for anyone who thinks that steven hayes' trial will be above all the attending publicity, let's go over some of the recent developments in New Haven:
Judge Blue has already had his first close-up, in the New York Times a month or so back. the photo, which spread across the top of a fifteen-hundred word piece by William Glaberson, was taken from an angle below, giving the Judge, dressed in a black suit, with a shock of white hair and flanked by two uniformed officers, a seriously ominous appearance.
last week, hayes' attorney, Thomas Ullmann, accused the lone survivor of the Cheshire home invasion, Dr. William Petit, of holding "daily press conferences" on the steps of the courthouse after proceedings.
and the other day, our new favorite law blogger, el ponytailo, happened to be on the 6th floor of Superior Court in New Haven and saw Judge Blue's name being painted on the door to the largest courtroom in that building. obviously, the room is being gussied-up to handle the expected crowd for hayes' trial, a few of whom could quite possibly be journalists.
somebody cue the elephants
steven hayes' triple murder trial starts in five days
blogone week to trialSeptember 6, 2010
out of all the news that came out of pretrial elbowing last week in New Haven, one item especially caught my attention. according to several reports, prosecutors are going to tell the jury that, along with killing the Petit family in a "cruel and depraved" manner, steven hayes posed a "grave risk" to police and firefighters by setting the Petit family house on fire.
no one has ever questioned the firefighter's response to Sorghum Mill Drive that morning, but the handling of Petit home invasion by the local cops has come under plenty of scrutiny. It might be a mistake by prosecutors to portray the Cheshire P.D. as heroes in harm's way that day. All steven hayes' attorney, Thomas Ullman, has to do is remind the jury that Mrs. Petit and her two daughters were all still alive as the Cheshire cops fumbled with equipment and followed procedure while surrounding the house, with at least one cop a matter of a few feet from the Petit back door. if a cop had acted heroically that morning in Cheshire, Ullmann might say, his client might not even be facing capital charges because Hayley and Michaela Petit might still be alive. and the cops didn't even have to be all that heroic. a simple knock on the door would have changed the course of events. (more…) imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...September 4, 2010
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big swing and a miss for the Hartford Courant who went to court last week to have the gag order on the hayes trial removed. it seems that one of their reporters came up with the idea to write hayes a letter. hayes took the bait, and wrote back. but the Ct. Dept. of Corrections is a tad sensitive about reporters carrying on a correspondence with one of their minions (gee, i wonder why), especially when the inmate has yet to be tried for three murders, rape and assorted other crimes. So, this time, the DOC didn't allow the inmate's letters to be mailed using the old gag order routine as their reason. the superior court judge ruled against the Courant, the gag order stays in place and the letters will remain unopened for the duration of hayes and komisarjevsky's trials. nine days to steven hayes' triple murder trial murderous sextingSeptember 3, 2010
can't say I'm a fan of norm pattis, the Connecticut defense attorney blogger who has chimed in numerous times on the Cheshire home invasion trial. maybe it's my inherent distrust of a grown man wearing a ponytail. but his post a few days back was worth a look for several reasons: first, his take on the local press treating Dr. Petit as something of a rock star and by doing so limiting steven hayes' chance at a fair trial, and second by citing a source who told him that prosecutors are planning to present during trial text messaging and picture mail between komisarjevsky and hayes sent from different parts of the Petit house.
komisarjevsky told me that he stripped the 11-year-old Michaela and took photos of her with his camera phone. he said that he was going to use them to blackmail Dr. Petit into silence. he didn't tell me that he sent them to hayes. and he didn't tell me if hayes took his own pictures. i was under the impression that hayes' only sexual interaction with Mrs. Petit occurred during the last half hour of the hostage situation, when he raped and strangled her according to prosecutors. if hayes in fact sexually assaulted or tortured Mrs. Petit during the prior five-and-a-half hours, and took photos of his evil exploits, that evidence would be absolutely explosive and, in my opinion, would assure steven hayes a date with the executioner's needle. steven hayes' triple murder trial starts in 10 days cruel and depraved...September 2, 2010
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during a jailhouse interview, joshua komisarjevsky told me that steven hayes smiled as he stood outside the Petit house and watched through the window of the enclosed porch as komisarjevsky repeatedly belted Dr. Petit in the head with a baseball bat. later it would be komisarjevsky's turn to watch. he told me that he stood on the stairs in the Petit home and watched as steven hayes raped and strangled Jennifer Hawke-Petit in the living room. he said that tears rolled down the face of the mother of two girls as she pled for her life. These two events bookend the six-hours that komisarjevsky and hayes kept the Petit family hostage. testimony and evidence during the trial should tell us much of what happened in between. Prosecutors revealed yesterday that they plan to prove that hayes, the first of the two alleged murderers to be tried, killed his victims in an especially cruel and depraved way. Hayley, 17, and Michaela Petit, 11, died as fire consumed the Petit home. they were tied to their beds. steven hayes triple murder trial starts in 11 days the gloves are offAugust 31, 2010
if any one believed that steven hayes' attorney, Thomas Ullmann, would treat the lone survivor of the Cheshire home invasion with kid gloves, that notion was dispelled yesterday story here.
Now let see how Ullmann behaves when Dr. Petit is on the stand. steven hayes' triple murder trial starts in 13 days steven hayes trial two weeks from todayAugust 30, 2010
for those close to the Cheshire home invasion trial, this has been a summer without end. but now, with a last fiery gasp, August crawls to a close and steven hayes' date in court is just two weeks away.
the trial will not be a question of whether hayes is guilty or innocent--he and joshua komisarjevsky were caught trying to escape from the burning Petit home. what question remains is whether hayes will receive the death penalty for his crimes. though hayes' guilt is predetermined, the trial still promises to be explosive with the most electric moment coming when the lone survivor, Dr. William Petit, takes the stand. it will also be interesting watching Hayes' attorney, Thomas Ullmann, try to humanize his client. In 2004, Ullmann represented Jonathan Mills who faced the death penalty for stabbing to death a 43-year-old woman and her two small children. during the sentencing phase of the trial, Ullmann persuaded the judge to allow Mills to address the jury, an unusual request. Mills' tearful apology saved his life as the jury sentenced him to life without parole. the judge who gave Mills permission to speak to the jury was Jon C. Blue, the same Jon C. Blue who is now presiding over steven hayes' trial. hayes' triple murder trial begins sept. 13th, joshua komisarjevsky's trial starts in jan. hayes killed Jennifer Hawke-Petit, says state's attorneyAugust 20, 2010
the State's Attorney's office in Connecticut announced for the first time that steven hayes is the "principal" in the first murder committed during the Cheshire home invasion. Jennifer Hawke-Petit was raped and strangled before the fire that would kill her two daughters was set.
