AP Photo
By: Jeffery Kurz, staff
07/22/2008
CHESHIRE - A year
later, it's the lives of the victims and not the circumstances of their
deaths that prevail.
A year
ago, it was the crime, a home invasion that took the lives of a
Cheshire woman and her two daughters and shook a community to its
core. That the community is now focused on honoring the memory
of the victims
is thanks largely to the reaction of the lone survivor of the
ordeal.
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Rob Beecher /
Record-Journal
By: Adam Wittenberg,
staff
07/22/2008
Following the deadly home
invasion in Cheshire one year ago, the
legislature passed two rounds of criminal justice reforms designed to
improve the system and crack down on repeat offenders.
Some
of the measures, such as instituting a full-time parole board,
took effect July 1, too recently to tell if they are working, but a new
battle has erupted in Hartford over paying for the reforms.
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 Three
strikes rally in Cheshire (8/15/07)
Cheshire
homicide suspect lived near victims (7/25/07)
Connecticut
State Police Press Conference (6/23/07)
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Read the 911 transcript from July 23, 2007
Cheshire 911 Dispatch log
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PLAINVILLE - When Dr. William A. Petit Jr. planned his speech for the start of the first-ever GE Petit Family Foundation 5K Road Race, he and event organizers had expected to address about 500 area friends and racers. But at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, he found himself addressing more than 3,500 participants. |
It's been almost a year since Dr. William Petit Jr. lost his wife and two daughters in a home invasion in Cheshire. He could hardly be blamed if he turned away from the world.
Instead, Petit has supported criminal justice reform and established a foundation he hopes will honor the memory of his lost loved ones for many years to come.
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CHESHIRE - In the year since the Petit homicides shook the state and this suburban community of 29,000 people, not much has changed in the 49-officer Cheshire Police Department. |
Almost nine months after a triple homicide in Cheshire that riveted the state, the two defendants aren't anywhere close to going to trial. |
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CHESHIRE - Imagine thousands of glowing candles lining the streets throughout town. Not just a few streets, but every street. |
HARTFORD (AP) - Higher-risk inmates have been sent to community release programs over the past two years in an effort to ease prison crowding, a Hartford Courant review of state records has found.
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Following a brutal home invasion that ended in a triple homicide in Cheshire, Meriden City Councilor Anthony Tomassetti asked police officers here to refresh their crime prevention training, then take that training into the community.
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Governor's task force will review prisoner release and sentencing |
NEW HAVEN - A judge has set a hearing for next month so attorneys can argue about whether search warrants should remain sealed in a Cheshire burglary and arson that left a mother and two daughters dead. |
CHESHIRE - The local clergy association and town officials are planning a townwide memorial service to honor the Petit family. |
Soon after Labor Day, Cheshire Academy students will return to class facing the loss of the person many considered their substitute parent at the boarding school - Jennifer Hawke-Petit. A private memorial service is planned for staff, students and parents. |
HARTFORD - The shocking murders of a Cheshire mother and her two daughters this summer have sparked increased interest in tracking more Connecticut offenders with global positioning devices. |
HARTFORD - Despite the clamor for changes among legislators following the horrific triple homicides of a mother and her two daughters in Cheshire, no proposed legislation is on the table before the state Judiciary Committee.
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The recent triple homicide in Cheshire set the tone at a meeting of the state's Sentencing Task Force Monday as members discussed the possibility of establishing a separate criminal statute for home invasions.
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HARTFORD - State parole board members are examining records of thousands of inmates currently eligible for parole to see whether any police reports, sentencing transcripts and background investigations raise red flags.
The stepped-up review comes in the wake of the July 23 murders of a Cheshire mother and her two daughters. |
Hartford minister and political activist Cornell Lewis and his friends are not likely to persuade anyone with their complaint this week that Connecticut should not have paid more attention to the murder of the Petit family in Cheshire than to recent murders in Hartford.
