Cheshire Home Invasion Trial Begins Monday

The first of two trials in a brutal 2007 triple-murder home invasion begins in Connecticut today. The case drew national attention and led to new laws in the state. WNPR’s Diane Orson reports.

Two paroled felons are accused of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters who were 11 and 17 years old. The men are charged with breaking into the Petit’s home in Cheshire, holding the family hostage for hours, sexually assaulting the mother and younger daughter, and setting the home on fire. Dr. William Petit Jr., a prominent endocrinologist, was badly beaten, but survived. He’s calling for the death penalty. The case led to changes in the parole system in Connecticut and the creation in the state of a crime of home invasion.

The defendants offered to plead guilty in exchange for life sentence, but defense attorneys say the offers were rejected. The trial of 47-year old Steven Hayes will take place at Superior Court in New Haven. It’s expected to last about a month.

For WNPR, I’m Diane Orson.