Komisarjevsky condemned to death in Cheshire home invasion case - Polidicks

[IMG]http://www.theday.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=NL&Date=20111209&Category=NWS02&ArtNo=111209524&Ref=AR&Maxw=475[/IMG] [quote]Published 12/09/2011 12:00 AMUpdated 12/09/2011 07:39 PMJessica Hill/AP Photo [B](In picture)Dr. William Petit Jr., right, speaks to the media Friday as his in-laws, Marybelle Hawke, left, Richard Hawke, second from left, and his sister Johanna Chapman listen, outside Superior Court in New Haven after a jury sentenced Joshua Komisarjevsky to death. Petit is the sole survivor of the 2007 Cheshire home invasion where his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were murdered.[/B] [/quote] [quote]NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A jury condemned a Connecticut man to death Friday for killing a woman and her two daughters during a night of terror inside their suburban home, rejecting defense attorneys' request to spare his life in light of the abuse he suffered as a boy. The jury deliberated over the span of five days before returning the verdict against Joshua Komisarjevsky, who will join his accomplice Steven Hayes on Connecticut's death row. Komisarjevsky had no visible reaction. The two paroled burglars tormented a family of four in the New Haven suburb of Cheshire before killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and leaving her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela, to die in a fire. The only survivor, Dr. William Petit, was beaten with a baseball bat and tied up but managed to escape. He appeared calm as the verdict was pronounced, his eyes blinking rapidly and his hand clenched in a fist on the seat in front of him. He later bowed his head and closed his eyes. The sentencing verdict concluded two lengthy trials that subjected jurors to grim evidence including charred beds, rope used to tie up the family and autopsy photos. The crime in the affluent New Haven suburb of Cheshire in 2007 drew comparisons to the one described in Truman Capote's "In Cold Blood," led to the defeat of a bill to abolish the death penalty in Connecticut and sparked tougher state laws for repeat offenders and home invasions. In closing arguments, a prosecutor said the two men created "the ultimate house of horrors" by inflicting extreme psychological and physical pain on the victims that amounted to torture. "It was shockingly brutal. It was evil. It was vicious," prosecutor Gary Nicholson said. Before the verdict was announced, defense attorney Walter Bansley said his client was prepared for a death sentence. "He's very accepting," Bansley said. "He's been realistic from the beginning and he understood that public sentiment is very much against him." Komisarjevsky will join 10 other men on Connecticut's death row. The state has executed only one man since 1960, and the 31-year-old Komisarjevsky will likely spend years, if not decades, in prison. The same jury that convicted Komisarjevsky heard 20 days of testimony from defense witnesses including psychologists, his parents and his sister. In arguing for a life sentence, his lawyers said his ultra-religious family never got Komisarjevsky proper psychological help after he was repeatedly sexually abused as a child by his foster brother. "The only option he ever had was to go through life damaged," Bansley said in his closing argument. Hayes was convicted last year of raping and strangling Hawke-Petit and killing the girls. The girls died of smoke inhalation after they were tied to their beds and doused in gasoline before the house was set ablaze. Komisarjevsky was convicted Oct. 13 of the killings and of sexually assaulting Michaela. Komisarjevsky admitted in an audiotaped confession played for the jury that he spotted Hawke-Petit and 11-year-old Michaela at a supermarket and followed them home. After putting his daughter to bed, he and Hayes returned to the Petit house in the middle of the night to rob it. In the morning, Hayes brought Hawke-Petit to a bank to withdraw money, promising her no one would be hurt if she complied. Komisarjevsky took cellphone pictures of Michaela while she and Hayes were out. The men, who blamed each other for escalating the crime, were caught fleeing in the family's car. Komisarjevsky did not testify during his trial but objected unsuccessfully to an effort by his attorneys to play a videotaped interview of his 9-year-old daughter. Speaking outside the presence of the jury, he said he didn't want his daughter to feel compelled to help "one of the most hated people in America." The defense focused heavily on the family's evangelical Christian religion and on Komisarjevsky's mental health. The family's church believed that the end of the world was near and that outsiders were potential agents of the devil, according to testimony. Komisarjevsky told a defense psychologist that he was repeatedly sexually abused by his foster brother from ages 4 to 6 and burned with a cigarette. He also said he was raped as a teenager by someone he trusted. Prosecutors said those claims emerged years later when he faced prison time for 19 nighttime residential burglaries committed a decade ago. Komisarjevsky was hospitalized when he was 15 after setting a vacant gas station on fire. He was having homicidal thoughts about his father and had upside-down crosses on his arms and a marking declaring Jesus is dead, according to a hospital evaluation. The hospital wanted to put him on Prozac and other treatment, but his parents were uncomfortable with medication and sent him to a religion-based treatment program in Vermont, where he claimed to hear voices telling him to kill himself. Komisarjevsky also claimed as a teenager to have seen a demon with glowing eyes in his room. His mother called church leaders to intervene and pray to remove the demon. Komisarjevsky's sister testified that he sexually abused her for years. He suffered from a mood disorder since he was about 9 that included bouts of profound depression, according to a defense psychiatrist. Prosecutors emphasized that Komisarjevsky's parents provided him a good home, mentors, vacations, values and mechanical skills he would later use in the construction trade. They said Komisarjevsky's rape claims emerged years later when he faced prison time for 19 nighttime residential burglaries he committed a decade ago. Jurors were flooded with photos of Komisarjevsky as a baby, young boy and with his daughter. Prosecutors objected and at one point Judge Jon Blue suggested it was "overkill." The defense tried to show that Komisarjevsky has redeeming qualities, noting he won custody of his daughter when he was briefly out of prison, did well at a construction job and was known to volunteer to help others as a teen who toured with a Christian singing group. His family and other witnesses described him as remorseful and in shock over his role in the crime. Prosecutors tried to raise doubts about his remorse, noting he blamed Petit, the only survivor, for not doing more to help his family even though Komisarjevsky had beaten him with a bat and tied him up.[/quote] [B]Source:[/B] [url]http://www.theday.com/article/20111209/NWS02/111209524/-1/NWS[/url] I live a few miles away from where this happened. I hope he burns in hell for what he did. But of course nobody here on Facepunch cares. You guys will probably just bitch about the death penalty.

