hiring expensive attorneys, investigators specialists and the like----?

Well first there is the issue of getting to the truth of what happened, as the Jo ran Van Der Sloot's of the world like Joshua komisarjevsky, are not likely to come clean with their parents about committing an act of terrible violence against a defenseless person. Although sometimes when caught dead to rights with witnesses or irrefutable proof , the sociopath will spin some tale of self defense or "accidental" scuffle resulting somehow always with the victim- a woman-falling and hitting her head - or--breaking her arm---or catching ans elbow in her eye.

The Point is, murderers are not made overnight - they evolve. And in that evolution various people have influence over that "problem" child turned adolescent turned young adult.
And it is obviously crucial what role parents other relatives police and judges take at the very first signs of conduct disorder or serious oppositional-defiant disorder-both disorders flashing neon lights that a child or teenager is likely to develop full blown anti-social personality disorder- ie sociopath, aka psychopath, if no intervention is taken.

And even then SOCIOPATHS are considered incurable, but some kind of intervention is appropriate especially in children and teenagers who have not yet crossed the boundary of maiming someone or taking another life. Treatment is aimed n hopes of moderating the worst symptoms -the ones that involve hurting others, breaking laws and running havoc upon other peoples lives ( ie con artistry is another classic sociopath trait)

And to clarify here: anti-social personality disorder does not mean this person is not "sociable",or social - as some people mistakenly believe, taking the dam's definition literally ie DSM diagnostic statistical manual 's for what is also referred to as a sociopath.
In fact, many of our worst sociopaths that wreak the most harm and havoc upon lives and the world at large, can be somewhat to very charming, when they wish to be, iie think ted Bondy,Charles Manson David koresh etc: Along with that charm comes a high level of manipulation and deception also part and parcel of the Sociopath M.O.

Police: Missing Teen With Registered Sex Offender

A Boston Defense Attorney Reviews A Deadly Case Of Domestic Violence

A quality blog and an insigtful post.

Prison Books Bring Twist to Connecticut Killings

Soldier charged with killing wife, daughter

Yet another horrific domestic violence double murder/attempted suicide, with the murderous husband surviving, while his wife and infant daughter did not. How can one shoot an eight month old infant - much less ones own child-this boggles my mind and breaks my heart.

The scariest part of all of this is that cases of this nature seem to becoming more commonplace rather than more scarce. You would think that as education and public awareness campaigns increase, domestic and partner violence would decrease - it isnt.

Unfortunately in these kinds of famicide/ suicides, the only thing that can really stop them from happening is better protection for women who have had a history of being abused by their husbands or partners . And this means whether the law was involved or not, whether charges "stuck" or not in past incidents. As they traverse the statistically very dangerous time period during and following separation and/or divorce this is often when the enraged husband or former partner realizes he is losing or has lost- "control" of his wife and thus his children, the twisted thought occurs to him that if he can no longer control them, he will end their lives. This is seen as the final act of control.
And then often they try to kill themselves and somehow they often botch that part up of the plan-and they wind up merely injured, as was the perpetrator in this story.

While I realize that it is not monetarily feasible to give these women 24 hour police protection -although it would be wonderful-we must find better ways to intervene both socially and legally on behalf of abused women who are going through separation or divorce-as well as the dangerous months following either. I cant tell you how incensed I become reading about these same kinds of murders week after week after week.

Whether we raise the monies privately through public awareness fund raisers and charitable donations... or we solicit the money from already existing non profits that deal with the cause of domestic and partner violence, one way or another we've got to become more involved, more savvy and ultimately more responsive towards these at risk women and their children.

I am reading about far too many of these senseless murders or attempted murders that society i(e friends acquaintances neighbors relatives ) and the law should have seen coming and could thus help prevent. As conscientious and caring human beings, we must do better.

Prison Books As Incriminating Evidence In Triple Murder Case - Gothamist

Don't get me started on this...

Petit 5K: Almost 2,000 runners in the streets of Plainville - Running Around in Connecticut

Hurrah for The people of Plainville Cheshire and the surroundin environs-on one of the hottest most humid days of the year, 2000 men women and children showed up to participate in the third annual Petit family foundation 5K race sponsored by GE and introduced by NBC THIS YEAR FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!


No actual numbers are in yet but it appears to be that a good deal of money was raised and lots of folks are going to be helping victims of violrmt crime, as well as people sufferring ith chronic illmss and other great causes@

The GE 5K Road Race

Third annual Pettit family road race tommorow!

Hearing for Steven Hayes co defendent Petit murders today

A lot of important happenings in today's hearing for Steven Hayes, co-defendant of the Petit family assaults and murders that occurred in July 2007. The hearing centered around the admissabiltiy of Hayes confession to Police following his arrest at the Petit family murder scene on Sorghum hill Drive in Cheshire.