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CHESHIRE (AP) - A national alarm company will donate to charity to atone for spreading leaflets in a Cheshire neighborhood in the days after a mother and her two daughters were killed there in a home invasion, officials said. |
 |  | | | | | | Rob Beecher / Record-Journal | |
CHESHIRE -- The creation of a Web-based criminal registry to track released felons gained support Wednesday night at a rally organized to call for a mandatory "three strikes" law in Connecticut.
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Video: Three strikes rally in Cheshire
August 15, 2007 | | | | | | | Rob Beecher / Record-Journal | |
Hundreds attended a rally in Cheshire for tighter enforcement of Connecticut's present "three strikes and you're out" legislation. At the time of the rally, 39,000 people had signed an online petition for such legislation.
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CHESHIRE - The emotional impact of the Petit slayings on town residents may not be calculable.
However, the impact on town employees - police officers, in particular - is becoming clear as a number of reports and memos make their way to the Town Council.
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CHESHIRE - A rally in support of strengthening the "three-strikes" law in Connecticut has attracted so much attention, it could bring hundreds of supporters to Bartlem Park tonight according to organizers.
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SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. (AP) - Friends and family gathered Saturday for the first memorial service in western Pennsylvania for a mother and two daughters killed in a brutal home invasion in Connecticut.
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While the lawyers assigned by the Superior Court to defend the two suspects in the Cheshire atrocity face a big challenge, most criminal lawyers would relish it.
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I know 13th District residents from Middletown west through Middlefield and Meriden join their westernmost counterparts in Cheshire still mourning the shocking, brutal, and senseless Petit family murders there last month. |
Experts say the best weapon against a home invasion is a secure residence. That's not difficult to achieve, according to Lt. Jay Markella of the Cheshire Police Department.
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The mental health of the men accused in the Petit homicide case is expected to be one of the first lines of defense for their public defenders, according to a professor from Quinnipiac University's School of Law.
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Fatigues and bulletproof vests aren't usual courtroom attire, but a half dozen guards from the state's special operations group were front and center at New Haven Superior Court Tuesday morning. |
Dr. William A. Petit Jr., his head bloodied and legs bound, stumbled out of a rear basement door of his two-story home here into a pouring rain, calling the name of a neighbor for help.
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People magazine veered from its celebrity-centered coverage for its Aug. 13 cover story to focus on the Sorghum Mill Drive home invasion and the slaying of three members of the Petit family. |
A good portion of the transcript from Joshua Komisarjevsky's 2002 sentencing hearing is devoted to the way he robbed his victims, not only of their property, but of their peace of mind.
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CHESHIRE - It started off as a backyard whiffleball tournament, but became something more.
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CHESHIRE - I sat in awe and watched Dr. William Petit address the overflow crowd assembled in the Welte Auditorium for the memorial services for his wife and daughters.
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The parole records for the two men accused in a Cheshire triple homicide were released Thursday. |
Two public defenders have been assigned to represent the men accused in the Sorghum Mill Drive home invasion and homicides. |
The transcript of the 2002 sentencing hearing for homicide suspect Joshua Komisarjevsky was released.
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STAMFORD - Having committed a string of brazen nighttime burglaries by the age of 22, Joshua Komisarjevsky was facing serious time in a state penitentiary when he stood before Judge James M. Bentivegna in late 2002, with his parents, girlfriend, and 9-month-old daughter in the gallery. |
Read the 49-page transcript of the sentencing of Joshua Komisarjevsky on Dec. 20, 2002. |
CHESHIRE -- State police continue to collect evidence in the cases against Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, and Steven Hayes, 44. |
Anyone convicted of second-degree burglary will be subject to random nighttime checks of their homes and workplaces by parole officers.
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HARTFORD - Contributions are beginning to flow to charities honoring the memories of a Cheshire woman and her two daughters slain in their home last week after being held captive for hours by two burglars. |
PLAINVILLE - Several weeks ago, Bristol resident Diane Brady made a scarf for Hayley Petit and sent it to her so the teenager would have it before she headed to Dartmouth College to begin her freshman year.