the statement from the SA made earlier this week corroborates what was reported in In the Middle of the Night almost a year ago and what Joshua Komisarjevsky told me almost two years ago during my jailhouse interviews with him. steven hayes' triple murder trial begins on sept. 13th not as stupid as he looks...August 18, 2010
I have a feeling that Steven Hayes is smarter than people think. Today, Thomas Ullmann argued a motion to wave statements Hayes made to detectives right after he was apprehended. In the highly-charged aftermath of the Cheshire murders, Hayes apparently talked freely about what occurred inside the Petit house. but when detectives, on the DA's urging, tried to tape record hayes the professional convict clammed up and demanded a lawyer.
now hayes' lawyer says: if the statements weren't taped, they might as well have never been said. But Judge Blue disagreed and ruled that hayes' untaped statements were admissible. Still, it's not a stretch to think that hayes knew how this might play out in court when he refused to speak into the microphone. he's been intimate with just about every level of Connecticut's criminal justice system, a system he's spent the better part of thirty years trying to beat. underestimating his jailhouse intellect, which seems to be the case with the prosecution and press alike, is in my estimation a mistake. steven hayes' triple murder trial begins sept. 13th hayes goes from shakespeare to dickens?August 14, 2010
the defense in the Cheshire home invasion triple murder trial will undoubtedly look to gain the jury's sympathy by portraying steven hayes as hard luck case whose life cards have always been stacked against him. I relied mostly on parole records in my reporting on hayes, and though those pages were voluminous and filled with personal information, they offered only bits and pieces of his childhood. for instance, his father dying when hayes was in his early teens and hayes finding himself in trouble with the law for the first time not too long after.
certainly, more of hayes' formative years will be exposed during the trial. if hayes' behavior during jury selection (i.e. hording meds, suicide attempt, changing plea to guilty, then back again and more) is any indication, you can expect his childhood to be filled with surprises. although i still think komisarjevsky is the more interesting of the two accused murderers, the Russian theater royalty in his lineage alone makes him a better read, hayes has had Shakespearean moments already and, who knows, perhaps a childhood story worthy of Dickens, or at least a lawyer who will make it sound that way. steven hayes' triple murder trial starts sept. 13th one month to go...August 13, 2010
though it seems like the process is interminable, steven hayes' trial date is actually drawing closer. a month from today, sept. 13th, all will rise as Judge Jon C. Blue enters the courtroom and gavels the court to order.
the attention of the gallery and press will be focused on the sordid details of the crime. though my interviews with Komisarjevsky shed light on what took place during the six-hours he and Hayes terrorized the Petit family, there is still plenty to be revealed. of special interest will be the last half hour of that horrible morning, when Jennifer Hawke-Petit was raped and strangled, when the gasoline was spread and lit. the most harrowing of the details will be enunciated by the prosecution while the defense will try to mollify and extenuate them. the endgame here is the death penalty, and though it seems egregious to say, much more rides on the sentencing than whether or not it is the appropriate punishment for this crime. for one thing, the courts of the land, indeed right up to the highest of them, will be watching. and so will political candidates, church leaders and others who passionately align on one side or the other of the death penalty debate. but no matter the jury's finding, the morality of the death penalty will not be decided in New Haven Superior Court this Fall. nor will there be anything close to closure. the wound that was ripped into the flesh of Cheshire three years ago will never completely heal. beliefAugust 10, 2010
if and when Jennifer Hawke-Petit signed the anti-death penalty document, A Declaration of Life, she did so in a place and time that was safely a universe away from the nightmare that took her life that July morning on Sorghum Mill Drive. Though it's impossible to say for sure, there's a good argument that she would not have signed such a document had she known the terror and suffering that her children would be forced to endure.
and it's a subjective argument that a good prosecutor, no doubt, would use to shred the document's credibility. as a legal device then, A Declaration of Life holds little sway. but it was never meant to be a legal document. A Declaration of Life is a statement of belief. so the question becomes, which is the real belief? the one declared in the abstract before the crime or the hypothetical one posed after the horrible reality? one thing's for certain, the argument is moot if Jennifer Petit's signed copy of A Declaration of Life doesn't make its way into court in New Haven. steven hayes' triple murder trial begins sept. 13th it's two N's! dummyAugust 9, 2010
sheesh, talk about getting the basics wrong. I've been misspelling defense attorney Thomas Ullmann's name for months. It's Ullmann, with two n's. Sorry about that blog readers, and to you Mr. Ullmann, presuming that you read my blog, my sincerest apologies.
what would Jesus do?August 7, 2010
if there ever was circumstance that warranted the death penalty, the home invasion murders in Cheshire, Ct. qualifies. from over use, the word "heinous" no longer does justice as a description of the crime. even anti-death penalty advocates seem reluctant to rally against the proceedings in New Haven Superior Court.
it is truly a test of the fabric of Christian beliefs. in a jailhouse interview, Joshua Komisarjevsky, who along with Steven Hayes faces the death penalty for the murder of the Petit family, told me that he had long conversations with Jennifer Hawke-Petit during the six-hours he held her hostage. He said it was a mistake to engage Mrs. Petit. He "liked her," he said. Komisarjevsky's recollection of Mrs. Petit during that horrible night and morning is an account of the purest form of Christian strength. she tried to put herself in the shoes of the men who would ultimately kill her. she empathized with their financial predicaments. She said she never understood why God seemed to provide more for some than others. she prepared something for them to eat. she never lost composure. almost to her very last breath, Mrs. Petit held steady in her faith that God would deliver her family to safety. and, no doubt, that there was something salvageable in the souls of her captors. As it turned out, Mrs. Petit was wrong on both counts. God did not deliver her family safely, and her attackers appear as soulless as human beings can be. and yet somehow Mrs. Petit's misjudgments only make her seem more Christian. members of her church contend that Mrs. Petit signed an anti-death penalty document called A Declaration of Life. But a copy of that document has yet to surface. if there is a copy out there, withholding it dismisses a faith in God for which Jennifer Hawke-Petit lived and died. steven hayes' triple murder trial begins sept. 13th, joshua komisarjevsky's in jan. the case of the missing anti-death penalty document, cont'd...August 6, 2010
if Jennifer Hawke-Petit signed A Declaration of Life, and members of her church contend that she did, then she probably did so in January, 2006, a year-and-a-half before she was murdered in the Cheshire home invasion. that January, a link to the document was made available on the Cheshire United Methodist Church's website. in the story that accompanies the link, prospective signers are urged to take the document home and "talk to your family."
