Connecticut killer and rapist Hayes found guilty on nearly all charges, faces death penalty

Connecticut killer and rapist Hayes found guilty on nearly all charges, faces death penalty

2010-10-06 07:45:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT (BNO NEWS) – Steven Hayes, the rapist and killer who participated in the brutal murder of a woman and her two daughters, was found guilty on 16 out of 17 charges on Tuesday, prosecutors said. He may now face the death penalty.

Hayes, 47, was involved in the brutal murder of a woman and her two daughters. Hayes along with suspect Joshua Komisarjevsky broke in 2007 into a home in Cheshire where the pair beat the husband almost to death and tied him up.

Hayes then forced the wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, to withdraw $15,000 in cash from her bank. After returning home, he raped her before killing her. Meanwhile, Komisarjevsky sexually assaulted eleven-year-old Michaela.

After the assaults, the criminals poured gasoline on Michaela and her 17-year-old sister Hayley. The children were tied to the bed while the two co-conspirators set them on fire. The father, Petit, was the lone survivor after recovering from his head wounds.

On October 18, the jurors will determine if Hayes will be sentenced to the death penalty. Hayes accused Komisarjevsky of escalating the violence and provoking the sexual assaults. However, prosecutors rejected the argument and said the two men were equally responsible for the crimes.

Hayes was convicted of 16 counts, including six capital felony charges, three murder counts and two charges of sexually assaulting Hawke-Petit. Prosecutors said that they want nothing less than the death penalty as the crime was cruel and depraved.

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