09-15-2010, 04:24 PM
today Sept. 15.
After seeing disturbing photos from the crime scene in Cheshire Judge Blue turned to the jury and said he knows this is a horrible experience and dismissed them for the day. He told the people who will be deciding Steven Hayes' fate not to discuss the case, but to give each other hugs if they wanted.
NEW HAVEN — Testimony in the trial of Steven Hayes this afternoon turned to the grim search for bodies once firefighters were able to enter the Petit house on July 23, 2007.
Judge Jon C. Blue, returning from lunch break, addressed three notes from the jury, including one inquiring whether they could be told beforehand about graphic photos.
Blue said graphic photos would not be displayed on the movie screen in court but distributed among the jury.
"Just prepare yourself as best you can," Blue said.
Rick Trocci, a Cheshire volunteer firefighter, said he was driving that morning when he received a page that there was a fire on Sorghum Mill Drive.
Within eight minutes he was on scene. He grabbed an air pack and hand tools and entered the home through the front door with two other firefighters.
The smoke was so thick on the second floor that there was no visibility. They went there because they were told there might be people on the second floor.
They used thermal imaging-cameras for their search. They found a body at the top of the stairs.
Prosecutors distributed photos of the body to the jurors. Many had no reaction. Some looked quickly and promptly closed the files they were in.
One woman looked at the photos and then looked at Dr. William Petit Jr. seated in the front row. Next to him was his father, William Sr., who sobbed as the photos made their way across the jury box.
Killed that day were William Petit Jr.'s wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their daughters, Hayley and Michaela.
At the time, the firefighter said, he didn't know who the person was. When asked if he learned the identity later, Trocci said softly, "Hayley Petit."
Trocci said he was concerned for his safety in the house as the burning stairs had lost structural stability.
"We could feel the heat through our gear," he said.
They discussed moving into the building further but because of the heat and flames, they left the home.
He said he went in again with a carbon monoxide meter to see if police could go inside to investigate their discovery.
Finding Jennifer's Body
Meriden firefighter Tim Wysoczanski was the first firefighter to arrive at the burning Petit home. He said an officer told him there were possibly people inside.
Once the fire truck arrived, he pulled a hose and went through the front door. He said it was "pitch black" inside and they could only make it in about 10 feet.
They pulled out of the home and fought the flames from the outside, spraying water through a picture window.
Eventually, the fire died down and ventilation helped make visibility better.
He saw members of a police SWAT team enter. He said he was told there was possibly a third person inside.
"It was not a definite," he said. "It just wasn't known."
With the flames diminished, Wysoczanski went inside again. While in the family room, he found a body.
"Was there any way for you to know who it was at the time?" Nicholson asked.
"No sir," the firefighter said.
"Did you subsequently find out it was Mrs. Jennifer Hawke-Petit?"
"Yes sir," he replied.
Several jurors reacted to the photos of Hawke-Petit's body. One woman braced her body and sighed. Another put her hand to her head. One woman appeared to glare toward Hayes after her viewing.
Michaela's Body On Bed
Cheshire police Lt. Jay Markella said when he arrived at the scene there was a third suspect inside.
Markella and five other officers went to the second floor, being careful to step on the outside of the steps and not the middle as they were told the middle of the steps had been compromised.
Then they made a discovery.
"Hayley was lying down at the top of the stairs," Markella said.
Then they made their way down a hallway and searched rooms. A ladder was in their way but they managed to make it to the last room.
Inside, Markella saw something on a bed.
"I found Michaela Petit," he said.
On the bed? Dearington asked
"Yes," Markella replied.
Michaela's hands were tied, pulled over her head and tied to the bed. Her lower torso was hanging off the bed.
Markella went into the room to see if there was any sign of life.
"I could tell she wasn't alive," he said.
The photos pushed a juror to tears. Dr. Petit sobbed and his father embraced him.
Blue then excused the jury for the day in a nod to the day's tough testimony.
"They've been through quite a bit," he said.
Before letting them go, he said, "You've been through the roughest part."
Tense Courtroom Exchange
Earlier in the day, a Cheshire police captain faced tough cross-examination this morning about his department's response to the home invasion.
