If you think that it's just celebrity justice that isn't right, just read this. This happened in a quiet town about 20 miles from our home this week. Check out the records of the two suspects.
http://www.nbc30.com/news/13742896/detail.html?dl=mainclick
Suspects In Cheshire Home Invasion Had Long Criminal Pasts
POSTED: 9:04 am EDT July 24, 2007
UPDATED: 9:33 pm EDT July 24, 2007
HARTFORD, Conn. --
Two men described by authorities as career criminals were arraigned Tuesday in the home invasion and arson that took the lives of three members of a Cheshire family.
Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, of Cheshire, and Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted, were formally charged with assault, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary, robbery and arson. They were each ordered held in lieu of $15 million bond.
State police have said that additional criminal charges are likely to be filed.
The two men, both in orange prison jumpsuits and shackles, did not enter pleas, and answered only "Yes" when asked if they understood their rights.
Jennifer Hawke-Petit, 48, and her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley Petit and 11-year-old Michaela, were found dead Monday inside their burning home after the family had been held hostage for hours, police said.
Authorities said Hawke-Petit was strangled while her daughters died of smoke inhalation. Authorities added that the three were killed in the attack and their deaths were ruled as homicides.
The father, Dr. William Petit Jr., 50, was severely injured, but escaped the burning home and managed to tell police what happened.
Authorities were tipped off that the family was in danger by employees at a local bank when one of the suspects accompanied Hawke-Petit to make a withdrawal around 9:30 a.m. on Monday. Bank employees became suspicious and called police, who drove to the Petit home in the quiet suburb.
Police said they found the house in flames and the suspects trying to flee the driveway in the family's stolen SUV. Komisarjevky and Hayes were caught after ramming several police cars.
A bail commissioner said Hayes and Komisarjevky each have records that include over 20 prior burglaries, and both had been out of prison on parole.
Authorities did not say what they believe led the pair to the Petit home.
The Charges:
Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, of Cheshire, was charged with:
One count of assault in the first degree
One count of aggravated sexual assault in the first degree
Four counts of kidnapping in the first degree
One count of burglary in the first degree
One count of arson in the first degree
One count of conspiracy to commit arson in the first degree
Two counts of larceny in the first degree
One count of robbery in the first degree
One count of risk of injury
Steven Hayes, 44, of Winsted, Conn., was charged with:
One count of aggravated sexual assault in the first degree
Four counts of kidnapping in the first degree
One count of burglary in the first degree
One count of arson in the first degree
One count of conspiracy to commit arson in the first degree
Two counts of larceny in the first degree
One count of robbery in the first degree
One count of risk of injury
The Suspects’ Criminal Pasts:
Hayes has been arrested 24 times in the past 27 years. He was first arrested on burglary and larceny charges in 1980. Other arrests include more burglaries, drug and weapons charges and forgery.
In 2003 he was sentenced to five years after a burglary conviction. He served almost three years before being released to a halfway house in June 2006.
Hayes was granted parole in May, just two months before allegedly breaking into the Petit's home early Monday morning.
Komisarjevsky, 26, lived in Cheshire on North Brooksvale Road and had worked at Hartford Restoration Services in years past.
Komisarjevsky is a convicted burglar, arrested four times over the past five years for burglarizing 19 victims.
He was first arrested in 2002 and then sentenced to nine years in 2003 on burglary charges. He served three years in prison and was released to a halfway house in June 2006.
Komisarjevsky and Hayes were both in halfway houses at the same time, but it is unclear if they were in the same one.
If the California justice system applies the same standards to Ms. Lohan's offenses as the Connecticut justice system applied to these two menaces, she should be serving a sentence of about 15 minutes.