Good to hear! I hope he suffers as much as those women did.

Life In prison would have been much better, rather see this asshole be killed by inmates then die by electric chair.

[QUOTE=Sir Spicy Buns;33648385]Life In prison would have been much better, rather see this asshole be killed by inmates then die by electric chair.[/QUOTE] He would have been kept safe in a maximum security prison, so no.

I'd rather someone be left to slowly rot in a cell 'til they die, with either their guilt or just the plain fact that they're stuck there until they die to play on their minds, rather than giving them an easy out through execution.

[QUOTE=Camundongo;33648561]I'd rather someone be left to slowly rot in a cell 'til they die, with either their guilt or just the plain fact that they're stuck there until they die to play on their minds, rather than giving them an easy out through execution.[/QUOTE] He has no remorse whatsoever.

[quote]The hospital wanted to put him on Prozac and other treatment, but his parents were uncomfortable with medication and sent him to a religion-based treatment program in Vermont[/quote] Sigh...

[QUOTE=kaine123;33648659]He has no remorse whatsoever.[/QUOTE] So he'd enjoy spending 23 hours a day in cell with little or no contact with the outside world until he dies? Even if he's a psycopath he'd hate it. Condemned to die the slow way.

Stuff like this makes it really hard not to support the death penalty. Whatever the case, death or not, I hope he gets what he deserves.

I live across the block from where this happened. glad to see him dead. the news and him can stfu now.

Jesus Christ, I can only feel bad for everybody here. Besides the horrible crime itself, If you read the article, Komisarjevsky was obviously really troubled as a kid, and I can't bring myself to hate him. He's obviously very mentally sick, and we can only look back to see how this could have been stopped before. Hayes seems like a real bastard though.

[QUOTE=cat man;33648923]Jesus Christ, I can only feel bad for everybody here. Besides the horrible crime itself, If you read the article, Komisarjevsky was obviously really troubled as a kid, and I can't bring myself to hate him. He's obviously very mentally sick, and we can only look back to see how this could have been stopped before. Hayes seems like a real bastard though.[/QUOTE] Many people have a troubled childhood, but what he did was fucking evil and inexcusable. He knew very well what he was doing so fuck em, he is getting what he deserves.

I don't understand why you can't have all of the punishments? Ranging from a few months prison time all the way to death. Anyway, this is totally justice. A life sentence would be justice too. Either way it won't bring his kids back to life.

[QUOTE=kaine123;33648659]He has no remorse whatsoever.[/QUOTE] Then there's something wrong with him, and he should be treated like there is something wrong with him. In a hospital or prison somewhere, not killed.

-snippity :v

[QUOTE=Mr. N;33648759]Stuff like this makes it really hard not to support the death penalty. Whatever the case, death or not, I hope he gets what he deserves.[/QUOTE] Yes because killing solves everything.

What I can't stand on the Internet are people who say, "The death penalty is bad, its inhumane." and then turn right around and say "Leaving them to rot in a cell for life is far worse than death. Lets do that instead." Where is the logic, you say the death penalty is inhumane, and than are happy to say "let them rot it's even worse!" What? How can you even keep a straight face saying that if you honestly believe it is worse even though you think the death penalty is inhumane? You argue against it because you honestly believe it's wrong and are happy to punish them to a fate you personally believe is worse? If that is the case, wouldn't it be [I]more[/I] humane to just kill them? When it comes to murder cases, I don't believe you can rehabilitate anybody to the point that they would be allowed back into society. It doesn't matter what you do, that person [B]murdered[/B] somebody. When you do that, that burns a bridge behind you that you can never cross again, no amount of rehabilitation or therapy will fix that fact.

