Story highlights
Closing statements are scheduled for Friday
Joshua Komisarjevsky was found guilty of 17 charges, including murder and assault
Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters died in the attack
Stephen Hayes was sentenced to death after his conviction last year
The defense and prosecution rested Tuesday in the sentencing phase of the trial for Joshua Komisarjevsky, the second man convicted in a deadly 2007 Connecticut home invasion.
Closing statements are scheduled for Friday and jurors will begin deliberations next week, prosecutor Michael Dearington said. They will decide whether Komisarjevsky will spend the rest of his life in prison or be executed.
Komisarjevsky was convicted in October on 17 charges, including three counts of murder, four counts of kidnapping, and charges of burglary, arson and assault in the deaths of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, Hayley Petit, 17, and Michaela Petit, 11.
The sentencing phase of his trial began in late October. The defense has argued Komisarjevsky had no history of violence and adjusted well to prison life. He was abused as a child and was committed to a mental hospital for depression, attorney Jeremiah Donovan has said.
A call to Komisarjevsky’s attorney on Tuesday was not immediately returned.
Steven Hayes, the first defendant to stand trial in the case, was sentenced to death after a jury convicted him on 16 of 17 charges last year.
Prosecutors argued that Hayes and Komisarjevsky went into the Petit home, beat and tied up William Petit, raped and strangled his wife, molested one of their daughters, and set the house on fire before attempting to flee.
The two daughters, who were both tied to their beds, died of smoke inhalation, while William Petit managed to escape.