Capt. Robert Vignola said he had no idea that violence was going on inside the Petit home. He appeared agitated under questioning from defense attorney Thomas J. Ullmann and said, if he had known what was going on inside, "I would have been the first one through that door."
Ullmann, cross-examining Vignola after the police captain gave his account to prosecutors, showed the court a timeline of events that showed 33 minutes elapsed from a bank employee's call alerting police to a possible hostage situation, to confirmation by police that at least one person at the home was in distress:
9:21 a.m.: Bank employee alerts police to a possible hostage situation.
9:25: Broadcast goes to all police units about report of a hostage situation.
9:27: Police captain tells units not to approach the house.
9:28: Marked units are told to stay back.
9:36: Vignola does a drive-by.
9:44: Vignola advises that police need to set up a perimeter.
9:45: Patrol units set up on each end of Sorghum Mill Drive.
9:54: Someone is heard calling the name "Dave." (Earlier testimony identified "Dave" as a neighbor and the person calling his name a severely wounded William Petit Jr.)
Vignola testified that police were following the proper protocol for a hostage situation. He said the information they had showed no violence. It was confusing, he said, and "still makes no sense today."
Under cross-examination, Vignola said no officers went to the front door of the home shortly after the police call. Vignola said he advised police not to enter until a better perimeter was set up.
When Ullmann offered a wait time of 20 minutes, Vignola did not dispute the time.
"No phone call was made from any police officer to the home?" Ullmann asked.
"That's correct," Vignola said.
Vignola said there was some confusion at the bank: A teller did not entirely believe Hawke-Petit's story about the hostage situation but the bank manager did.
Ullmann questioned Vignola about an officer who upon hearing the call, went to the police department to get SWAT gear instead of the home. Ullmann asked Vignola if police already carry weapons. Vignola said yes.
Ullmann, referring to the time police spent responding to the call, said that even with all the setup, "you were too late."
Prosecutor Gary Nicholson objected to the comment, and Judge Blue said Vignola did not have to respond.
Vignola was excused from the stand and hurried from the courtroom without acknowledging Petit, sitting in the front row.
After seeing disturbing photos from the crime scene in Cheshire Judge Blue turned to the jury and said he knows this is a horrible experience and dismissed them for the day. He told the people who will be deciding Steven Hayes' fate not to discuss the case, but to give each other hugs if they wanted.
NEW HAVEN — Testimony in the trial of Steven Hayes this afternoon turned to the grim search for bodies once firefighters were able to enter the Petit house on July 23, 2007.
Judge Jon C. Blue, returning from lunch break, addressed three notes from the jury, including one inquiring whether they could be told beforehand about graphic photos.
Blue said graphic photos would not be displayed on the movie screen in court but distributed among the jury.
"Just prepare yourself as best you can," Blue said.
Rick Trocci, a Cheshire volunteer firefighter, said he was driving that morning when he received a page that there was a fire on Sorghum Mill Drive.
Within eight minutes he was on scene. He grabbed an air pack and hand tools and entered the home through the front door with two other firefighters.
The smoke was so thick on the second floor that there was no visibility. They went there because they were told there might be people on the second floor.
They used thermal imaging-cameras for their search. They found a body at the top of the stairs.
Prosecutors distributed photos of the body to the jurors. Many had no reaction. Some looked quickly and promptly closed the files they were in.
One woman looked at the photos and then looked at Dr. William Petit Jr. seated in the front row. Next to him was his father, William Sr., who sobbed as the photos made their way across the jury box.
Killed that day were William Petit Jr.'s wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, and their daughters, Hayley and Michaela.
At the time, the firefighter said, he didn't know who the person was. When asked if he learned the identity later, Trocci said softly, "Hayley Petit."
Trocci said he was concerned for his safety in the house as the burning stairs had lost structural stability.
"We could feel the heat through our gear," he said.
They discussed moving into the building further but because of the heat and flames, they left the home.
He said he went in again with a carbon monoxide meter to see if police could go inside to investigate their discovery.
Finding Jennifer's Body
Meriden firefighter Tim Wysoczanski was the first firefighter to arrive at the burning Petit home. He said an officer told him there were possibly people inside.
