Children's Law Center Moves to Shield Komisarjevsky's Daughter

The judge for the second Cheshire home invasion trial has halted release of witness lists until Wednesday, April 20, after a motion was filed to keep the identity of the defendant’s daughter secret in court.

The motion was filed Wednesday by Justine Rakich-Kelly of the Children’s Law Center of Connecticut, representing the daughter of Joshua Komisarjevsky, the second defendant to be tried for the 2007 triple homicide case.

In the motion, Rakich-Kelly asked that a pseudonym be used to identify Komisarjevsky’s nine-year-old daughter if she is called to testify in court.

Also related to the case, the Hartford Courant reported that a woman from Bethany was picked as sixth juror for the death penalty case.

Superior Court Judge Jon C. Blue previously granted a motion by the Courant to unseal the witness lists shown to prospective jurors to see if they were personally acquainted to anyone participating in the trial. Several jurors who were have been excused for that reason.

Judge Blue had scheduled release of the witness lists for tomorrow, April 14, but he has issued a new stay until April 20 to allow time for other parties to file a response on the keeping the daughter's name secret.

Komisarjevsky’s defense lawyers objected to the release of the witness lists because some witnesses in the trial of his co-defendant, Steven Hayes, last year were targets of threats and intimidation after their names appeared in news reports.

The defense said releasing the lists would threaten their client’s right to a fair trial, but Judge Blue ruled they had not proven that any specific witnesses were afraid to testify.