Joshua Komisarjevsky, the other man arrested with Hayes as they fled the then burning Petit family home , (driving the Petit's family car no less) will be tried after his pal Hayes' trial has ended. Considering how time consuming Connecticut's voire dire processes alone are, Komisarjevsky's trial will wind up starting in 2012, if were lucky.

The bottom line is that Connecticut must create laws that place clear cut time parameters between when a violent crime occurs and when it is actually tried and resolved in a court of law. And although the logical assumption would be that this issue is primarily about fairness to the victims and the families of crime victims there are even more important and far reaching reasons for limiting the time between arrest and resolution of these cases.

As a survivor of a violent crime "handled" within a well known Connecticut court, I have a unique perspective on just how grievously damaging a lackadaisical judicial pace can be to the ultimate adjudication ( ie sentencing) of a violent crime case. As well the effect of these inordinately long lapses can be far more deadly than Connecticut residents could possibly imagine. (This brings me to one of my signature asides ..._)

While its easy enough to use terms like " adjudication, judicial resolution criminal case" et al
and clearly I myself do it--reflexively at times as does mainstream media and legal professionals alike, really all we're doing is antispeticizing a very unpleasant and upsetting subject--- And In doing this, unwittingly we wind up dehumanizing the victims of violent crime.

At least unwittingly in the case of well meaning writers and media members, whereas conversely the attorneys that defend violent criminals are more purposeful in thier attempts at antisepticizing what is at the core of these words and thus thier clients actions, they have an agenda-this is a different matter altogether.

In either case the fact is that what are behind these words are actually brutal and horrific acts of violence, committed against innocent human beings. Its easy to forget when reducing crime with such verbage, particularly for those who work in the courthouses everyday, what is actually at the heart and soul of those cases and all of the legal-speak that swirls around them.
Pain. Terror. Beatings, rape, suffering, torture and brutal and horrible deaths. THIS is what violent crime is about.
It is so much more than " a case."

Now where I left off.
My own violent crime case was "resolved" via a "plea bargain" -- nine and a half months after the crimes happened.-- Nn big surprise really when 97 to 98 percent of all criminal cases in Connecticut, including crimes like felony assault, aggravated rape, kidnapping and murder - are resolved by such plea bargains daily . Plainly speaking States attorneys in our Connecticut courts do not like to go to trial: they will typically pursue a trial only for the most high profile and/or heinous crimes or when the state has a strong case against a violent criminal who refuses to plead to anything "+reasonable", or anything at all, no matter how reduced the charges nor how many of his or her multiple charges are offered to be dropped completely within the proposed deal.



And when these charges are dropped within multiple charge crimes it is not because the criminal didnt commit that crime nor even because the state feels that that particular charge is iffy or wont hold up under the scrutinization of trial, no crime dropping within multople charge cases is done automatically, little to no logic behind it simply for the sake of "the deal." ie 'I'll drop this one and this one and lower these two to lesser crimes and voila youve got a plea deal and a violent crime "case" resolved, albeit leaving a criminal record that does not reflect what this criminal has actually done in his criminal past, thus his criminal file is terribly misleading and this often leads to more victims in this criminals future.

In other words when someone they've got dead to rites who wont "play ball."
In situations like these the prosecutor is pretty much forced to go to trial, and usually not happy about it; time consuming preparation for violent crime trials all take extrordinary effort, and unfortunately plea deals have become such a rote practice in our courts that if a prosecutor can get paid to do their weekly plea deal grind, why cause themselves a ton of extra work?
Unless it is a case that by trying and winning could elevate their profile and career. Also remember that many prosecutors and or thier bosses, are on specific career paths that might involve political aspirations or a vertical climb up the states attorneys ladder or often judgeships.

This complicates things even more for the victim and or thier family members, sullying up the "case" with yet another agenda, the attornys for the defense clearly have thier own agendas but the prosecutors are supposed to be the "good guys" they are in fact the sole voice for the victim within the entire judicial process.
.
This 98 percent plea bargain ratio creates more than one danger, making things even more problematic becomes the lack of trial experience that most of our Connecticut prosecutors actually have,(largely due to plea bargains and rarely trying cases) they find themselves at a distinct disadvantage when forced to compete against a well practiced trial lawyer who spends his or her life in the courtroom, often defending the most brutal murderous sociopaths-and "winning" As such is it no surprise that the majority of our state courts have become: little more than watered down revolving door plea "Deal" mills.

.As I said, the practical reasons for resolving criminal cases within a minimum time period are multi-fold and surpass simple consideration to the victim and victims family. Frst of all, time is a friend to the defense, anyone familiar with crime and the law knows this. Time tends to " heal" and part of this so called healing is merely the body and minds way of dealing with severe trauma, without completely shutting down.

