NEW HAVEN, Conn., Oct. 18 (UPI) -- A jury sitting in New Haven, Conn., begins the penalty phase for Steven Hayes, convicted of murder in a home invasion in which three people died.
Hayes was found guilty Oct. 5 on 16 of 17 counts, including all six felony charges, in the 2007 home invasion and murders of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters, Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11. The capital felony charges put the death penalty in play.
Hayes was acquitted on a count of first-degree arson.
The jury is scheduled to begin hearing evidence Monday before it begins deliberating whether Hayes should live or die.
No Hayes family members have attended the trial and none is expected for the death penalty phase, the Hartford Courant reported. Former employers, who had written recommendations for Hayes in the 1980s when he was in and out of the prison system, also declined to talk about him.
Danny DiLeo, the owner of the former J&D's Restaurant in Torrington, wrote a letter to Hayes in the 1980s saying he was "anxiously waiting" for Hayes to be paroled so he could resume working at the restaurant.
When contacted recently by the Hartford newspaper for comment, DiLeo said, "I don't think it's a good idea to be talking about that guy."
Joshua Komisarjevsky, the second suspect, will be tried when Hayes' case is closed.
