Ghastly Details In Conn. Home Invasion

Papers Report Mother, Two Daughters Raped Before Their Deaths

(CBS/AP)  The two men accused of a brutal Connecticut home invasion may not have had violent crimes in their long lists of prior convictions, but sources tell local newspapers the pair's record changed when they invaded the home of a prominent doctor early Monday morning.

"This is everyone's worst nightmare," Lt. Jay Markella, Cheshire police spokesman, told the Waterbury newspaper. "It's by far the worst thing any of us have ever seen."

Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted, were arraigned Tuesday on charges of assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, larceny and risk of injury to children. More charges are pending, state police said Tuesday night. The two men could face the death penalty.

Prosecutor Michael Dearington said he had not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty.

"I know the public consensus is they should be fried tomorrow," he said.

The state medical examiner confirmed that Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, was strangled and that her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, died of smoke inhalation. The deaths were ruled homicides.

The girls' father, Dr. William Petit Jr., a prominent endocrinologist, remained hospitalized with head injuries.

All three women were raped, sources familiar with the investigation told both the Waterbury Republican-American and Hartford Courant. Petit was beaten with a baseball bat, thrown down the basement stairs, and then tied up in the cellar.

The girls, sources told the Courant, were tied to their beds and raped repeatedly, then left to burn after gasoline was poured around their beds and ignited.

The suspects entered the Petits' Cheshire home at about 3 a.m. Monday, planning to burglarize it, state police said.

Sources familiar with the investigation tell the Republican-American that Hawke-Petit and Michaela were followed home from a supermarket Sunday by the suspects. The men then went to a Wal-Mart to buy an air rifle and a rope, and then waited about a mile-and-a-half away

State officials are re-examining their parole policies, but Robert Farr, chairman of the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Parole, said the task would be difficult because neither suspect had a history of violent crimes.

"That's why this is sort of shocking — because it doesn't fit a normal mode," Farr said.

Petit remained hospitalized Wednesday.

"He's doing OK physically. Emotionally he is devastated and still worried about others," said Petit's pastor, the Rev. Stephen Volpe.

He told CBS affiliate WFSB-TV the Pettits were a strong and giving family.

"I'm thinking of the father. I can't imagine what he has to come back to," neighbor Linda Layman told CBS News. "Nobody should have to go through that. It's very devastating. It's just horrible."

[kim719]

All the more reason to have weapons in our homes to protect ourselves. I know this is a freak accident but freak accidents
happen when our laws allow freaks to roam free (after already committing enough crimes to prove they are not fit to be free)The Judicial Branch is blind. If this had happened to a State Representative, a Judge, or anyone in high office, laws would be changed ASAP. Protect yourselves people. Does this not wake you up and show you we are on our own when it comes to protecting ourselves? With todays unemployment horrors & little help for those who are struggling - we will sadly see more robberies, burglaries and murders. We are seeing the beginnings of a very ugly and horrible era. I pray that Im wrong but I doubt it, unless huge changes comes about. To the families and friends: I pray Gods peace will surround you and that the rest of your lives will be greatly blessed.
To the monsters who did this: I hope someone in prison puts you both out of your misery. That would save taxpayers dollars and make who ever committed this justice, a hero.

[drivelphobe]

It seems to me that any male who forces himself sexually on a female, should be incarcerated for life, serving on work squads, or put to death. These males are deficient, obviously rejected by females for their lack of desirability as mates. Since they offer only undesirable genetic material, manifested by their behaviour, their only purpose in living would be that similar to drones, performing heavy physical labor that benefits society. They are dysfunctional, genetically aberrant individuals who should be sterilized if put in the work force. If they prove to be unmanageable, they should die. There is no reason for an advanced society to tolerate the existance of worthless, dangerous, non-productive scumbags. The sum total of these kind of individuals are not worth the life of one more innocent young girl or victim of sexual violence. It is a crime that displays the complete worthlessness of a male.

[mel012]

To perm3800 and anyone else who thinks the husband was behind this hideous attack:

NO, NO, NO! That is a totally cruel and sick thing to assert. Why would you even consider that an obviously caring physician, with such a record of giving back to his community would subject his wife, much let his innocent daughters to repeated sexual assaults before having them killed? That's outrageous!

Also, we're not talking about a few minor flesh wounds that he received, but potentially brain damaging blows that could easily have killed him or at least severely disabled him.

You are evil minded for even THINKING such a thing, much less, posting it.

This poor guy, besides dealing with the loss of his beloved family, is left to agonize over the trauma of their last hours. Bless him!

[flowmist]

i want to know why they don't put these two scum bags in the general population in prison. let the other prisoners take turn raping them and if they get killed "good". it would save the family of having to go through the trial and all the details of the crime. it would save us tax payers money. hey maybe we could start a fund to pay some of the other prisoners to do exactly what i said. rape the hell out of them.

[flowmist]

the police got to the petits not that long after the mother left with one of the scum bags. therefore the rapes had already occurred and i beleive the gas was already at the house too. maybe one of the scum bags went to get it while they were waiting for the bank to open. don't forget they were there seven hours. i don't think the mother knew about the gas because if she had i think she would have tried to run in the bank. because if she knew about the gas she would have known that these a hole's didn't get the gas to mow the lawn. she was told to do what they said or her daughters and husband were going to be killed. dr petit woke up (which is amazing because of the beaten he got and heard his wife pleading for her life and also heard one of his daughter screaming. he managered to get out the cellar via the stairs that lead outside and get to a neighbors house with the chair still tied to him. they (the scum bags) weren't worried about him because they probally thought he was already dead and if not the fire would get him to.