Once the fire truck arrived, he pulled a hose and went through the front door. He said it was "pitch black" inside and they could only make it in about 10 feet.
They pulled out of the home and fought the flames from the outside, spraying water through a picture window.
Eventually, the fire died down and ventilation helped make visibility better.
He saw members of a police SWAT team enter. He said he was told there was possibly a third person inside.
"It was not a definite," he said. "It just wasn't known."
With the flames diminished, Wysoczanski went inside again. While in the family room, he found a body.
"Was there any way for you to know who it was at the time?" Nicholson asked.
"No sir," the firefighter said.
"Did you subsequently find out it was Mrs. Jennifer Hawke-Petit?"
"Yes sir," he replied.
Several jurors reacted to the photos of Hawke-Petit's body. One woman braced her body and sighed. Another put her hand to her head. One woman appeared to glare toward Hayes after her viewing.
Michaela's Body On Bed
Cheshire police Lt. Jay Markella said when he arrived at the scene there was a third suspect inside.
Markella and five other officers went to the second floor, being careful to step on the outside of the steps and not the middle as they were told the middle of the steps had been compromised.
Then they made a discovery.
"Hayley was lying down at the top of the stairs," Markella said.
Then they made their way down a hallway and searched rooms. A ladder was in their way but they managed to make it to the last room.
Inside, Markella saw something on a bed.
"I found Michaela Petit," he said.
On the bed? Dearington asked
"Yes," Markella replied.
Michaela's hands were tied, pulled over her head and tied to the bed. Her lower torso was hanging off the bed.
Markella went into the room to see if there was any sign of life.
"I could tell she wasn't alive," he said.
The photos pushed a juror to tears. Dr. Petit sobbed and his father embraced him.
Blue then excused the jury for the day in a nod to the day's tough testimony.
"They've been through quite a bit," he said.
Before letting them go, he said, "You've been through the roughest part."
Tense Courtroom Exchange
Earlier in the day, a Cheshire police captain faced tough cross-examination this morning about his department's response to the home invasion.
Capt. Robert Vignola said he had no idea that violence was going on inside the Petit home. He appeared agitated under questioning from defense attorney Thomas J. Ullmann and said, if he had known what was going on inside, "I would have been the first one through that door."
Ullmann, cross-examining Vignola after the police captain gave his account to prosecutors, showed the court a timeline of events that showed 33 minutes elapsed from a bank employee's call alerting police to a possible hostage situation, to confirmation by police that at least one person at the home was in distress:
9:21 a.m.: Bank employee alerts police to a possible hostage situation.
9:25: Broadcast goes to all police units about report of a hostage situation.
9:27: Police captain tells units not to approach the house.
9:28: Marked units are told to stay back.
9:36: Vignola does a drive-by.
9:44: Vignola advises that police need to set up a perimeter.
9:45: Patrol units set up on each end of Sorghum Mill Drive.
9:54: Someone is heard calling the name "Dave." (Earlier testimony identified "Dave" as a neighbor and the person calling his name a severely wounded William Petit Jr.)
Vignola testified that police were following the proper protocol for a hostage situation. He said the information they had showed no violence. It was confusing, he said, and "still makes no sense today."
Under cross-examination, Vignola said no officers went to the front door of the home shortly after the police call. Vignola said he advised police not to enter until a better perimeter was set up.
When Ullmann offered a wait time of 20 minutes, Vignola did not dispute the time.
"No phone call was made from any police officer to the home?" Ullmann asked.
"That's correct," Vignola said.
Vignola said there was some confusion at the bank: A teller did not entirely believe Hawke-Petit's story about the hostage situation but the bank manager did.
Ullmann questioned Vignola about an officer who upon hearing the call, went to the police department to get SWAT gear instead of the home. Ullmann asked Vignola if police already carry weapons. Vignola said yes.
Ullmann, referring to the time police spent responding to the call, said that even with all the setup, "you were too late."
Prosecutor Gary Nicholson objected to the comment, and Judge Blue said Vignola did not have to respond.
Vignola was excused from the stand and hurried from the courtroom without acknowledging Petit, sitting in the front row.