Petit Family murders. trial coverage, warning! graphic evidence photos.

[Lady Cop]

horrible to look at these and know they were about to be murdered. :(



Michaela's bed



Prosecutors took the jury inside the Cheshire Stop & Shop supermarket on July 22, 2007, where Hawke-Petit and Michaela shopped for the family's last dinner together before the slayings.



Supermarket surveillance photos captured Hawke-Petit and Michaela browsing the produce aisles. Michaela is wearing a sleeveless shirt and her hair in a ponytail.

[zoemaesmom]

Was Michaela doused with gasoline?

[Harvest Moon]

LC thanks for keeping track of this case and the trials and I really appreciate your commentary.

I remember when this happened, it was so horrific, and, close to home, that I couldn't even read about it.

In a case such as this, even the death penalty does not do justice. Maybe some sort of death penalty where the criminals do not know from day to day if this will be their last. Along with some little torture thrown in.

How about injecting them with a flesh eating virus and letting them lay there as it slowly kills them. For sodomizing that little girl, how about sticking some sort of insect/worm/animal/sea creature up his butt and letting it eat him from the inside out. Hopefully, taking several weeks or, better yet, months.

I'm not sure if I believe in the classic heaven and hell, but in this case I sure hope there is a hell.

[Lady Cop]

Hartford Courant

Later today, Dr. H. Wayne Carver II, the state's chief medical examiner, is expected to testify about how Michaela, bound to her bed, died from smoke inhalation as her home went up in flames. Similar testimony in last year's trial of Steven Hayes, Komisarjevsky's co-defendant, brought jurors to tears and forced Michaela's father, the lone survivor of the crime, to leave the courtroom.

Jurors also might hear about cellphone photos taken of Michaela during the home invasion as she lay tied to her bed, her head covered with a pillowcase. According to testimony earlier this week, Komisarjevsky told detectives that he took the photos and planned to send them to Hayes' cellphone so that Hayes could show them to Michaela's mother in case she did not cooperate with the family's captors.

Prosecutors on Tuesday gave jurors a preview of what they say happened to Michaela on July 23, 2007. Police testimony took the jury inside the Petit home after the roaring flames were doused, the screams had subsided, and police radios were once again calm.
John Brunetti, a state forensics science examiner, testified Wednesday that six of the cellphone images showed a young female, dressed in a skirt or wrap. The photos were taken from 7:27 a.m. until 9:14 a.m. the day of the killings.

Dr. William Petit Jr., the sole survivor of the attack, watched jurors as they passed the photos — tucked inside a manila folder — around the jury box.

According to testimony in last year's trial of Komisarjevsky's accomplice, Steven Hayes, one of the images, taken at 7:27 a.m. on July 23, 2007, showed a young female, dressed in a skirt and a sleeveless shirt lying on a bed with her arms up above her head. Her face was covered with a cloth, which Komisarjevsky since has admitted was a pillowcase.

A photo, taken at 7:51 a.m., showed a close-up of the girl's private area. Another image, according to testimony in the Hayes trial, showed the same girl lying on her back.

A photo shot at 7:52 a.m. showed the girl on a bed with her legs tied.

[Lady Cop]

Hartford Courant

NEW HAVEN — —

Seconds after the state's chief medical examiner took the witness stand Wednesday in the trial of Joshua Komisarjevsky, Dr. William Petit Jr. and members of his family left the courtroom. Jurors turned their heads and watched as two rows of family members walked out, apparently to avoid hearing what was expected to be gruesome testimony.

And gruesome it was.

Prosecutor Michael Dearington immediately directed Dr. H. Wayne Carver II's testimony to the autopsy of the youngest victim of the crime, 11-year-old Michael Petit.

Carver lowered his eyes and said, "That was my responsibility."

Carver testified that there was heat damage to her skin and that soot filled her airways. Her hair was well-preserved.

Prosecutors projected a large, shocking photo of Michaela's voicebox and trachea, filled with a substance Carver described as black soot.

The organ was a bright pink — a color Carver said meant that poisonous carbon monoxide had attached itself to the young girl's red blood cells.

Carver went into some technical explanations, which Dearington boiled down into a question.

"So, essentially, the carbon monoxide takes the place of oxygen, is that correct?" Dearington asked.

"Yes," Carver replied. He confirmed that she died of smoke inhalation.

Carver also testified about a rectal sample taken from the girl's body during the autopsy. It tested for sperm, Carver said.

Jurors looked grim during the medical examiner's testimony.

[Lady Cop]

NEW HAVEN—

The gasoline-fueled arson fire that killed Michaela and Hayley Petit began in the family room of the Petit home, an area that was burning so fiercely that it repelled police and firefighters who tried to enter, a state police fire investigator testified Friday.

