The Cheshire Murder

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Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes, decided to burglarize the home of the Petits. Joshua spotted Mrs. Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughter at a local Stop N’ Shop and followed them home. The next day, Joshua and Stephen entered the home. Joshua raped Michaela, the younger of the Petit`s daughters. Steven strangled and then raped Mrs. Hawke-Petit. Before trying to escape, Joshua and Stephen set the home on fire. The two girls were burned alive. Jennifer’s husband, Dr. William Pettit, was severely beaten with a baseball bat and was left for dead. He barely escaped with his life. “The Cheshire Murders” presents interviews with family members of the victims and the perpetrators. It also explores the death penalty and whether or not the local police could have acted sooner and prevented the deaths of the Petits. The Hartford Courant recently published calls from “law enforcement sources indicating that officers doubted the potential danger in the home and held off the SWAT teams. The police were allegedly on the scene for thirty minutes, all while the girls were being raped, killed and the house was being set ablaze”. (Randle, 2013) Joshua`s former defense attorney described him as being a “genius” and a talented artist. He had a photographic memory and was able to recall every detail of every burglary. He has a long history of burglary with 19 home invasion convictions across four towns. Joshua was a sophisticated burglar who had honed his skills over the years. He used night vision goggles, latex gloves and was known to go from room to room, listening to the occupants’ breathing– for no apparent purpose. He was brazen in his thievery, choosing, on some occasions, to rob the homes of state troopers. His former lawyer had warned judges: “He needs to be watched. You are either never going to see him again or he is going to be one of the worst criminals to

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