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Crime & Safety

Jury Selection Begins Today for Komisarjevsky

Prosecutors expect a lengthy process; tweets from courtroom are allowed.

Jury selection is scheduled to begin Wednesday for the second Cheshire home invasion death penalty trial, which promises to be a lengthy process.

Accused killer Joshua Komisarjevsky, 30, is charged with killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, in a 2007 crime that stunned the town and the state with its apparent viciousness.

His accomplice, Steven Hayes, 47, was convicted last year in a separate trial and sentenced to death.

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Jury selection for the Hayes trial took 10 weeks, and prosecutors in the State’s Attorney’s office in New Haven expect a similarly long selection process for the second trial.

There is also the possibility that additional motions may be argued before selection of jurors begins.

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Earlier this week, Komisarjevsky’s lawyers lost their attempt to prevent reporters from sending reports from the courtroom with Twitter and other online social networking technology.

On Monday, Connecticut Supreme Court Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers denied a request to overturn a Feb. 22 ruling by the trial judge, Superior Court Judge John C. Blue, to allow Twitter "tweets" from the courtroom during the trial.

The defense team had argued brief "play-by-play" reports would be prejudicial to Komisarjevsky.

Last Friday, Komisarjevsky’s lawyers filed a motion in which their client offered to accept a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release instead of the death penalty.

However, a similar request by Hayes was rejected and he now sits on death row.

Hayes and Komisarjevsky reportedly said they intended the home invasion as a robbery, but then the crime grew far worse. The female victims were tied up, two were sexually assaulted, and then they were killed in a fire prosecutors believe the suspects set to eliminate witnesses and destroy evidence as they attempted to flee.

They also tied up Dr. William Petit, the father, in the basement after beating him with a baseball bat, but he was able to free himself and reach a neighbor’s house.

Police were waiting for Komisarjevsky and Hayes as they exited the house. The pair were apprehended a block away. In statements to police, both blamed the other for setting the fire.

Editor's note: Cheshire Patch will be providing ongoing coverage of the trial. A full story of the first day of jury selection will be posted tomorrow evening (March 16) and brief updates will then be provided Monday through Friday each week. In addition, we'll put together a more in-depth round-up of each week's events in an article that will be posted on Saturdays.

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