but the document itself also has instructions to send a signed and notarized copy to the Cherish Life Circle, Convent of Mercy in Brooklyn, NY. at the convent, Sister Camille D'Arienzo, the Roman Catholic nun who first conceived the idea of A Declaration of Life, said she could find no record of Jennifer Hawke-Petit's signed document. this doesn't mean that Hawke-Petit didn't sign the document, Sister Camille said. Congregations are known to keep their own records, she said. If Hawke-Petit's church, or a member of her church, has a copy of her signed document, and has decided for whatever reason not to reveal it, their actions would be in direct conflict to the Social Principles as set forth by the General Board of the United Methodist Church. Steven Hayes' triple murder trial begins sept. 13th A Declaration of Life, a history...August 5, 2010
the anti-death penalty document that murder victim Jennifer Hawke-Petit purportedly signed was first distributed in the mid-1990s by Sister Camille D'Arienzo, a Roman Catholic nun from Brooklyn, New York. the idea for A Declaration of Life came about as a result of the New York gubernatorial election. in 1994, George Pataki ousted incumbent Mario Cuomo. in no small measure, Pataki's pro-death penalty promise helped fuel his victory.
A Declaration of Life is an intensely personal plea that asks, should the signer be killed as the result of a violent crime, that his or her murderer not be subjected to the the death penalty, for it would "only increase my suffering," according to the document. Tens of thousands of copies of A Declaration of Life have been distributed and signed since, including ones by Mario Cuomo, Susan Sarandon and Martin Sheen. Sister Helen Prejean, the author of "Dead Man Walking," lent her name and has spoken on behalf of the document. the popularity of A Declaration of Life crosses secular and state lines. the document has found an ardent following of signers even in Texas, which historically leads the nation in executions, and at the United Methodist Church of Cheshire, Ct. where the Petit family were enthusiastic members. According to Sister Camille, whole religious congregations have adopted use of the document. "Not a week goes by that someone doesn't inquire about the Declaration," the Sister said. still, the influence of the document has not been tested in the fifteen years of its existence. until now. Jennifer Hawke-Petit is believed to be the only person who signed A Declaration of Life and whose alleged murderer is being tried on capital charges. There was one other known signer who was murdered. Sister Karen Klimczak was killed in a halfway house for prisoners in Buffalo several years back. but her attacker did not face the death penalty. Steven hayes' triple murder trial begins sept. 13th Do Jennifer Hawke-Petit's wishes count?August 4, 2010
Below is sections of "A Declaration of Life," a document Jennifer Petit, who was killed in the Cheshire, Ct. home invasion murders, purportedly signed as a member of the United Methodist Church of Cheshire. There has been little mention of the document in the run-up to accused triple murderer Steven Hayes' trial that starts next month. Hayes has been charged with capital crimes and faces the death penalty. It will be interesting to see if prosecutors give any credence to this profoundly personal request from the grave:
"THEREFORE, I hereby declare that should I die as a result of a violent crime, I request that the person or persons found guilty of homicide for my killing not be subject to or put in jeopardy of the death penalty under any circumstances, no matter how heinous their crime or how much I may have suffered. The death penalty would only increase my suffering. I request that the Prosecutor or District Attorney having the jurisdiction of the person or persons alleged to have committed my homicide not file or prosecute an action for capital punishment as a result of my homicide. I request that this Declaration be made admissible in any trial of any person charged with my homicide, and read and delivered to the jury. I also request the Court to allow this Declaration to be admissible as a statement of the victim at the sentencing of the person or persons charged and convicted of my homicide; and, to pass sentence in accordance with my wishes. I request that my family and friends take whatever actions are necessary to carry out the intent and purpose of this Declaration; and, I further request them to take no action contrary to this Declaration. Steven Hayes' trial begins Sept. 13th Petit said he never saw "Life" documentAugust 2, 2010
back in March, after speaking in front of the Connecticut legislature's Judiciary Committee, Dr. William Petit denied ever seeing the A Declaration of Life document that his wife purportedly signed. He also told reporters that he and his wife never talked about the death penalty issue, even though their church is a very active participant in the anti-death penalty movement.
if Jennifer Hawke-Petit's church, the United Methodist Church of Cheshire, used the most common of the A Declaration of Life documents, then it was signed in front of two witnesses and a notary public. More to come. up in smoke?July 31, 2010
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according to members of her church, Jennifer Hawke-Petit signed A Declaration of Life, but there has been no sign and little talk of the document. A Declaration of Life is a contract of sorts that states a person's objection to the death penalty and requests, should that person be a victim of homicide, that the death penalty not be imposed. along with her two daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, Hawke-Petit was murdered during the Cheshire, Ct. home-invasion in July of 2007. The alleged murderers, Steven Hayes, 47, and Joshua Komisarjevsky, 29, both face the death penalty in upcoming trials. the mystery of the missing document raises several possibilities, among them are: 1. defense attorneys have the document and are waiting for the trial. Presenting such a document to the jury would provide an incredibly dramatic moment and perhaps a sentencing game-changer. 2. Hawke-Petit's church, the United Methodist Church of Cheshire, has the document and is conflicted over whether or not to release it. The United Methodist has a long anti-death penalty history, but the vicious cruelty of the Petit murders in its own backyard has tested the church's resolve. 3. Dr. Petit, Hawke-Petit's husband and lone survivor of the home invasion, has the document, and doesn't plan on showing it to anyone. Dr. Petit has become increasingly vocal over the past few months in his desire to see hayes and komisarjevsky executed. 4. lastly, and undoubtedly the most ironic of the possibilities, is that the document was destroyed in the fire that consumed the Petit home and killed Hayley and Michaela. presumably, the fire was set by komisarjevsky and hayes in an attempt to silence witnesses and cover their tracks. Hawke-Petit was raped and strangled before the fire was set. steven hayes' triple murder trial begins on sept. 13th, komisarjevsky's in the beginning of next year. ullmann crying the BluesJuly 29, 2010
Judge Jon Blue stayed back on Thomas Ullman's curveball and hit it right out of New Haven yesterday. Ullman, as you might remember, tried to float an off-speed bender past the prosecution by arguing that the death penalty in Connecticut violates his client's rights. his client, of course, is accused triple-murderer, steven hayes.