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HARTFORD -- Cheshire police say reports that it took 30 minutes to reach the burning home where a mother and her two daughters were found dead are "absolutely false."
The state's attorney who is prosecuting the case has asked that the exact time when officers were dispatched to the scene not be immediately released, police say.
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CHESHIRE - Members of the United Methodist Church of Cheshire relied on hymns both ancient and modern Sunday morning, as well as Scripture, to reaffirm their belief in the power of God to heal and comfort. |
Faith is often questioned when something horrible happens, even by those who seek answers from it.
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A halfway house is where Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes first met. |
If either homicide suspect Joshua Komisarjevsky or Steven Hayes had been convicted of crimes slightly more severe, they would have been forced to serve a larger portion of their sentences and would not have qualified for early release. |
CHESHIRE - Monday's triple homicide has left many people wondering why. How could what appeared to be a burglary result in a beating, multiple sexual assaults and three
deaths? Science hasn't found all the causes of violent crime, but there are some common factors. |
NEW BRITAIN - A collective gasp went up from more than 2,000 people when Dr. William A. Petit rose to speak at the memorial service for his family Saturday.
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CHESHIRE - Perhaps a handful of people noticed the note exchange between Jennifer Hawke-Petit and a teller at the Bank of America in Maplecroft Plaza on Monday. One of those witnesses is Deborah Biggins of Cheshire, who was in the bank that morning to open a checking account. |
HARTFORD (AP) - Hundreds of mourners are expected to pay their final respects today for a slain Cheshire mother and her two daughters, including many strangers who have been stunned by the brutal killings. |
CHESHIRE -- New Haven state's attorney added capital felony murder to the list of charges against Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes.
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CHESHIRE -- Just a month before Monday's home invasion, Joshua Komisarjevsky won a battle for custody of his 5-year-old daughter. |
CHESHIRE -- Neighbors gathered for an informal memorial service on Sorghum Mill Road Thursday night to honor the three slain victims of Monday's home invasion.
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NEW HAVEN (AP) - A state prosecutor says he will seek the death penalty for two suspects accused in a home invasion that left three people dead in Cheshire. |
The following statement was issued Thursday by Chris Komisarjevsky, the uncle of Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, who has been charged with assault, sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, robbery, arson, larceny and risk of injury to children in a home invasion in Cheshire that left a woman and her two daughters dead earlier this week: |
The Petit family will hold a memorial service Saturday at 11 a.m. at Herbert D. Welte Auditorium on the campus of Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. |
The family of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, who was from Pennsylvania, flew to Connecticut and began sifting through the charred house Wednesday. |
CHESHIRE - Police Chief Michael Cruess joined state police this morning in warning residents against unconfirmed reports in the media about the triple homicide Monday. |
CHESHIRE--Here is a summary of the criminal records of Joshua R. Komisarjevsky, 26, and Steven J. Hayes, 44, career criminals charged in the murder of three members of the Petit family in Cheshire. Prior to their arrests this week, Komisarjevsky had been convicted of 21 felonies and Hayes 17. Both also had been convicted of numerous misdemeanors and had been in and out of prison. |
CHESHIRE -- In the aftermath of Monday's home invasion and triple homicide, residents are shocked, scared and angry. Two suspects are behind bars and facing a host of charges, including kidnapping, arson and aggravated sexual assault. |
CHESHIRE -- Since Tuesday morning, when police identified Joshua Komisarjevsky as one of two suspects in a deadly home invasion, his parents Jude and Benedict Komisarjevsky won't open their door to the stream of reporters and television camera crews that park on N. Brooksvale Road. |
CHESHIRE -- Now that the state medical examiner has deemed the deaths of a Cheshire woman and her two daughters homicides, what additional charges will it bring against the two suspects arrested?
