Steven Hayes Wants to End Death Sentence Appeals

Convicted murderer Steven Hayes wants to end his legal appeals and "go to the death chamber," according to a report in the Hartford Courant.

In a recent hand-written letter to the Courant, Hayes, who was convicted in March of killing three Cheshire women in the 2007 home invasion, said he can't live with the intense torture and psychological trauma of the Department of Corrections staff.

Hayes, 49, was convicted of killing Jennifer Hawke-Petit in her Sorghum Mill Dr. home during the horrific night of crime. Petit's two daughters Hayley, 17, and Michaela, 11, also died after the home was set on fire.

Co-defendant Joshua Komisarjevsky, 32, of Cheshire was also found guilty in the killings and was sentenced to death.

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The lone survivor of the home invasion, Dr. William Petit, was beaten and tied up in the basement of the couple's home. He later escaped and fled to neighbor's home. Petit recently remarried.

State law requires an automatic appeal for death sentence cases. The Courant reports the process could take 20 years. Hayes' letter asks for those appeals to be waived.

The charred remains of the Petit home were demolished and a memorial garden was built on the corner property in a neighborhood close to Rt. 10, Cheshire's main road.

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