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Joshua Komisarjevsky

October 14, 2011 by · Comments Off on Joshua Komisarjevsky 

Joshua KomisarjevskyJoshua Komisarjevsky, A Connecticut jury today found Joshua guilty in the murder of the wife of Dr. William Petit, and their two daughters in a brutal home invasion that ended with her daughters tied to beds splashed gasoline Komisarjevsky and fire to the house.

Komisarjevsky, 31, was found guilty on all 17 counts against him, charges that include murder, robbery, kidnapping, sexual assault and arson. Six of these positions are considered capital offenses, so Komisarjevsky eligible for the death penalty

The jury began its deliberations on Wednesday morning and it took them about nine hours to return a verdict of guilty on charges of murdering Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, Hayley Petit, 17, and Michaela Petit, 11 .

It will now be subjected to a death penalty hearing to determine whether he spends the rest of his life in prison or sentenced to death by lethal injection. These hearings will begin October 24.

The Petit family was in court as the verdicts were read and rubbed shoulders of others comforting in the reaction. Leaving the courthouse, Dr. Petit the sole survivor of brutal attack called Komisarjevsky “a psychopathic personality lie probably still does not think he has done nothing wrong.”

Dr. Petit said that even years later four legs of the loss of his family had left a “jagged hole in his heart”, but he was grateful for the support he had received from across the country and the world. He said the verdict “a relief”.

Komisarjevsky had no visible reaction.

Komisarjevsky accomplice, Steven Hayes was convicted last year for his role in the July 23, 2007 burglary, torture and murder of the Petit family. He was sentenced to death and is currently on death row in Connecticut.

If sentenced to die, Komisarjevsky will join 10 men currently on death row in Connecticut, including Hayes.

Only one person has been executed in Connecticut since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976. That the execution took place in 2005 and was the serial murderer Michael Ross, also known as the Strangler road.

The emotional trial Komisarjevsky began on 19 September. Komisarjevsky defense lawyers argued that his client was a man who was “confused” and carried with ease, but never had the intention of killing anyone. Komisarjevsky lawyers blamed Hayes for the murders and said that Hayes was the criminal mastermind the assault on the Petit home in Cheshire, Connecticut

During closing arguments, the state attorney Gary Nicholson told the jury that “it took two people to commit these crimes” and was Komisarjevsky who started the ball rolling followed Jennifer Hawke-Petit and Michaela home from a grocery store.

Komisarjevsky, Nicholson said, was as responsible as Hayes for gasoline that was spilled in the home and the fire that killed the girls. “They had a common goal of destroying the evidence, and in the process, a family,” said Nicholson.

As the terrible events of that night began to spiral out of control, defense attorney Walter C. Bansley said his client could not do anything to stop because of “poor decision making skills” caused by a “perfect storm” of child sexual abuse, serious head injuries and substance abuse.

At the beginning of the trial, Bansley told the jury likely to hear the testimony that would “break your heart.” Testimony was certainly heartbreaking.

Detail, the jury heard how Dr. Hayes and Komisarjevsky Beat Petit over the head with a baseball bat and then tied him bloodied and bruised. The jury learned the two daughters were tied to their beds for hours and terrified. Komisarjevsky also admitted to sexually abusing and taking semi-nude Michaela photos of the child while he was tied. Hayes raped and strangled Hawke-Petit.

During the trial audio tapes recorded after he was arrested Komisarjevsky served in the court where described in a flat monotone and the horror of that night, when Hayes blamed the killings.

“He started ranting about DNA, and he was angry with me because on several occasions accidentally used your name in front of the occupants of the house … and suddenly you know … We have to kill to kill, whole family and burn down the house on top of them. Um, no, that was not the plan, “he said on the tape.

The jury said the spilled fuel on the Petit family home, including the girl’s beds while they were tied, and then the house was burned down. A coroner said that because of the extent of fire damage, dental records had to be used to identify the body of Hawke-Petit. And experts also described how the young probably survive harrowing few minutes before succumbing to smoke inhalation.

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