So our memories soften a bit about the edges, our anger and loathing towards the criminal might even lessen a hair, if only to preserve our own sanity, for it tends to literally sap the soul to relive these violent happenings in our minds along with the accompanying shock pain and anger that is inevitable.

Moreover our memories fade, even if it is in imperceptible amounts, as does our desire to quote "get on with our lives" something that defense attorneys count on and manipulate to the utmost. By the time a felony assault, sexual assault, or kidnapping is finally "down to the wire" time wise in Connecticut an average of 11 months have passed.

Meaning; the judge presiding over the succession of "hearings" where the case is merely officially "continued" at the prosecutors formal request usually for another month or so at a time, And this for no other discernable reason than to procrastinate as the two "sides" consider the details of the case, beef up the lawyers bill with multiple court appearences, and of course clear the days court docket. And this is only when the victim survives, and the case is eventually resolved by plea bargain- meaning -again-no trial.

In murder cases such as the Petit family assaults and murders, if the case proceeds to trial, which it inevitably will, the average time lapse between the crimes and the trial itself is ridiculously long. This keeps surviving victim Bill Petit and his families in a state of chronic suspension both emotionally and physcially. Many people forget that Bill the sole survivor of the home invasion was seriously assaulted within that cluster of horrible crimes, he easily could have died of his head injury and blood loss.

There are laws protecting those who are arrested for committing violent crimes. As such it is only logical that there be parallel laws protecting the victims of these same
crimes. Instead, victim survivors of the most brutal crimes are supposed to rely on a loosely defined basically toothless bundle of so-called "Articles of victims rights" Entirely ineffectual and moot, they are not in fact laws, but rather a sort of .....guide - you might say.
Meaning, there is absolutely no viable recourse when these so called rights are infringed upon or directly violated as is so often the case in Connecticut's criminal courts.

And so you might ask as a concerned Connecticut resident and a compassionate human being - What can we do ?
Well for one thing, we can pay close attention to how our Connecticut lawmakers have voted within their terms on any and all issues related to crime and justice, particularly violent crime.
All legislative " sessions" ie (meetings) are now televised on Connecticut's local cable network And as such, as citizens we now have a real window into the machinations of our states lawmaking processes, as well as individual legislators personalities and moral and professional integrity- -taking into account of course any mugging for the cameras, but still.. .if one watches carefully, there will always be that moment when even the most polished legislator lets down his/ her guard and forgets that the session is televised and shows his or her true colors for a moment or if we're lucky- an entire diatribe.

These legislative sessions are a must see for anyone who has a TRUE interest in how laws are made in our state-and how laws are not made as the case may be. They are regularly scheduled and posted on our Ct Gov website. Make it a habit to begin viewing them-many of you will be awed by the general lack of genuine sensitivity and insight re victims of violent crime, at times shamelessly on display in our Connecticut General assembly.

So many well meaning citizens simply don't realize or forget that We CAN use the power of our
collective VOTE to help oust area lawmakers who vote against toughening laws and prosecution measures and accordingly vote for the candidate that supports tougher sentencing, tougher laws and victims rights.

We mustn't be lured by rhetoric that accompanys voting season:Connecticut legislators crime bill voting history must back them up, especially when it comes to crucial issues like whether or not to keep the state death penalty or to reform it and common sense issues such as whether the recent limited state funds should be spent on social programs for prisoners or for assisting victims of violent crime. (This year for example many victims programs were cut back at a time when high ranking judiciary committee officers are lobbying for multi-fold programs for inmates from access to more computers and free college education to elaborate re-entry programs.

Remember being dedicated to making Connecticut a safer state might mean crossing your political party's lines in the voting booth. This is something I myself, a registered democrat, have done and encouraged others to do when the need arises. Public saftey is more important than partisan politics.

Peru judge rules Van der Sloot confession valid

Defense In Cheshire Case Wants Hayes' Alleged Statements Kept Out Of Trial - Courant.com

LI veterans cheer relaxed rules for PTSD benefits

Thank Goodness. Its about time!

Interesting comment on Sreven Hayes and The Petit Family Murders

The mini-essay below is an actual readers comment plucked from the Hartford Courant's article about the latest in the morally repugnant pre-trial tactics of the defense attorneys for one Steven Hayes: Hayes, you'll recall is the older of two "co-defendants" caught red handed in the kidnappings, assaults and murders of Jennifer Hawke Petit and her two daughters Hayley and Michaela - 17 and 11 years old respectively..

Let me preface this by saying that I am not easily impressed by most readers comments, particularly those found in the Courant, as they are often of the over the top zealot variety.
You know the type... "skip the trial these *%@#!**''s were caught red handed ! Torture them, and set THEM on fire in the town square" That type of thing.

As much as I can identify with the rage and frustration in some of these comments, we have a system that is designed to protect the innocently accused. And as such, we must therefore go through the necessary machinations with even the glaringly guilty, however difficult it is in light of what they're clearly responsible for - and we have to do so humanely.