part of ullman's argument centered around the words of Connecticut governor, Jodi Rell. In the wake of the Cheshire murders, Rell vetoed legislation that would have abolished the death penalty in Ct. in a press release and other documents explaining the reason behind her veto, Rell cited Dr. Petit, the lone survivor of the Cheshire home-invasion, who in turn cited Lord Denning, the Brit jurist who believed that some crimes just deserve the death penalty. but only a handful of the thousands of prospective jurors interviewed for hayes' trial knew the wording of Rell's veto, Blue said (let alone who Lord Denning was). the other part of ullman's argument was that the legislature that passed the bill abolishing the death penalty was representative of the will of the people of Connecticut. Not true, though. sixty percent of Ct. supports the needle, and that number has been constant for a lot of years. so ullman falls behind one-ziltch in the opening inning and steven hayes' life is still at stake when his trial starts on sept. 13th A declaration of life...July 27, 2010
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according to members of her church who were interviewed by The New York Times, Jennifer Hawke-Petit believed fervently that the death penalty was wrong and probably signed A Declaration of Life agreement. Along with her two daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, Hawke-Petit was murdered during the Cheshire home-invasion. today her husband, Dr. William Petit, the lone survivor of that home-invasion, asked the people of Connecticut to support pro-death penalty candidates in the upcoming elections. Petit's remarks came after a pretrial hearing where a judge heard arguments by the defense that Gov. Jodi Rell violated their client's rights when she vetoed legislation that would have abolished the death penalty in Connecticut. Rell cites Dr. Petit in the press release explaining her veto. the trial of steven hayes, one of the two men accused of murdering Petit's family, begins sept. 13th. hayes is being tried for capital crimes and could face the death penalty. in the middle of the nightJuly 25, 2010
CHAPTER ONE
3 A.M. Loose gravel on the street crunched beneath the heavyset Hayes' feet. He could make noise in a blizzard, Joshua thought, but now Joshua wore a small smile as he shook his head and, palms facing down, motioned to his partner to walk softly. Joshua was either getting use to Steven Hayes or, more likely, charged by the thrill of the crime he was about to commit. Leading the way, Joshua, looking younger than his 26 years (even considering four-and-a-half of them spent in jail) his frame slim with muscles like rope knots, moved silently up the driveway into the backyard and passed the sunroom. It was then he first saw Dr. Petit asleep on the couch in the enclosed porch. Joshua stood there motionless at the edge of complete darkness in the yard. A soft light was coming from inside the room. Hayes stood behind Joshua, anxiously shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "What are we waiting for?" Hayes said as softly as he could, but his words were nearly frantic. Joshua didn't so much as twitch. It was as if he was listening to something that only he could hear. Finally, after what must have seemed like forever to his partner, Joshua pulled a knit ski hat, with slits cut out for eyeholes, over his head. Then he turned to Hayes, "I'll let you in," he whispered. three years ago today (cont'd)July 23, 2010
by midnight, everyone was asleep, except maybe Dr. Petit, who had brought some paperwork down to the sunroom. his youngest, Michaela, took his place in the master bedroom next to her mom. Hayley had read herself to sleep with the newest Harry Potter, the poster on the wall of the WNBA star, Swin Cash, keeping watch.
soon the lids of Dr. Petit's eyes too began to fall. the sounds outside the sunroom: the gentle rustle of the leaves on the trees in the backyard, the click of the crickets, folded into the rhythm of his breath. if Dr. Petit heard the van slowly roll by the house at 3 a.m., it was part of the soundtrack of his dreams. driving the van was the young man with the auburn hair and the raven tattoos. besides him sat a man almost twenty years his senior, bald and heavyset. they both wore dark, hooded sweatshirts. New York TimesJuly 22, 2010
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today's new york times story might be a bit confusing to some. in the hope of clearing up my role in it, below is the reprint of my June 9th post about the book steven hayes was reading in jail. for further clarification, please go to "june" archives below left for more posts on this topic. steven hayes's reading list. June 9, 2010 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. three years ago today...July 22, 2010
...was a beautiful, late july sunday in new england. Dr. Petit left the house early to meet his dad for a round of golf at the country club. his wife, Jennifer, and daughter Michaela, 11, were heading to the club later in the day to lounge around the pool. daughter, Hayley, 18, was coming home from the Cape, where she'd spent the weekend with some friends.
