Brian McDonald

let's say the book hayes was reading in jail in the months before the Cheshire murders has a rape and strangulation theme similar to the way Jennifer Hawke Petit was murdered. prosecutors want to enter the book as evidence of premeditation on hayes' part. the defense wants it out for obvious reasons. the defense also wants the whole discussion of the book closed because leaking of the title would cause a new round of negative press coverage for their client. it would be impossible for the newly chosen jury panel, their reasoning goes, to not be biased by the news coverage. so the question is, does the public have the right to know the book's title now, before or even after it is deemed admissible, but months before the trial starts?

the defense's motion submitted to the court last week to keep prison library books that hayes was reading from being presented as evidence described the plot of the book or books as "salacious and criminally malevolent to the extreme."

a reader of this blog wondered if the book was "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," which, based on the hints so far, might be a good guess if hayes could either read Swedish or had a Hot Tub Time Machine. the English version of the the best-seller came out in 2008, months after the murders. The original Swedish title of the book translates to: "Men Who Hate Women."

Defense attorney Thomas Ullman wants a closed courtroom when his motion to suppress certain evidence comes before Judge Jon Blue next week. specifically, the evidence Ullman doesn't want the press to know about is a prison library book or books that defendant steven hayes was reading in jail in the months before the Cheshire murders.

so now we get to play "Name That Book!"

today's hint, offered by the reporting of the Hartford Courant's Alaine Griffin, is the book is fiction, which, of course, rules out "In Cold Blood."

stay tuned for more hints.

in a not-so-flattering review of my first true-crime book, Safe Harbor, new york times reviewer marilyn stasio made this general statement about the genre: "the language of true crime," she wrote, "is so inelegant it seems to dishonor the dead."

after watching last night's show i get what she meant.

in the months following the release of In the Middle of the Night I turned down numerous interview requests including network true-crime shows. a good part of my reasoning was that I saw myself in a no-win situation, I would either, because of the avalanche of negative reaction to the book, come across defensive, or look like I was trying to profit off of someone's terrible misfortune (there were also legal concerns). earlier this year, i came to the decision that my self-imposed moratorium had lasted long enough. one of the interviews I gave was to The Learning Channel.

that show airs Sunday night (June 20th) at 10pm and replays the following Wednesday (June 23rd) at 7pm.

contrary to many news stories about In the Middle of the Night, joshua komisarjevsky rarely looked to shift the blame to hayes for what happened that morning in Cheshire. out of all the information joshua gave to me in his letters and during my interviews with him, only once or twice did i get the feeling that he was giving up hayes. one of those times was when he told me about the book hayes was reading in the months leading up to the Cheshire murders.

that book was a topic of discussion in New Haven Superior Court yesterday and could be introduced as evidence by the prosecution during the Sept. trial. it is explosive material and supports what i've always believed--as motives go, monetary gain was second to the primary reason hayes and joshua broke into the Petit home early that July morning: the Cheshire home-invasion was rape; planned, executed and murderous.

after four months, interviews with hundreds and hundreds of prospective jurors, an attempted suicide, two competency hearings and other interruptions, the jury selection phase of steven hayes' triple murder trial is complete. the twentieth juror, the second backup, was chosen today. the trial begins sept. 13th.

have a nice summer true crime fans

a poignant moment was captured by Randall Beach from the New Haven Register in New Haven Superior Court late last week. Away from the spotlight, jury selection crawls to the finish. only two backups are now needed to complete the panel of 20 jurors, alternates and backups for Steven Hayes' trial, which begins in Sept. Gone now is the press, the curious and even relatives. In the gallery sits only Dr. Petit and one woman, described by the reporter as a family friend.

only God knows what thoughts play in the doctor's head as sits in such solitude only a few feet from steven hayes, the man who has admitted killing Dr. Petit's wife and two daughters.