So while I can understand the wish to impart and eye for an eye to men who have raped murdered and tortured women and children, outlining these desires in a public forum only serves to muddy the waters and can even discredit those working towards responsible judicial reform in this state - Reform which could prevent another set of crimes such as those that befell the unsuspecting and innocent Petit' family on July 23 2007. Only William Petit, who sustained repetitive traumatic brain injury and severe blood loss in the attacks managed to survive by breaking his hand binds and hopping up his cement cellar steps to a neighbors garage as his home went up in flames.

The reforms would include not setting loose dangerous repetitive felony offenders like Hayes and Joshua komisarjevsky out of prison or halfway houses on "early release parole" for any reason. Time limits on pre- trial "preparation periods" Shortening the huge time gap between when a violent crime is committed and when it is finally resolved often years upon years later in a court of law. This key reform would afford victims and their families the same right to a speedy trial that is guaranteed to even the most brutally violent offenders caught in the act - as it were.

Distinct and sensible limits on the amount of death penalty appeals a defendant may file as well judiciously confirmed legally sound reasons for any granted appeal ie new evidence or Just cause-- to appeal capital crime convictions. This would replace the extremely expensive file an appeal just to drag out the process and spend money system that we currently employ here in Connecticut.
.
The very first Appeals on death penalty cases believe it or not are currently automatic here and then limitless in the number of times an inmate can re-appeal
And these appeals are a big factor in why no murderer actually receives the death penalty in Connecticut. This sentence itself is extremely rare proving that we are a moderate discerning and careful people It is rarely pursued by the state to begin with and handed down by a jury or judge in the very worst of the worst aggravated murder cases where evidence is overwhelming and various other crime criteria exists.

Last year the Connecticut Judiciary committee clandestinely lobbied and then voted on a bill to abolish the death penalty, initially citing the large amount of money that it would save the state.
Read this to see why this is nit the case
Amidst much protestation by the actual citizens of the state ( A timely Qunnipiac poll proved that 68 percent of the state are want to keep the death penalty) the Death Penalty abolishment bill actually passed muster albeit by the slimmest of margins, in the house and the Senate. The latter had a much closer vote margin.

Thankfully, as she had assured the people of Connecticut Governor Rell exercised a rare veto on the Bill.The governor, a minority Republican has announced that she will not seek reelection in the coming term- this leaves us with a quandary that may cost many innocent lives. The divisiveness over the death penalty abolishment was not strictly partisan-- some thoughtful and independent thinking democratic legislators did vote against the bill, but the judiciary and the house spearheaded by Mike lawlor and co. did their best to sell the bill to every democratic assemblyman as " the inevitable " citing that if Connecticut wanted to join their progressive new England counterparts we better follow suit and abolish. Ugh.
Clearly, I could go on and on. The Comment is in bold italics below.


This Is Steven Hayes' Definition Of Inhumane?

For a guy who was supposedly being mistreated in prison, the slightly thinner, newly bearded Steven Hayes didn't look as bad as one might expect.

Granted, it's been about a month since his lawyers claimed one of the two men accused in the brutal 2007 Cheshire killings was being treated inhumanely after his recent suicide attempt. And everyone agreed that conditions have since improved, so jury selection is tentatively back on for March 15.

But after hearing the details of his care in a prison infirmary, all I kept thinking was:

What kind of Ritz accommodations was the defense expecting ?

Twenty-four-hour lighting could make it hard to sleep — but the guy hoarded pills and tried to commit suicide, so you can't blame the Department of Correction for wanting to see what the guy's up to. What would his defense team say if they weren't watching and the next time he tried he was successful?

And sure, rationed and supervised toiletries can take a real toll on a person's appearance — but, again, they can't responsibly leave sharp objects around him. It's not like they're not letting the guy brush his teeth.

In fact, I was really hard-pressed to see how any of the precautions the DOC was taking to prevent Hayes from harming himself qualified as inhumane. The guy's cell at MacDougall Correctional, many joked outside the courtroom, is bigger than most offices and cubicles. He's got a prison counselor assigned to him and a psychiatrist who could probably do him a lot more good if Hayes' defense team wasn't advising him not to talk to her, as Dr. Suzanne Ducate testified Tuesday.

And apparently her services aren't the only thing Hayes has declined. He's also declined exercise and, at times, showers and electric clippers, as evidenced by the scraggly beard he was sporting at the hearing.

Look, I understand the importance of due process. And as hard as it might be to swallow, we shouldn't torture prisoners — no matter how brutally and senselessly they've tortured their victims.

But what gets me is how twisted into knots the system gets to ensure that a prisoner such as Hayes isn't being mistreated, while endlessly torturing an innocent family with justice delayed.

