Connecticut killer, rapist Hayes sentenced to death

Connecticut killer, rapist Hayes sentenced to death

2010-11-09 01:06:21 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT (BNO NEWS) -- Connecticut killer and rapist Steven Hayes was sentenced to death on Monday for his role in the brutal murder of a woman and her two daughters in Cheshire in 2007.

The verdict was reached before noon after the jury spent deliberating on the case since Friday. Hayes was found guilty on 16 out of 17 charges on October 5. He was convicted of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, during a brutal home invasion.

Hayes' lawyers argued that he should be spared the death penalty because his mental capacity was significantly impaired, but prosecutors said that the death penalty is fair due to the nature of the crime. Hayes, 47, and his co-conspirator Joshua Komisarkevsky tormented the family for seven hours before killing them.

Hayes and Komisarjevsky in 2007 broke into a home in Cheshire where the pair almost beat the husband 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.

Hayes was convicted of 16 counts, including six capital felony charges, three murder counts and two charges of sexually assaulting Hawke-Petit.

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