[dbug258]

this tragedy is such an eye opener and makes you appreciate everyday you have with your family

[Lady Cop]

NEW HAVEN — —
Ten days of disturbing testimony from more than 30 witnesses called by prosecutors — which at times brought some jurors to tears and prompted victims' loved ones to leave the courtroom — ended Monday, clearing the way for Joshua Komisarjevsky's attorneys to launch his defense later this week.

[Lady Cop]

filed under boo hoo who gives a rat's ass.

NEW HAVEN—

A series of concussions, a history of being sexually abused as a young child and extensive drug use could have affected Joshua Komsarjevsky's mental health and his ability to make decisions and to react to situations, a neuropsychologist from New York University testified Wednesday.

Dr. Leo Shea called those experiences a "perfect storm" in Komisarjevsky's life that affected his cognitive function.

Testifying for the defense in Komisarjevsky's Superior Court trial in the deadly Cheshire home invasion case, Shea said Komisarjevsky suffered five concussions between the ages of 9 and 17. One concussion occurred in a car crash; others happened when he hit a soccer goalpost and in a snowboarding accident, Shea said.

Shea said he relied on Komisarjevsky's childhood medical records, a battery of tests he conducted on him and interviews with him.

During Shea's discussion of Komisarjevsky's results on a series of cognitive tests, some jurors appeared inattentive and restless. But Shea's testimony about the sexual abuse Komisarjevsky allegedly suffered as a young boy seemed to grab their attention.

Shea testified to a hushed courtoom that Komisarjevsky was anally and orally raped between the ages of 4 and 6 and that he had been tortured by being burned.

Shea also testified about Komisarjevsky's significant drug use over an 18- to 24-month period, including the use of crytal methamphetamine and marijuana.

All of those experiences could have affected certain parts of Komisarjevsky's brain, Shea said. The effects include irritability, an inability to make decisions, problems socially and the lack of ability to think of the needs of other people.

Shea also found that Komisarjevsky was a poor speller, a slow reader and weak in math and that he has trouble concentrating, yet is a good talker and has good verbal comprehension. Another test found that Komisarjevsky is a risk taker.

During this testimony, Komisarjevsky seemed more impassive than he has in the earlier days of his trial.

[nrkerr]

That is such bullshit!!!! (Sadly) I know plenty of people that were sexually abused as a child, and went on to live productive lives. They didn't rob, rape, and murder people!! I am REALLY sick and tired of these assholes using that as a fucking excuse!!!

[Lady Cop]

closings will be Tuesday Oct. 11

NEW HAVEN — —

Defense attorneys this morning ended their call of witnesses in the trial of Joshua Komisarjevsky, who faces the death penalty if convicted of the killings of a Cheshire mother and her two daughters.

Prosecutors did not call any rebuttal witnesses, and jurors were sent home.

[rachel little]

hey i'm new here..just want to read up on the petit trial since it's not being televised...thanks for giving out all the info.

[Midwest Spy]

I've stated here many, many times that I'm all for the death penalty. After reading a little background about Komisarjevsky, I'm inclined to put him in prison for life, without parole.

If he in fact was sexually abused as 4-6 year old, I'm going to cut him just a little slack, and believe that he's had a very fucked up life. I believe his older accomplice was the brains behind this operation, and he'll pay for it with his life.

[Lady Cop]

his convicted accomplice, hayes, is as dumb as a stump. not a criminal mastermind by any stretch.

[Midwest Spy]

He's still nearly 20 years older I believe? He'd be the one calling the shots IMO. Reminiscent of the D.C. sniper case.

[Lady Cop]

He's still nearly 20 years older I believe? He'd be the one calling the shots IMO. Reminiscent of the D.C. sniper case.

nope. a stupid thug. followed orders. think "duh ok boss when do i get the cash?"

[DMP]

Has it been confirmed that Komisarjevsky was raped? I think I read something about a sealed report about it but, not sure if it was just a report that he alleged the rape occurred or if he was examined by a doctor who reported evidence of rape.

[Rhomo]

Sorry for a stupid question, but are the bastards still in the trial process or is it in appeals and such now?

[Lady Cop]

Sorry for a stupid question, but are the bastards still in the trial process or is it in appeals and such now?

yes it is a stupid question. review a few pages of the thread to find out.
and load an avatar before posting.

that goes for all of you so-called new people posting in this thread.

[lawheeze]

Thanks, LC, for maintaining this thread. It's taken me a couple of tries to get through it because it is such a horrific crime. I previously only followed as much in the regular news as I could handle. This thread though is so comprehensive.

Komisarjevsky was the mastermind. And having a bad childhood doesn't excuse anything. It makes me sick when I heard about that kind of crap.