Those lights, which have since been dimmed, kept coming up during the two-hour hearing that at times was somewhere between absurd and vulgar. Between those lights and the 15-minute checks by DOC staff, his lawyers claim, it's nearly impossible for Hayes to get any sleep.

But before these proceedings are delayed any longer, perhaps everyone should remember that Hayes isn't the only one with that problem.

Outside, Dr. William Petit Jr. reminded reporters how very little rest he and his family have had since his wife and two young daughters were brutally killed.

It really is about the delivery of justice for two cold blooded coward killers who stole the lives, raped, and abused an entire family. They had ample opportunity to stop and leave. But they didn't choose to do that, they had to take it to the ultimate end.

I don't care in the least about what kind of childhoods the cowards endured, that led to the execution of a good and loving family. Another words - don't tell me about the extenuating circumstances! Or the light in his eyes while he tries to sleep, or being in a safety smock - we want to keep you alive coward. We want to see justice done - not on your terms, on ours. And because you tried to exercise your cowardly rights via suicide, you now must be protected from yourself - thus the lights on and the physical restraints.

I truly wish that we could perform a memory transplant of the horrors they committed, from Dr. Petit, let's download it to the cowards' brain, if we could do that, I might settle for 'Life Without Parole'. But since that technology is currently unavailable, only the ULTIMATE sentence will allow Dr. Petit to possibly have some peace, at last.

Not a perfect solution, but better than knowing the cowards are working out in an exercise yard on a daily basis. Having 3 meals a day, and sleeping well...

www.courant.com/topic/hc-ubin...3680529.column/

Third Annual GE 5K Roadrace presented by NBC!

Only 18 days until the 3rd Annual GE 5k Roadrace presented by NBC, visit www.petitroadrace.com/ to register to run or walk, ages 7-18 at GE Woodford Ave Plainville Ct!

Vandersloot vows to "paralyze the process" re his Florez murder

This guy sure picked the right country to kill someone in - it turns out that there is no death penalty, nor even the possibility of a life sentence with no chance for parole for the crime of murder in Peru! What the heck is this about- don't they value human life?!

And for that matter what crimes do carry the possibility of life with no parole, if murder doesnt? What do you bet its reserved for crimes related to stealing ie the ever important MONEY, or betraying the GOVERNMENT, like robbing a bank or espionage. This certainly doesnt bode well for the government of Peru - we cannot blame the people however, any more than we would want to be blamed for our countries judicial system's flaws. Our justice system is bad enough, hijacked as it is by morally bankrupt defense attoenys, rationalizing all under the umbrella of the by now totally prostituted "every defendent has the right to a fair trial ".

Triple murder courtroom to stay open: Hayes statements will not be sealed- The Register Citizen News - Northwest Connecticut's Daily Newspaper

Good. This issue regarding Hayes's statement is a big plus for the prosecution

Say NO UNITE AGAINST VIOLENCE ON WOMEN

Dear Friends,
Say NO - UNITE, a global web initiative of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is highlighting the daily violence faced by women in conflict zones this month. You often write on issues related to women’s lives, and have written about Say NO in the past. The issue of sexual violence impacts thousands of women across the world.

WHY: Women hardly ever fight the world's wars, but often suffer the most from it. Every day women and young girls are targets of sexual violence: in IDP camps, when they go to school; on the streets outside their own homes; and even when they step out to get water or firewood for daily survival. But they have little say when peace is negotiated! Less than 10 percent of people who negotiate peace deals are women.

YOU can help change this. Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign is highlighting the urgent need to make WOMEN COUNT FOR PEACE. You and your readers can help by signing the Petition and sharing this information through your blog, on Facebook and Twitter. See some sample messages that you can post!

Click below for news, photos and updates. If you use any of the photo materials, please credit them to the Photographer or UNIFEM.

·
www.saynotoviolence.org/say-no-around-world/news
Hear the voices of women affected by conflict

· See women peace activists at work

Please let me know if you would like more information about this initiative.

Sincerely,

Urjasi Rudra

United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)





Urjasi Rudra

Coordinator, Say NO - UNiTE to End Violence against Women

UNIFEM, New York

304 E 45 Street, NY

Email: urjasi.rudra@unifem.org

Judge Blue Rules Petit murder case: remains open

A strike for the good guys!

Steven Hayes Defense Team Wants To Close Hearings - Hartford Courant

Hayes' Lawyers Want the Courtroom Closed

Just How far does the arrogance go with this defense team?

Hayes wants to plead guilty in Petit murders

2010 Petit Family Foundation Golf Tournament- powered by SmugMug

Another great event helping raise money for victims of violence sponsored by the Petit Family Foundation!

EXCLUSIVE DOCUMENTS;The Official Police File on Stepahnie Fiores murder

WARNING: The contents in the above link are not for children, those easily disturbed, or weak of heart.