the family planned to gather for sunday dinner back at he house on sorghum mill drive. Michaela, a devotee of Rachael Ray, had selected the menu: pasta and a salad made with local tomatoes. as happens often to chefs in the kitchen, Michaela realized at the last minute that she was missing a key ingredient: balsamic vinegar for the salad. not to worry, mom said, we'll take a ride to Stop & Shop. nothing was out of the ordinary. as the mother of an 11- and 18-year-old, the job as chauffeur was automatic, done with a love so deep it needed no outward displays. but this would be the last time Jennifer would drive Michaela anywhere. mom pulled into the supermarket parking lot and next to a red van with a young man with auburn hair seated behind the wheel. he wore jeans and work boots. he smoked camel cigarettes. although Michaela and mom didn't notice him, and surely wouldn't have been able to see these even if they did, he also had two ravens tattooed across his back in homage to his favorite poem by edgar allan poe: "and his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming..." like poe's bird, the young man watched intently as mother and daughter walked together into the store. (to be continued) was the gas the threat?July 21, 2010
question:
did Jennifer Hawke-Petit know that her captors had plastic gallon jugs filled with gasoline? it goes without question that Mrs. Petit feared for the lives of her daughters when steven hayes drove her to the bank that monday morning in july three years ago. why else would she withdraw the 15 thousand dollars and get back in the car with hayes instead of staying in the safety of the bank. the threat could very well have been the gasoline. should hayes sense that Mrs. Petit was raising the alarm, or not coming out of the bank with the money, he would phone komisarjevsky who would spread the gasoline and set the house on fire, leaving Hayley, 18, and Michaela, 11, and Dr. Petit, tied and bound behind him as he fled. if Mrs. Petit knew about the gasoline, and it seems likely that she did, then she must have realized that there was a real possibility that hayes and komsiarjevsky were not planning on leaving any witnesses. but she must have also believed that her only chance of saving her family was going back to the house. no matter what horrible scenarios played in her mind, it is highly unlikely that she gave even a moment's thought of surviving without her children. if the gas was the threat, then it was one that hayes and komisarjevsky would ultimately follow through on. Mrs. Petit, however, wouldn't be alive to see the horror of it. she had already been raped and strangled when the house was set on fire. Hayley and Michaela would die in the inferno. Dr. Petit managed to escape. steven hayes's trial begins sept. 13th, komisarjevsky's next year "things got out of control..."July 19, 2010
in a pretrial hearing last week, a cheshire detective testified that, just after apprehending steven hayes, the home-invasion murder suspect told him that "things got out of control." so let's see if the home-invaders ever lost control:
1. joshua komisarjevsky cased-out the Petit house in the early evening after following Mrs. Petit and her daughter, Michaela, home from Stop & Shop 2. jk and/or steven hayes bought a pellet gun (that looked like a real gun) and zip ties 3. around 3 a.m., jk broke into Petit home through bulkhead doors, beat Dr. Petit (asleep on a couch in a florida room) with a baseball bat, then tied him up. let hayes into the house 4. in just a few minutes jk and hayes were able to subdue and tie-up Mrs. Petit and the two Petit girls, Hayley, 18, and Michaela, 11 5. held dominion over the house and their captives for six hours, coming and going as they pleased (at one point both jk and hayes were out of the house for at least twenty minutes while jk moved his van to a condominium complex parking lot a couple of miles away and hayes followed in the Petit's van) 6. coordinated a run to the all-night gas station (where hayes filled plastic gallon containers) 7. Made Mrs. Petit call her husband's office to say he was sick and wouldn't be in; jk called in to his own job saying his daughter was sick 8. coordinated a run to the bank (where Mrs. Petit withdrew 15 grand and raised the alarm) 9. sexually assaulted Michaela, raped and strangled Mrs. Petit, then spread the gasoline 10. lit the fire and ran out of house, leaving Hayley and Michaela to die tied to their beds steven hayes' triple murder trial starts sept. 13th, jk's in the beginning of next year moment of truthJuly 18, 2010
in the pre-dawn hours of july 23rd, 2007, steven hayes drove through the back roads of cheshire. next to him in the van sat empty plastic gallon containers that he and joshua komisarjevsky found filled with windshield washer fluid in the Petit garage.
hayes found the all-night gas station with little trouble. but on the way back, in the misty darkness, he lost his way. at least twice, maybe three times, he had to phone joshua, a cheshire native, for directions. in the petit house, joshua kept watch over the three Petit women, mother Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, Hayley, 18, and Michaela, 11. The father of the home, Dr. William Petit, was bound and nearly unconscious. finally, after what must have seemed forever to his partner, hayes pulled the pacifica into the Petit driveway, then carried the gasoline into the house. that gasoline would be used to start the fire that killed Hayley and Michaela, who were left to die tied to their beds, and consume the body of Jennifer Hawke-, who had already been raped and strangled. Dr. Petit escaped the inferno. if a jury ends up sentencing steven hayes and joshua komisarjevsky to death, it will be that gasoline that fueled their decision. hayes' trial starts sept. 13th, komisarjevsky's in the beginning of next year. political baseballJuly 16, 2010
if thomas ullman, steven hayes' attorney, has lost a couple of miles-an-hour on his fastball, he can still throw junk with the best of them. today, during a pre-trial hearing, he floated a bugs bunny curveball by the prosecution by challenging the legality of the death penalty in Connecticut. swing and a miss.
just because steven hayes' triple homicide trial coincides with the nutmeg state's gubernatorial and u.s. senate races this fall doesn't mean he would try to capitalize on the timing. ullman is into his windup and here's the pitch... steven hayes' trial begins sept. 13th, joshua komisarjevsky follows soon after Miss Porter's hatJuly 14, 2010
maybe the most depraved detail in a morning filled with depraved details was steven hayes wearing Hayley Petit's school hat when he ran from the Petit house after setting it on fire. both the 18-year-old Hayley and her sister, Michaela, 11, died in the inferno. both had been tied to their bedposts. the detail of the Miss Porter's school hat was entered into court record today by testimony of a cheshire police detective who was outside the house on sorghum mill drive the morning of the murders.
