Steven Hayes who earlier this month was convicted of murdering Hayley Petit, her mother and her sister in 2007 has exhibited "suicidal tendencies" and expressed his desire to receive the death penalty for his crime, CNN reported. Petit would have matriculated with the Class of 2011
During his time in state prison, Hayes was written up for 24 disciplinary reports, one of which was for hoarding medication, according to CNN. Hayes voluntarily pled guilty to this charge, CNN reported. Hayes has attempted suicide several times since his arrest, according to the testimony of a forensic psychiatrist during the trial.
Last March, Hayes told a psychologist that he no longer intended to commit suicide, but wanted to receive the death penalty, according to CNN.
"I want to plead guilty to everything now, because I just want it over now," Hayes told an evaluation team, according to CNN.
A high school dropout and the father of two children out of wedlock, Hayes has admitted to a long history of substance abuse, Justin Schechter, a forensic and clinical psychiatrist, told CNN.
Hayes was convicted of 16 of 17 charges, including murder, rape, assault and kidnapping. Hayes was acquitted of arson.
Hayes is now awaiting the jury's decision on whether he will receive the death penalty.
Superior court judge Roland Fasano also postponed ruling on whether Jeremiah Donovan the defense lawyer for the other defendant, Joshua Komisarjevsky should face a criminal contempt-of-court hearing for comments made to reporters in apparent contravention of a court gag order, according to the New Haven Register.
Donovan told reporters on the courthouse steps on Sept. 24 that his client did not rape 11-year-old Michaela Petit before she was killed, according to the Register. He told the court that he was attempting to set the record straight and did not intentionally violate a court-imposed gag order.
Fasano said he considered the veteran lawyer and former federal prosecutor's actions as an "affront to the authority of the court," according to the Register.
Donovan argued that "where there has been a misapprehension about evidence that has been widely reported," it may become difficult for a client's jury to remain impartial, and therefore the code of ethics required him to clarify the evidence, according to the Register.
Komisarjevsky has pled not guilty and is awaiting trial.
The two trials have sparked statewide political debate about the death penalty, a matter that has dominated much of Connecticut's upcoming gubernatorial election. William Petit '78 Hayley Petit's father, who survived the attack has lobbied for the death penalty and praised Governor M. Jodi Rell, R-Conn., for vetoing a June 2009 bill that sought to ban it.
Hayes and Komisarjevsky allegedly entered the Petits' Cheshire, Conn., home at approximately 3 a.m. on July 23, 2007, The Dartmouth previously reported. At 9 a.m., the suspects forced Hayley's mother, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, to go to a bank to withdraw a large sum of money. There, she alerted a bank employee that her family was being held captive.
When police arrived at the Petit residence, they found the house on fire. The accused attempted to flee the scene, but crashed their getaway vehicle into two police cars positioned as a roadblock.
William Petit was badly beaten and suffered severe head wounds, but managed to escape his home and crawl to a neighbor's house to seek help. Autopsies of the victims showed that Hawke-Petit had been strangled, while her daughters died of smoke inhalation.
Hayley Petit was admitted to the College as an early decision applicant and women's crew recruit. She was active in high school activities and founded Hayley's Hope, a fundraising organization that raised money for multiple sclerosis research. Hawke-Petit had been diagnosed with the disease in 1999, and both Hayley and her sister, Michaela, were active in finding a cure.