The only reason that Chasing Justice is linking to this police file which contains private details of a young women's brutal murder, is an essential one; To raise awareness, to educate, particularly women and teenagers of a certain age, to understand what can lie behind a seemingly normal looking young-(or middle aged for that matter) man,

Clearly in the above mugshot photo of Joran Von Der Sloot - evil is clearly showing in all its abundence--But remember this picture was taken within mere hours after he beat and stabbed Stephanie Fiorez to death. We could thus expect such a recent horrific deed to be transparent upon his normally somewhat attarctive boyish young face. When you look at the photo of Vondersloot within the Post below - that Joran vondersloot is likely closer to the face that he first presented to Stephanie Fiores leading her to decide that he "seemed" and appeared well dressed, attractive, probably articulate educated....and thus trustworthy-at least trustworthy enough to have a nightcap in his Hotel room,
No doubt poor stephanie was given a ruse of some kind to lure her to vondersloots room I dont doubt this for a moment; There something he wanted to "show her -in his room, on his computer, something anything that sounded legit enough to steer this naive young girl into a position whereupon he could sexually assault her.and /or kill her .
And tragiclly that is exactly what he did.

I believe that this is not merely the second time that Von der Sloot has killed: I am certain that there have been other murders that the authorities may or may not presntly link him with or ever link hin to. And sadly, the outcome of these hypothertical crimes will likely depend on the victimology-ie her life profile; whether she was a prostitute or a schoolgirl, was she from a poor or middle class or well to do family? What country or jurisdiction did the rapes and or murders happen in, and lastly how inept, adept or even corrupt that local police department is/was in the area where any crimes might have occurred. While this is all admittedly supposition, all of the indicators point to an evolving serial killer of women and or girls.
Ler us jointly pray that any other murders rapes or abductions committed by this man, become revealed as soon as possible, and that Justice be served for the sake of the victims and their family and loved ones. And a prayer for Stephanies family to find comfort, strength and courage throughout their grieving and the ensuing judicial process which can be arduous here in the states though I am not yet as familiar as Id like to be regading Peruvian law. I do know that they do not have a death peanlty and I am certain that vondersloot was well aware of this fact and indeed chose this place for his next crime with this fact in the forefront of his predatorial self preserving psyche.

Evil in the form of predators does not typically announce itself as such-- In fact, the predator with a personality disorder is ever mindful of the need to pass themselves off as "normal".and indeed can often be superficially charming.
Subterfuge and manipulation is at their very core of their existance and What they all have in common is usually life- long patterns of lying, decption manipulation conning And
parasitic lifestyles.

Ironically many socio's will often play the victim, Even while being prosecuted for brutal murders rapes and other less severe but equally destructive crimes like stalking, assault, extortion, blackmail and a host of other crimes that almost always involve people thar are much more defenseless than themselves; the proverbial bully who wishes to control and demean women-and murder is of course the ultimate control:


him and flys into a rage when he cannot-this is also a classic feature of the personality diosorders-a group of mental deviations-not to be confused with mental illness as it is not mental illness and there is no "cure"

Our young women -and RN men for that matter- must become considerably
more educated about men that predate.; the personality disorders that always ccompany them , It is only within this knol edge that this infomration that will open the door of awareness, and with Gods grace -a HEALTHY vigilance will follow.

The ignorance about the issues surrounding violence agasinst women, has gone on far too long and cost too many senseless deaths-awful deaths, violent deaths that often involved protracted terror and awful oain pain and This includes predators that may be far less obvious, particularly at the begginning of the union, than someone like Joran Von der Sloot As I pointed out, these men come in many shapes and dizes

and the methods that they use and the qualities and behaviors to look for when sizing up a poential date or even the descison wheteher or not to give their phone unmber out to someone-for this might becoime the very way the predator slithers into your life flying beneath the radar so to speak. at hiding itself blending in ( it hides within an exterior it knows it must perfect in order to insure its ability to decieve potential victims, family, friends and later perhaps even the authoritites.

Despite these efforts which often become frantic shortly before and after a violent crime has been committed, those closest to these predators often know something isnt right-This is where CHANGE must begin-- at home
:

Natalee Holloway's mother consoles Flores family - CNN.com

Today I mourn Stephanie Ramirez Fiorez, a young women who was brutally beaten and stabbed to death in a hotel room in Peru. This is a murder that never should have never been allowed to happen.


Everytime I watch a video of this punk sociopath Von der sloot, I feel absolute and unadulterated rage: Yet another one of those situations where the authorities were given a major heads up regarding this perpetrators predatorial instincts, and they did nothing to protect the next victim . Indeed, criminal behavior-kidnapping, probable date-rape drugging and murder. Ther was no shortage of evidence. We all knew what happened. And yet like so many before him and since, the murderer of another human being, walked. He walked right out of that jail cell with daddy on his arm, mommy protectively showdowing them both and a smirk playing upon his face.