the detective, and two other witnesses, testified as part of pre-trial hearing on motions made by the defense to suppress statements hayes made to police right after he was apprehended. instead of his client's statements, hayes' attorney. thomas ullman, should have tried to have the hat removed from the record. ullman's trying to save hayes' life, not get him acquitted. in my opinion, the visual of hayes wearing the Miss Porter's hat makes a jury a lot more likely to give him the needle. then again, they may have already read about the hat in In the Middle of the Night. hayes' trial begins on sept. 13th, joshua komisarjevsky's follows soon after. enter uncle festerJuly 12, 2010
three years ago this week:
not only did joshua komisarjevsky give steven hayes work on the construction jobs he was doing, he invited his old halfway house buddy into his small circle of friends: among this group was joshua's girlfriend caroline, who was 16 at the time, and some of his friends from growing up in cheshire. the group pinned the nickname "Uncle Fester" on hayes because of his bald head and pudgy frame. hayes could care less about the unflattering moniker. in the space of just a couple of weeks, the 44-year-old had gone from prison to hanging out with a bunch of teens and twentysomethings. he had hit the ex-con lottery. hayes' triple murder trial starts sept. 13th, joshua's will follow soon after bible storiesJuly 10, 2010
three years ago this week:
though it was short-lived, joshua komisarjevsky played the daddy role well. the night before the Petit murders, Sunday, July 22nd, 2007, joshua gave his 5-year-old daughter a bath, tucked her in and read Bible stories to her until she fell asleep. but there was a duality in joshua that had a side so contrary, so evil, that it was capable of murdering children. just six or so hours after he had tucked his own daughter in, he was tying 11-year-old Michaela Petit to her bed posts. He and steven hayes broke into the Petit house in the middle of the night and decided to turn a dream of a suburban home into an incomprehensible nightmare. Michaela, her sister, Hayley and their mother, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, would all die before joshua and hayes were through. and now judgment day draws near. steven hayes triple murder trial begins sept.13th. joshua's will follow sometime next year. from the rooftops of cheshireJuly 8, 2010
three years ago this week:
perched on the roofs of the houses they worked on, the sun beating down on their backs, hayes and joshua wiped the sweat from their eyes and looked out on manicured lawns, backyard decks and swimming pools of central Connecticut. every now and then they would get a glimpse of a teenage girl or young mother in summer shorts or a bathing suit top and entitlement would stir in their loins, a feeling that began to boil under the sun's unrelenting heat. it would take just a little over two weeks before the legitimate jobs on the roofs of Cheshire and environs would cave to the mismatched pair's baser nature and lead them to the Petit's basement bulkhead door. steven hayes' triple murder trial starts on sept. 13th. joshua's trial will begin sometime early next year. nightmaresJuly 5, 2010
it's supposed to climb to a 100 degrees here on the east coast and stay that way for almost a week. no time to be in jail, especially a maxi prison in Connecticut awaiting your triple murder trial and possible death sentence. but that's where steven hayes and joshua komisarjevsky find themselves. i wonder what thoughts come to them just before they close their eyes to sleep. i wonder who visits them in their dreams.
the end of this month will mark the third anniversary of the Cheshire home-invasion murders. steven hayes' trial begins sept. 13th. yesterday's eventsJuly 1, 2010
Judge Blue denied the request to close the courtroom to press and the public made by Thomas Ullman, steven hayes' attorney--this is good news for all who put any credence into a little thing called the First Amendment. also, prosecution has decided not to enter the library book hayes was reading in jail in the months before the Petit murders into evidence--which is also good news. as evidence, the book no doubt would have caused a backlash against the prison library system in Ct. Connecticut's jails have taken a beating over their shoddy stewardship of hayes and komisarjevsky, and rightfully so. but this is an area where they don't deserve to take a hit. what hayes was reading didn't make him kill Jennifer Hawke-Petit any more than "Blackbird" instructed Charles Manson.
for argument's sake,June 28, 2010
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?
today's hintJune 27, 2010
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." hayes' library bookJune 24, 2010
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. interview airs sunday nightJune 19, 2010
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. new haven superior court update:June 1, 2010
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. Summer scheduleMay 15, 2010
as jury selection for the steven hayes triple homicide trial creeps to conclusion (five more alternates and backups still to be chosen) and the summer months approach, this blog will take a short hiatus from murder and mayhem. of course, i will update you on any significant news out of New Haven Superior Court, and will start daily posting as the mid-Sept. trial date nears. have a nice summer true-crime fans.
Michael Ross anniversaryMay 11, 2010
after spending 18 years on death row for the rape and murders of eight women in Connecticut and New York, Michael Ross was executed on Friday, May 13th 2005. in prison, Ross had found religion and spent the last years of his life trying to convince the state of Connecticut to put him to death. after the jump is a portion of a statement Ross made concerning his wish to die: (more…)
five to go...May 6, 2010
lawyers on both sides of the case agreed on two more alternate jurors yesterday. so far, 12 regular and three alternate jurors have been chosen. the new jurors are described as a North Haven, Ct. man in his 60s, and Madison, Ct. woman in her 40s. a panel of twenty regular, alternate and backup jurors are needed. selection continues today. the regular trial begins in mid-Sept.
where did the trial go?May 2, 2010
ok, up until the beginning of last week there was at least one and sometimes AS MANY AS 600 news stories A DAY about the jury selection of the steven hayes trial. but for the past week there has been nothing. not a single new word about the trial in the press or on the web. it's as if jury selection for the hayes trial has disappeared. (more…)
creeps in its petty pace...May 1, 2010
still no news out of steven hayes' jury selection. i can't help thinking that something's up. soon as i get anything i'll let you know.
the silence is deafeningApril 28, 2010
there hasn't been news out of Superior Court in New Haven for days now, and I can't find any indication that jury selection has been interrupted. this might be the longest stretch since the selection process began without a juror being chosen. maybe hayes' defense is reverting back to the stall tactics it implemented earlier on.
while we wait for things to heat up (and they will), there is a terrific piece about an excused prospective juror for the hayes trial in The Yale Herald by Cassie Crockett. It's required reading for any informed hayes trial-watcher. "home invasion"April 27, 2010
in the wake of the Petit murders, Connecticut legislators passed a bill that invented a new category of crime called "home invasion." the burglary of someone's home was reclassified as a Class A felony.
Last week in Connecticut there were two home invasions of note. the men responsible for the break-ins are both now in prison. One turned himself in because he "felt guilty," the other had some type of seizure in the house and was held down by occupants until police arrived. these two knuckleheads could face 25 years in prison. no news out of new haven, juror count still stuck on 12 journalist Greg Berger did a nice job in his piece on the political implications of the Petit trial in The Dartmouth coming to the end of act oneApril 24, 2010
quiet couple of days in New Haven Superior Court as the jury selection stalls at 12. guaranteed though, by the end of May they'll have the panel wrapped-up and ready to go. there's no way the defense would let this process bleed into June. The summer season of patio parties beckons and with a client as high-profile as hayes, the ullman-culligan team are sure to head up all the important guest lists. and why not? they're armed with enough courtroom anecdotes about nutty hayes to fill a whole season of summer sunsets.
but as the curtain comes down on the first act in new haven, i wonder how the star will be spending his intermission. (more…) photos of hayes in the house?April 22, 2010
i was reading a blog yesterday written by a Connecticut defense lawyer who shall remain nameless mostly because i think he's a self-important blowhard and i have an aversion to any man who wears a ponytail and is not playing a violin. it's closed-minded of me, i know. but i'm a work in progress.