Excellent news I hope they torture him and all of his friends as well as invade Poland because he has a Polish sounding name

[QUOTE=StormHammer;33656291]When it comes to murder cases, I don't believe you can rehabilitate anybody to the point that they would be allowed back into society. It doesn't matter what you do, that person [B]murdered[/B] somebody. When you do that, that burns a bridge behind you that you can never cross again,[B] no amount of rehabilitation or therapy will fix that fact.[/B][/QUOTE] And you are a psychologist with research to back it up? I'm against the death penalty in this case, as I believe that he can be rehabilitated, and I believe that it's a violation of his human rights to execute him, or [b]anyone[/b]. Self-defense, defense of others and defense of rights are the only case when violence can be necessary, in my opinion. As long as he is a human, he has the Universal Declaration of Human Rights giving him the right to life, and the rights given by the UDHR are irrevocable and inviolate. No government, country, or other person can remove them (without his agreement) without commiting a crime against humanity.

[QUOTE=cat man;33648923]Jesus Christ, I can only feel bad for everybody here. Besides the horrible crime itself, If you read the article, Komisarjevsky was obviously really troubled as a kid, and I can't bring myself to hate him. He's obviously very mentally sick, and we can only look back to see how this could have been stopped before. Hayes seems like a real bastard though.[/QUOTE] A troubled childhood is no sugarcoat for murder. There are tons of people that had a childhood as bad as his, if not at least nearly, that have not committed a crime in their entire life.

[QUOTE=StormHammer;33656291] When it comes to murder cases, I don't believe you can rehabilitate anybody to the point that they would be allowed back into society. It doesn't matter what you do, that person [B]murdered[/B] somebody. When you do that, that burns a bridge behind you that you can never cross again, no amount of rehabilitation or therapy will fix that fact.[/QUOTE] Armchair Psychologist much?

[QUOTE=Camundongo;33648561]I'd rather someone be left to slowly rot in a cell 'til they die, with either their guilt or just the plain fact that they're stuck there until they die to play on their minds, rather than giving them an easy out through execution.[/QUOTE] I'm for life in prison too. An execution costs the government more than it does to house an inmate for life. I also believe that killing someone for their crimes just lowers us down to their level.

The death penalty should have been completely abolished ages ago, there are absolutely no upsides to it. What Komisarjevsky did is horrifying though.

To those crying because they'd rather see him rot in a cell, the article says really early on that he'll still spend years, if not decades in jail. [editline]10th December 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Vandel;33656156]Yes because killing solves everything.[/QUOTE] If you're going to argue about how the death penalty doesn't solve problems, you should be arguing that locking someone in a cell for life doesn't solve anything either. Both are punishments without any sort of rehabilitation, and if you're going to be against one, you should be against all. In other words, I'd imagine you would have been more in favor of him being treated as opposed to simply left in prison. [editline]10th December 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=RatInfestation;33656996]The death penalty should have been completely abolished ages ago, there are absolutely no upsides to it. What Komisarjevsky did is horrifying though.[/QUOTE] What upside is there for leaving him in a cell, as opposed to the death penalty? [editline]10th December 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Vandel;33656156]Yes because killing solves everything.[/QUOTE] If you're going to argue about how the death penalty doesn't solve problems, you should be arguing that locking someone in a cell for life doesn't solve anything either. Both are punishments without any sort of rehabilitation, and if you're going to be against one, you should be against all. In other words, I'd imagine you would have been more in favor of him being treated as opposed to simply left in prison.

[QUOTE=Tigster;33657005] What upside is there for leaving him in a cell, as opposed to the death penalty?[/QUOTE] Damn-near none. Prison should be about rehabilitation and therapy, locking them up and throwing away the key doesn't achieve anything. [editline]10th December 2011[/editline] Then again, prison IS about rehabilitation and therapy in a large amount of countries, the US is just a bit behind the times regarding their prison system.

[QUOTE=RatInfestation;33657056]Damn-near none. Prison should be about rehabilitation and therapy, locking them up and throwing away the key ain't doesn't achieve anything.[/QUOTE] Okay, I thought you were going to be one of the 'lock him up and throw away the key' people. I agree with you. It doesn't mean he'll ever get out, because frankly therapy likely can't do much to undo all the damage he's had, but it's better than nothing.

[QUOTE=Rhodry;33656564]A troubled childhood is no sugarcoat for murder. There are tons of people that had a childhood as bad as his, if not at least nearly, that have not committed a crime in their entire life.[/QUOTE] Not everyone reacts the same to their situation.

I don't understand you, Facepunch. Half the time you condemn the death penalty as cruel and unusual, and other times you celebrate the deaths of others. We need that psyduck emote back...

How is this a good thing? Its just another body to the body count.

Congratulations facepunch. You let a psychotic murderer get you to view the US prison system being a system of punishment instead of a system of rehabilitation as a good thing.