Cheshire, Connecticut, home invasion murders

The **Cheshire, Connecticut, home invasion murders** were on July 23, 2007.  A mother and her two daughters were murdered during a home invasion in Cheshire, Connecticut. _The Hartford Courant_ called the case "possibly the most widely publicized crime in the state's history". In 2010, Steven Hayes was convicted of the murders and sentenced to death. His accomplice, Joshua Komisarjevsky, was found guilty on October 13, 2011, and sentenced to death on January 27, 2012.

## Victims

- **Jennifer Hawke-Petit**, age 48, was a nurse and co-director of the health center at Cheshire Academy, a private boarding school. She met her husband, William Petit, in 1985 at Children's Hospital when he was a third-year medical student at the University of Pittsburgh and she was a new nurse.
- **Hayley Petit**, age 17, had just graduated from Miss Porter's School and was scheduled to attend Dartmouth College.
- **Michaela Petit**, age 11, attended the Chase Collegiate School before her death.
- **William Petit**, the only survivor of the home invasion, is an endocrinologist in Cheshire. He survived when he escaped to a neighbor's house, even though he had injuries. He has not returned to his medical practice since the murders, stating his desire to be active in the foundations set up to honor the memory of his deceased family.

## Perpetrators

**Steven J. Hayes** (born May 30, 1963, in Homestead, Florida) was found guilty on 16 out of 17 counts related to the home invasion murders on October 5, 2010. On November 8, 2010, the jury returned with a recommendation for Hayes to be killed by the State. He was formally sentenced to death by Superior Court Judge Jon C. Blue on December 2, 2010.

Hayes is an inmate of the Connecticut Department of Correction. His criminal history shows him sentenced for his first offense at the age of 16. He is housed in the Northern Correctional Institution in Somers.

**Joshua A. Komisarjevsky** (born August 10, 1980) was Hayes' accomplice in the home invasion and murder of William Petit's wife and two daughters. He was born in 1980 and adopted by the son of playwright Theodore Komisarjevsky. Komisarjevsky was kept at the Walker Reception Center rather than pay a $15 million bond. His trial began September 19, 2011, and on October 13, 2011, he was convicted on all 17 counts. On December 9, 2011, the jury recommended the death penalty. On January 27, 2012 Judge Jon Blue sentenced Komisarjevsky to death by lethal injection.

## Infobox (civilian attack)

- **title**: Cheshire, Connecticut, home invasion murders
- **map**: Cheshire CT lg.PNG
- **map size**: 250x200px
- **map caption**: The location of Cheshire within Connecticut
- **location**: Cheshire, Connecticut
- **target**: Petit family
- **date**: July 23, 2007
- **type**: Home invasion, arson, murder
- **fatalities**: 3
- **injuries**: 1
- **perps**: Steven Hayes
Joshua Komisarjevsky
- **weapons**: Baseball bat, gun, gasoline


## Infobox (criminal)

- **name**: Steven J. Hayes
- **birth place**: Homestead, Florida, Homestead, Florida, U.S.
- **conviction**: Capital felony, murder, sexual assault
- **conviction penalty**: Six consecutive Capital punishment, death sentences plus 106 years
- **conviction status**: Convicted on 16 counts; sentenced to death on six counts of capital felony
- **children**: A son and a daughter


## Infobox (criminal)

- **name**: Joshua A. Komisarjevsky
- **conviction**: Capital felony, sexual assault, murder, kidnapping, and arson.
- **conviction penalty**: Death sentence
- **conviction status**: Convicted of 17 out of 17 charges, including 6 Capital Felonies.