[flowmist]

people: listen you are only getting what the new media is reporting and they are all reporting differnt things. the family was hostage for seven hours. the father was beaten and probally left for dead in the cellar tied in a chair. i beleive the mother was followed into the bank with one of the scum bags while the other stayed at home with the girls and father (which i don't think they were worried about after the beating they gave him). i'm sure she was told if she took off or ran her daughters were going to die. i think that the girls had already been raped prior to the bank visit and i think the gas was bought before then too with out the victims knowing it. one of the scum bags probally went a lone and got it. they left the bank and the petits house is only about a mile from the bank and when they got home the choked the mother to death and poured the gas in the girls room threw a match and walked out. dr petit came too and heard his wife pleading for her life and one of his daughters screaming. he was able to get out the cellar stairs and get to a neighbors for help. by then the police had arrived.dr petit by the way was still tied to the chair! dr petit had nothing to do with this. i beleive the scum went in that house with every intention of killing the entire family. so the rape and gas buying were done before the bank visit.

[flowmist]

i'm new to this blogging thing. but here goes nothing. my brother knows the petit very well and from what he's been told from a family member (not the new media) is this. these two creeps saw the mother and younger daughter at stop and shop and liked the car the mother was driving and followed them home. how the family member knows this i can only assume via the police? maybe one of the scum bags told the police that??? i don't know. dr. petit had gotten home late and fallen a sleep on the couch and was the first to be attacked. they brought him into the cellar and tied hom to a chair and then took a baseball bat to him until he was what they might have thought was dead? and then they took care of the rest of the family. i have to end soon but will continue on a couple of more comments until i'm done. we only get 1500 characters on one comment. i can only assume that they didn't find enough money in the house and came up with the bank idea. we all know what happened from the bank on. the teller got some kind of look from the mother that she went and told her manager and they called the police.
i'll comtinue on another space.

[lauren0211]

I used to live in Ct nearby where this terrible tragedy happened. Whem I first read about this
senseless crime I feared the worst. What were they doing there for so many hours? Oh my God!
Raping!! Those poor little young girls. I cry out in pain for them. My deepest sympathy to the father and family members.
As far as those two animals from hell....
while they await their dealth chamber, I pray they get the same of what they did and worst.
They deserve no mercy.

[echotech4evr]

Why is anyone even debating the death penalty for these two????

[cricketmk3]

And if bank officials alerted the police, why did it take them so long to respond that the excon had time to stop for gas and get back and start a fire????

Not only did the excon have time to stop for gas and start the fire, he would have had to tie Ms. Petit up and kill her. Either the police took forever or the killers had a good plan.

[clew37]

S temper:

They killed all those women with their bare hands. If you tie children down to a bed after repeatingly raping them and pour gasoline around them, you are not expecting them to die of smoke inhalation. You are expecting them to burn to death. And die screaming...Bstards all...

[incog-nito]

Politicians all talk about getting "tough" on crime, yet do little about it. Prisons are filled with recreational drug users, while violent and career criminals get out early because of overcrowding. What good is a judge's sentence when you have parole, furlough, time off for "good behavior"? If someone is proven to be violent or incorrigible, they are a threat to society and should be put away for good, period, before innocent people get hurt or killed.

[gwtwboofy]

There had better be a death penalty conviction for these 2 vile pieces of trash and it had better be acted out quickly. None of this BS of them staying on death row for 20 years with one freaking appeal after another.

What I'd like to know is why 2 excons with that many convictions for robbery already were doing out on parole in the first place?

And if bank officials alerted the police, why did it take them so long to respond that the excon had time to stop for gas and get back and start a fire????

[bequialife]

What drives people to commit something so heinous? The worse part, what drives people to want to save these type of people? Really now, are they worth the money, time, resources to try to "fix"!? Not everyone has a right to live.

[lagoon4]

I honestly think the husband had something to with this horrible crime...why would the man being the stronger person survived..ummm? Why was he not tied up like the rest of his family? You would think that they the criminals would have killed him first right. These days anything is possible.

[jbctruth]

Savdavid, can you say that for sure???? How do you KNOW that? I am so tired of hearing the "race-card" being played... We will never be truly "color-blind" until we stop whining and making issues out of nothing. Can you say "non-sequitur"???

[xoxpinksweet]

this is sick. those animals aren't crazy theyre pure evil and i hope they die and suffer a million times worse than theyre victims. justice must be served to these cowards

[riddleroo]

I am sick to my stomach about this horrible crime. When is enough enough. These 2 'men' should be given to Mike Vick for punishment. He can treat them like the dogs they are. May God Bless the Children.

[thgdriver]

I have a question for the Senator from Illinois. You backed the legislation in that state that makes it a felony for an honest citizen to defend their homes with a firearm.

Senator Obama, In light of the recent home invasion and the rape and murder of that whole family do you still feel that law is a good idea?

It's a yes or no Question Senator, please, no Bull Shi! smoke and mirror answer.

[thgdriver]

I have a question for Obama, the Senator from Illinois. You backed the legislation in that state that makes it a felony for an honest citizen to defend their homes with a firearm.

Senator Obama, In light of the recent home invasion and the rape and murder of that whole family do you still feel that law is a good idea?

It's a yes or no Question Senator, please, no Bull Shi! smoke and mirror answer.