anyhow, he mentioned in his piece that there are "grisly photographs" of hayes "participating in the carnage," presumably on the morning of July 23rd, 2007 in Cheshire. (more…) and then there were twelve...April 21, 2010
a new haven woman chosen today. eight more needed to complete the jury panel for steven hayes' triple murder trial.
the politics of hayesApril 19, 2010
it will be a moment when the whole state of Connecticut will still and listen.
the emotional impact of Dr. Petit testimony promises to be enormous. if all goes as planned, Dr. Petit will take the stand a little over a month before Connecticut chooses a new governor. the death penalty debate will be in full throat. in a letter to prosecutors, Thomas Ullman wrote that there is a "realistic probability" that the next governor will be anti-death penalty. let's see how probable that outcome is after Dr. Petit tells the court what happened to his wife and two daughters. when will they take hayes out of macdougall-walker?April 18, 2010
according to his lawyers, hayes hasn't showered or brushed his teeth in weeks. they say he eats little, and has trouble keeping whatever he eats down. he rarely sleeps. he spends his time rubbing his face and hands and pinching his fingers. in court, he rocks back and forth on his chair, and yawns. he cares nothing about his trial, they say. (more…)
hayes is stressedApril 17, 2010
think i liked this guy patrick j. culligan, hayes' co-counsel, better when he wasn't saying anything. an "incredibly stressful" situation? that's his argument to get his client excused from having to watch jury selection?
i'm gonna go out on a limb here, patrick, but i think stress is part of the job description of a defendant in a triple murder trial. who needs hayes?April 16, 2010
so the defense wants Judge Blue to allow their client to stay in his cell for jury selection. Blue will hear arguments today.
can't blame ullman for not wanting hayes in court. heck, the guy might stand up and yell "guilty!" again. have a heart, judge. hayes is in such a delicate condition, it's inhumane to make him sit in the same room with the victim's family. when it comes right down to it, defense doesn't need hayes to participate at all. this trial isn't about him, it's about ideals. so just put a crash-test dummy with a Steven Hayes name tag and sit it at the defense table. don't want to let a death-penalty debate get all messy with real live people. eleventh juror chosen yesterday. a woman from Wallingford, Ct. and then there were ten...April 15, 2010
a Hamden, Ct. man was chosen Wed. as the 10th juror. we are now halfway home to the 20 needed for a panel complete with back-ups and alternates.
this milestone warrants a quick re-cap: jury selection for steven hayes' triple murder trial began four months ago. there have been two extended delays, one because of (more…) ninth juror chosenApril 13, 2010
a new haven women was chosen as the ninth juror yesterday. eleven more to go
give me death over life anytimeApril 11, 2010
interesting opinion piece in today's Waterbury Republican American by Lee Grabar (sorry, link not available). It seems that thomas ullman had to talk long and hard to get hayes to change his mind about pleading guilty. the piece also talks about the death penalty being the lesser of two evils to some convicted murderers, like Michael Ross who was executed in Ct. in 2005. It made me wonder if hayes sees a freedom in death that he knows he'll never experience serving a life sentence. (more…)
jurors seven and eight pickedApril 9, 2010
two more jurors were chosen yesterday for hayes' murder trial bringing the total now to eight. 20 are needed for a panel complete with alternates and backups. all i know about yesterday's picks is that one is a woman, the other a man. if i get any more info i'll of course pass it on.
so far, 207 perspective jurors have been interviewed. if i haven't forgotten all my math, that means 1 out of every 27 perspective jurors have been chosen. no doubt this is a time-consuming process, but it's certainly not a completely tainted jury pool. the wicked witchApril 7, 2010
william glaberson, the ny times reporter covering hayes' trial, mentioned in his piece today that ullman's filing on monday included information that the state is administering "high doses" of medication to hayes.
so hayes goes from overdosing on meds, to being refused his meds, to high doses of meds. even instructions for anti-depressants warn (more…) hayes changes plea againApril 6, 2010
steven hayes changed his plea back to not-guilty today. if you're keeping score, it's not-guilty 2, guilty 1. but there is plenty of trial yet to play so don't turn your sets off yet.
a letter to thomas ullmanApril 6, 2010
dear thomas ullman,
i hope you don't think i'm just trying to get back at you for what you said about In the Middle of the Night, you know all that salacious, journalistic trash stuff read here. forget about your role as hayes' lawyer, just as a reader you have every right to your opinion about my writing. believe me, i hold no ill feelings towards you because of what you said. but sheesh, thomas, the letter you filed in court yesterday could have used an edit: (more…) updateApril 5, 2010
ok, for those of you who haven't been following steven hayes' triple murder trial here's a little update:
Jan. 19, after much gamesmanship on the part of hayes' defense in pursuit of delaying the trial, including the insistence that In the Middle of the Night and pre-trial publicity has tainted the jury pool, jury selection begins. by the end of January, four jurors are chosen Jan. 31, hayes tries to commit suicide by taking anti-psychotics and sedatives that he "cheeked" or horded. the defendant is in coma for serval days. after recuperating in hospital, hayes is placed in "safe" cell at macdougall-walker correctional. jury selection is postponed Feb. 8, hayes' lawyer complains that his client is being held in "inhumane" conditions: denied his meds, kept in restraints, lights kept on 24/7 March 1, Judge Jon Blue visits hayes' cell March 10, a prison psychiatrist testifies that, though depressed and wants to die, hayes is competent to stand trial March 15, after six week interruption, jury selection resumes. two more jurors are chosen March 17, trial again postponed as judge grants defense another competency hearing after hayes' lawyers complain that their client is exhibiting listless resignation and involuntary muscle movements April 1, after being deemed competent by state psychiatrist and social workers, hayes tells judge he wants to change his plea to guilty as charged. those charges include capital felony murder for which the death penalty is a possible punishment April 2, hayes' lawyers vow to fight their client's change of plea, hearing scheduled for April 6th what's the rush?March 28, 2010
though it seems like it is taking forever, in the big book of the execution business, the hayes murder trial hasn't even turned a page. last month the poster boy of death row longevity, Viva Leroy Nash, died at the tender age of 94. he had been waiting to be executed in an Arizona prison (more…)
Cheshire Cop Chief Under PressureMarch 24, 2010 More FOIA fun, this time in this story in the New Haven Register. Seems there is an internal squabble in the Cheshire P.D. stemming from the fallout of the Petit murders investigation and aftermath. who's insane?March 20, 2010
ok, so several law experts (i.e. lawyers) have taken time out of their busy billing schedules to teach us, like we're 8-year-olds, the difference between "insanity" and "competency." you see, hayes is not insane, which, in the eyes of the law, can only happen during the commission of a crime. he's just incompetent, which means he's (more…)
in texas, they don't believe in no damn anti-depressantsMarch 19, 2010
so suzanne ducate, the Ct. DOC shrink, formerly of the Texas DOC, tells Judge Jon Blue that hayes is fine and ready to go and after just ONE DAY back in court, thomas ullman, hayes' attorney, has the judge slam the breaks on the process to have hayes' competency checked out by some other psychiatrist. maybe suzanne should have stayed on vacation. (more…)
justice at all cost; fifth juror chosenMarch 16, 2010
like an old hammer hanging in the garage, the FOIA request proves itself once again as a slow, but reliable tool for the journalist. the Republican-American, a newspaper out of Waterbury, Ct., filed a FOIA (freedom of information act) request for the cost of defending Steven Hayes. the resulting documents reveal that Connecticut taxpayers have already ponied up over $800,000 for court costs, pretrial preparation and investigations. and that figure (more…)
back in courtMarch 15, 2010
so now Judge Jon Blue's Superior Court has six months to pick 16 jurors (for the requisite 20) to meet the proposed court calender date of mid September.