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Video: Cheshire homicide suspect lived near victims
July 25, 2007 Cheshire homicide suspect Joshua Komisarjevsky lived just a mile and a half from his victims' home. This video shows a car ride from Komisarjevsky's house to the home of Dr. William A. Petit Jr. |
CHESHIRE - Police Chief Michael Cruess said a funeral for Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters most likely wouldn't be held until Dr. William A. Petit, Jr., the father and husband, is released from St. Mary's hospital in Waterbury |
CHESHIRE - As the community tries to make sense of the triple homicide Monday, many have turned to counselors and religion for support. |
CHESHIRE - Joshua Komisarjevsky, accused in the Sorghum Mill Drive home invasion, is the grandson of internationally known Russian-born theater director Theodore Komisarjevsky and dancer Ernestine Stodelle, according to a published report. |
CHESHIRE - New Haven State's Attorney Michael Dearington is reviewing information from Cheshire's homicide case to determine what additional charges will be filed against defendants Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes. |
Record-Journal front page, Wednesday, July 25, 2007 |
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CHESHIRE -- Several notes were left in a basket at the front of the Cheshire United Methodist Church Tuesday during a prayer service for the Petits. |
CHESHIRE -- An online memorial group had emerged on Facebook.com called Pray for the Petits |
 | | | | | | | Christopher Zajac / Record-Journal | |
MERIDEN -- The state medical examiner ruled Tuesday night that Jennifer Hawke-Petit died from strangulation and her two daughters died from smoke inhalation.
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Record-Journal front page, Tuesday, July 24, 2007 |
CHESHIRE - Jennifer Hawke-Petit was strangled and her two daughters died from smoke inhalation, the chief state medical examiner's office reported Tuesday night. |
CHESHIRE - State police are not releasing autopsy results in the deaths of three members of the Petit family. |
CHESHIRE - A local state senator is calling for a review of the decision to release the men accused in Monday's home invasion.
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CHESHIRE - Friends and neighbors in town have started a memorial group for the Petit family on the social networking Web site Facebook.com to express grief, rage, and speak about the implications of Monday's triple homicide. |
CHESHIRE - State police believe the two men accused in connection with the Sorghum Mill Drive homicides met while spending time at two halfway houses following their paroles on burglary convictions in the summer of 2006. |
PLAINVILLE - People who know the Petit family and their many years of public service in Plainville were shocked and saddened to learn of the home invasion and fire Monday in Cheshire that seriously injured prominent diabetes specialist Dr. William A. Petit Jr., and took the lives of his family.< |
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CHESHIRE - Both homicide suspects were on parole for burglaries committed in 2003, police said Tuesday. |
CHESHIRE - State police said today that the entire house at 300 Sorghum Mill Dr. was doused in gasoline before being set on fire following a robbery and triple homicide Monday morning. |
CHESHIRE - Police say Cheshire homicide suspects, Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes have numerous prior charges. |
Komisarjevsky | 
Hayes |
MERIDEN - Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, and Steven Hayes, 44, were arraigned in Superior Court this morning on numerous charges including first-degree robbery and aggravated first-degree sexual assault in connection with the triple homicide in Cheshire Monday. |
CHESHIRE - Two men have been arrested in Connection with Monday's triple homicide and robbery, according to state police. |
CHESHIRE -- Two men broke into a home on Sorghum Mill Drive Monday and killed three of the four people inside, according to police.
Photo Gallery |
Video: Cheshire homicide press conference, July 23, 2007  | | | | | | | Johnathon Henninger / Record-Journal | |
Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance briefs the press after a home invasion led to a triple homicide on July 23. |
 | | | | | | | Chris Zajac / Record-Journal | |
CHESHIRE - A mother and two daughters are dead following a home invasion and fire on Sorghum Mill Drive.
Two men forced their way into the home of Dr. William A. Petit Jr., early Monday.
Photo Gallery |