Worst of all, he went out feeling invincibile, and why no- he'd killed a girl practically in front of a nation and got away with it. He had the audacity within mere months of the crimes to seek out the United states media in a transparent attempt to throw suspicion off of himself and petulantly complain.
And soon enough, he killed again. And in a way, all of us let it happen.

This 21 year old woman, or girl really, likely suffered unimaginable terror and pain as her life energy was beaten out of her. Her skull was fractured, she bore severe bruising on her temples and face, and she was also stabbed. They say drug residue was found in a beverage she was drinking. This was the exact scenario many suspected in Natalee Holloways dissapearence when reports began coming out that she appeared uncharacteristiclly very drunk as she left the nightclub in aruba with Mr Von dersloot and friends.

Her family will of course never be the same, no murder victims family ever is. And many many many hearts are broken traversing multiple provinces and in this case once again- veritable countries mourn. As we here in the United States grieve for this crime it is made all the worse knowing that it could have been should have been stopped before it happened. But we are all too used to this.

A girl who was full of life love and promise is dead.
When are we as asociety and going to demand that violent predators who have been at least once intervened by the law, are dealt with responsibly, with the publics saftty as its primary concern. Swift justice the very first time that SOMEONE crosses the rules and laws of society regarding harming other human beings!


You know, It is difficult enough for police and authroties to accrue enough evidence to simply arrest, or in the case of lacodaisical misogynistic Aruban law-"detain" a person clearly involved in the murder or abduction of a woman or child. Few seem to understand that for every one of these predators that the police and courts manage to get thier hands on, never mind enough evidence to proceed to a prosecution, there are thousands upon thousands of predators committing violent crimes, that remain out there, untouched by the law, either shrewd enough to escape detection as was the BTK murderer Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy to name a few, or those simply thus far "lucky" and taking full advantage of overworked understaffed Police homicide and rape departments.

And then of course there are the rapists batterers child molesters abductors who waltz through our court systems having committed crimes perhaps one step short of murder but with all the indications for a propensity escalating violent crimes, and due to such ciited reasons as prison overcrowding which we here a lot about in Connecticut as reason for springing hundreds of such predators each year (we seem to have plenty of room in our prisons and jails however for thiose unfortunates arrested for little more than possession of small quantities of drugs thier only crime being addiction and the procurement of drugs to feed that usually physcial addiction. This seems especially the case for minorities who are unlucky enough to lack the solid middle class appearing families and relying on uninspired public defenders (and no not all Public defenders are uninspired nor bad lawyers-just some) these small time offenders that comprise a suprising percentage of our prison beds in Connecticut often have multiple similar non violent drug offenses on thier "records" These folks are locked up left and right every day in this and other states, while iour violent rapists, child molesters/ abductors and yes, even murderers , recieve plea bargains with reduced or zero priosn time and often suspended sentences with probation which equates to a get out of jail feree card for people who have shown the propensity for hurting other human beings. I say pluck them out of our societies the first time they committ a violent crime, if it is murder the sentence should be automaticlly a minimum of life with no parole this so that they may never again harm another human being. It really neednt be complicated It should be simple- a no brainer and yet, here in the states and clearly Aruba as well, the criminal authorities fail at it again and again and again.

I also feel strongly that Vond der sloots family is as guilty as he for both of these young women's murders. His now late father, Judge Von DER Sloot, was obviously complicit in his sons first crime, the murder of Natalee Holloway. It always seems to start at home with the same brand of parenting. Zero accountability thick thick denial and parents whose main concern is how things appear to the outside world re thier offspring, rather than being responsible parents and facing the behavioral issues that invariably show themselves early on in their criminal childs lives. Instead through often slick subterfuge they hide thier children be it adult children in thier forties or teens just begginning to show their criminal tendency stripes.

This syndrome harkens back to the 2007 Petit family HOME INVASION assaults and murders here in Cheshire Connecticut. The presumed ringleader and mastermind of these brutal rapes and murders, Joshua komisarjevsky and his reportedly "steeped in prominence family" (a quote taken from the New york times headlines shortly after the murders of Jennifer Hayley and Michaela Petit, had parents who apparently spent their sons entire criminal life bailing him out of his many many brushes with the law, propping him up, duisting him off and using thier family name to lend thier budding criminal son, credibility, which in turn allowed this clearly dangerous kid to escape culpability begginning with his very first crime- felony arson by the way, at the tender age of 14. He set an abandoned gasoline station on fire-for fun.

What should have been a major tip-off to the ridiculous Connecticut courts, arson at that age is one act of the "classic trilogy" behaviors of oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder, the childhood/teenage precursors/equivalent to full blown sociopathology This has also been referred to as a psychopath. In other words when your "a kid" you are not yet ready to be deemed a sociopath, at least not according to the diagnostic statistical manual ( DSM ) simply due to ones chronological age, not behaviors or qualities that they are exhibiting nor the clarity of the psychiatric profile.

