Conn. Home Invasion: Second supect could face death after plea offer rejected by judge
(CBS/WFSB) NEW HAVEN, Conn - Defendant Joshua Komisarjevsky, charged with killing a mother and her two daughters in the notorious Petit family home invasion in Connecticut, was denied the option to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence without parole by a New Haven Superior Court judge Wednesday.
The offer came from Komisarjevsky a week before the start of jury selection for his trial - a trial that could lead to the death penalty, reports CBS affiliate WFSB.
Steven Hayes was convicted last year in the crimes and sentenced to death.
The two men have been accused of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley, in their Cheshire home in 2007. Dr. William Petit was beaten but survived the invasion.
Defense lawyers argued that a plea deal would help avoid another lengthy trial and would spare the victims families of reliving what happened to their loved ones, reports the station.