William Petit to Take the Stand in Trial of His Family's Slaughter

Sept. 14, 2010— -- The prominent Connecticut doctor whose wife and daughters were tortured and killed in a brutal home invasion is expected to take the stand today in the trial of one of the men accused of murdering his family.

Dr. William Petit, the sole survivor of the 2007 attack, will tell the court for the first time how Steven Hayes, along with alleged co-defendant Joshua Komisarjevsky, broke into his Chesire home, raped his wife and one of his daughters and set the home on fire.

Petit, who was severely beaten, managed to escape to a neighbor's. It was too late for his wife, Jennifer Hawke-Petit and the couple's two daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11.

State's Attorney Michael Dearington and Public Defender Thomas Ullmann gave opening statements Monday as Hayes' trial began in New Haven Superior Court.

Ullmann noted that Hayes told police that things "got out of control," and that Hayes' co-defendant Komisarjevsky said no one was supposed to get hurt, The Associated Press reported. Komisarjevsky is awaiting trial.

"It has been a very painful process to get to this day," Johanna Petit Chapman, Dr. Pett's sister, said outside court. "And although the pain will never end, we think of Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela every second of everyday."

Petit and Hawke-Petit lived what seemed like a charmed life in an upscale neighborhood. Hayley, who was planning to attend Dartmouth College, was hoping to become a doctor and follow in her father's footsteps. Hawke-Petit had multiple sclerosis and the family was active in efforts to raise money to fight the disease.

In July 2007, authorities said Komisarjevsky followed Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters from a grocery store, returning later with Hayes.

Hayes, 47, was accused of sexually assaulting and strangling Hawke-Petit. Komisarjevsky, 30, is charged with sexually assaulting Michaela. The two allegedly tied Michaela and Hayley to their beds, poured gasoline on and around them and set the house on fire, killing them

Hayes and Komisarjevsky fled the burning home in the family's car and were caught after ramming several police cruisers, authorities said.

Former New York Supreme Court judge Leslie Crocker Snyder said today that Petit's words could provide the most powerful testimony of the entire trial.

"I've never seen a case like this," she said. "I just can't imagine what he's going to go through."

Petit Said He Welcomes Chance To Tell Jury About Slain Wife, Daughters

Both defendants have offered to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences, but prosecutors, seeking the death penalty for both, pushed for trials, defense attorneys said, forcing the state to revisit the unsettling crime and its lone survivor to relive it in the courtroom.

"We've already seen that the defense attorney for this particular defendant has already conceded most of the facts," Snyder said.

In a case like this one, she said, Hayes' attorney will likely seek to separate his client from Komisarjevsky and play up any aspect of his behavior that might garner sympathy from the jurors "to show that his client was less culpable, which is almost inconceivable in this set of facts."

Hayes has already delayed his trial significantly after he was put into a medically induced coma following a suicide attempt earlier this year.

After a recent court hearing, Petit said he welcomed hearing the names of his wife and daughters in court.

"Most of the process tends to be one of depersonalization," Petit said. "I was actually pleased to hear their names to show it was personal, they were people, living people. They can't be there to give their side of the events."

Some jurors have already been dismissed. Two told the judge they couldn't be fair or bear to see the graphic evidence photos, according to the AP. If Hayes is convicted, the same panel will weigh his fate in the penalty phase. Once the Hayes' case is finished, Komisarjevsky's trial will be scheduled.

Click here to visit the Web site for the Petit Family Foundation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report