Instead The psychiatric community will diagnose a child or teen with conduct disorder and/or oppositional defiant disorder but this almost always, always results in an adult sociopath,with the rare exception. Sociopaths are considered un treatable for all intents and purposes, in fact its well known that they will often use therapy, in its traditional forms either child teen or adult sociopaths, as yet another person and place to be manipulated with the aim being to either throw the therapist off the track or to say all the "right things" to Convey false contrition or to play up the notion of themselves as victims"

Cheshire Jury Selection Completed Prosecutors and defense attorneys in the Hayes case - Courant.com

The GE 5K Road Race

Lets all pitch in and make this the most succeassful GE 5K Raceday of all - July 2010 This will be the third such annual event since the home invasion that stole the lives of these three beautiful -people; Jennifer and her two daughters Hayley and 11 year old Michaela Petit.

All monies raised in the event day will go to the PETIT FAMILY FOUNDATION http://www.petitfamilyfoundation.org/ whose main missions include helping victims of violence.

It promises to be a great day with many activities for everyone; an aerobic walk accompanies the big race for those, like me, who either do not fancy themselves runners, or who might possess physical limitations that prohibit them from running a 5k course. There is a seperate race course for kids and lots and lots of food, refreshments activities, music and fun.

Natalee Holloway's Brother: Joran van der Sloot 'Just Trying to Get a Lighter Sentence'

Thomas Mortimer IV: Man Sought In Death of Family » Right Juris

American Thinker Blog: Support for Capital Punishment in the U.S. is Higher than Surveys Indicate

Family of Yale murder suspect in court - UPI.com

Avon Native Sought In Quadruple Murder Captured In Massachusetts - Courant.com

Book Could Be An Issue In Cheshire Case -

Hayes Jury Has Been Set

Trial Date Set For Steven Hayes

Jury for Hayes in Cheshire Murders Coming Together (Web First) - News - Litchfield County Times

Its about time.

Arrest In Connection With Newton Teen's Death

It just never ends.

Pay attention to Holloway, Flores murders

ThePrudence Crandall benifit for domestic violence victims

This is the Third year in a row that the Petit family foundation

www.petitfamilyfoundation.org was the presenting sponsor for this huge fund raising event at The Prudence Crandall Center www.prudencecrandallcenter.org in New Britain Connecticut.

A Heartfelt thanks to Bill Petit, friends and family for thery're strength committment and hard work on behalf of victims of violence.

Pay attention to Holloway, Flores murders

Below is an excerpt from this must read Op-ed piece about the latest Von der sooot murder and violence against women in general. I am disgusted that Aruba officials handled Natalee Holloways dissapearence so poorly and now another young woman has paid for it with her life-and another family must be tormeened with thoughts of thier daughhters last moments.

"Too often, violence against women is, if not condoned, accepted. I still recall -- with shame -- the days when as an editor I would consign the murder of a woman to a few short paragraphs deep inside the paper because it was “just a domestic.” Never mind that if you tally up all the women who have been victim of domestic abuse, you would have a near epidemic. Sadly, it is too late for Holloway and Flores, but that shows why it is never wrong to make a big deal out of every instance in which a woman is brutalized."

Jury in place for triple-slaying trial of Hayes Trial scheduledto begin Sept 15th

Finally.
The beginning of the "judicial process" for the first of these two reprobates.
Two years and 10 months later A jury of 12 jurors and 6 alternates is finally picked for merely the first of the two defendants, both caught fleeing in the Victims family car the massacre sight where mother and two daughters had been kidnapped sexually assaulted tortured and their lives extinguished in the cruelest of fashions: tied to their beds alive and set afire after being doused with gasoline.

The terror that they must have felt is something that I think about every day. And Every time that I shop at my neighborhood stop and stop, I can not help but think of Jennifer and Michaela Petit, shopping themsleves on a disappearing summer evening, not unlike the warm summer evenings of late. And again, in a Connecticut suburb, not dissimilar from the one that I call home.

The difference is that I now no longer mindlessly wander these aisles with my old innate sense of security, ease nor even comfort anymore--lest I let my guard down and miss that one potential predator looking for a Good Victims looking person the would be predator, someone like Joshua Komisarjevsky the 28 year old man, a longtime cheshire resident, himself , who did not resemble the Bogeyman, but rather presented what I am sure was an unassuming but friendly enough countenence to most people passing him by in the store or parking lot. It was in the parking lot that he admittedly fixed upon Mrs Petit and more importantly as a veritable pedophile, (albeit unofficial by Connecticut criminal records standards) The attractive womens blonde eleven year old daughter Michaela a girl who had just experienced a summer growth spurt bringing her up to her moms shoulders.

I hazard a guess that many people in Connecticutt shop differently since these crimes happened.