let's see if this portion of jury selection can go a little smoother than the first month. i'll update you later on how the first day back went weekend odds and ends (cont'd)March 14, 2010
the Connecticut DOC continues to thumb its nose at the press, the court and the law. the latest episode occurred last week when no one from the DOC bothered to attend a court hearing about the jail system's use of the gag order. (more…)
jury selection continues.March 12, 2010
over the past six weeks, steven hayes' suicide attempt and the conduct of the Ct. DOC has generated hundreds of news stories, dominated local headlines, and has been featured on morning network tv. so will Thomas Ullman, the master of delay, ask that the four jurors already picked be requestioned? or excused?
i'm betting he'll argue that jury selection should start from scratch. for someone who wants to die, isn't life imprisonment a far greater punishment?March 11, 2010
the prison shrink testified yesterday that hayes told her he's hopeless, and that his plan now is to wait for the State to put him to death. if the speed of the trial is any indication, hayes has a long life ahead of him. (more…)
you know what they do in Texas...March 10, 2010
judge, lawyers to meet with prison psychiatrist again today to talk about hayes' treatment in jail. the psychiatrist being questioned is Suzanne Ducate who's been with the Connecticut DOC since 2006. seemingly not one to be trifled with, Ducate was a flight surgeon in the Air Force for seven years. but she was also a Director of Mental (more…)
march 15th? well, maybeMarch 9, 2010
launching the space shuttle is more predictable than the steven hayes' murder trial. hayes' attorney, Thomas Ullman, wants to ask the prison shrink more questions, and Judge Blue is going to let him. so resuming jury selection on march 15th is a big maybe.
it's going on six weeks since hayes tried to commit suicide. steven hayes insanity defenseMarch 8, 2010
yet another hearing is scheduled for tomorrow to determine if steven hayes is mentally fit to resume being tried for murder.
most insanity defenses bring into question the defendant's mental competency at the time of his crime. not so in this case. steven hayes' lawyer is arguing that his client is in "no condition to continue," due (more…) steven hayes the new rodney king?March 6, 2010
so a guy gets pulled over in cheshire for driving while intox and later accuses the cheshire p.d. of roughing him up. but these days, DWI stops are videotaped and the tape has nothing FOX's "Cops" would be interested in. So no big deal, right? Except for one thing. (more…)
don't talk to prison shrink, hayes advisedMarch 4, 2010
according to news stories out of connecticut, steven hayes isn't talking to the prison psychiatrist because his lawyer told him not to. in response, the shrink is refusing hayes his meds, which include anti-psychotics and anti-depressants.
the attorney, thomas ullman, was able to stop the jury selection process for nearly a month by telling (more…) beware the ides of marchMarch 3, 2010
after a tour of steven hayes' accommodations at macdougall-walker, judge jon blue said that jury selection should be able to resume on march 15th.
hayes is being held in what amounts to an observation cell in macdougall-walker's infirmary. with more square footage, and a window to the outside, his new digs are actually a (more…) steven hayes' photoMarch 1, 2010
in case you haven't noticed, the hartford courant has new art on steven hayes. supplied by the DOC, the photo certainly gives the accused a far different appearance than his ubiquitous mug shot. in that photo, hayes looked like he could be working the local deli counter, or more like Uncle Fester, the nickname (more…)
steven hayes' pajamasFebruary 23, 2010
the big news out of court in connecticut today is that steven hayes has been given permission to wear his pajamas. Hayes is being held in a prison infirmary after a suicide attempt.
citing the gag order, the DOC is refusing to answer any pajamas questions. but one expert on prison sleepwear did say that the pajamas are probably NOT Dr. Denton's. (more…) and yet again... another delay in steven hayes' trialFebruary 17, 2010
so hayes shows up in court, looking like he's on a hunger strike, and is sent back to prison infirmary. this time, the judge says he has to get ok'ed by the prison shrink, who apparently is on vacation. can't blame him, i wouldn't want to be associated with this trial either.
paperwork snafu delays hayes' trial once againFebruary 16, 2010
boy oh boy, the criminal justice system in Connecticut runs like a Swiss clock. this time, officials didn't prepare the paperwork to have Hayes transported to the courthouse. things are supposed to be put right by tomorrow. the tomorrow's are piling up in the New Haven courthouse.
prison screwed up steven hayes' medsFebruary 15, 2010
way to go Randall Beach! the reporter and his paper, the New Haven Register, are starting to play hardball with Connecticut's Department of Corrections. a source told that paper that Steven Hayes' medications were improperly administered. the thorazine and konopin were supposed to be crushed and mixed in liquid. If they had been, Hayes wouldn't have been able to horde them, or "cheek" them in prison parlance. (more…)
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