Forensic Transmissions

Episode 20: Joshua Komisarjevsky Confession

Aug 14, 2017

In this gripping discussion, Joshua Komisarjevsky, one of the perpetrators of the notorious Cheshire home invasion, offers a harrowing glimpse into his past. He recounts the chilling moment when he followed a mother and daughter home, leading to a tragic series of events. Komisarjevsky explores the moral dilemmas he faced during the crime and reveals the psychological tension as their robbery spiraled into violence. His unsettling confession sheds light on the disturbing nature of desperation and its consequences, leaving listeners with profound questions about humanity.

01:33:45

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Joshua Komisarjevsky

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Quick takeaways

The podcast reveals how Joshua Komisarjevsky and Stephen Hayes, motivated by financial desperation, inadequately planned a violent home invasion, resulting in tragic consequences for the family.

The narrative highlights the horrifying escalation of violence during the home invasion, as the perpetrators resorted to brutal methods to subdue the victims, leading to severe trauma.

The discussion explores the psychological dynamics between the perpetrators, culminating in paranoia and conflicting intentions, ultimately contributing to their chaotic escape attempt and subsequent capture by law enforcement.

Deep dives

Details of the Crime

The episode delves into a violent home invasion that escalated dramatically. Two individuals, motivated by financial desperation, planned to invade a family's home after observing their wealth. Initial discussions about obtaining money quickly through illegal means led them to target the family. The perpetrators executed the crime poorly, showcasing a lack of foresight and planning, highlighted by their choice to perform the invasion without sufficient weapons or proper disguises.

Intro

2min

Understanding Rights and Beginning a Statement

2min

Desperation and Intrusion

19min

Tension and Moral Dilemmas

23min

Tension in the Heist

7min

A Morning Journey for Gasoline

2min

Captivity and Confrontation

10min

The Bank Visit

5min

Fleeing into Chaos

21min

10.

A Confession Unfolds: An Interrogation Analysis

3min

On Sunday, July 22, 2007, 48-year-old Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her 11-year-old daughter Michaela went to a local grocery store near their home in Cheshire, Connecticut, to pick up food for a pre-birthday that Michaela planned to prepare for her mother. During their trip to the grocery store, the two women attracted the attention of 27-year-old Joshua Komisarjevsky, who, along with 44-year-old Stephen Hayes, was looking for someone to rob. Komisarjevky followed the women home, then gave their address to Hayes, who joined him in robbing the house. As Komisarjevky states in his confession, they originally planned to tie up the inhabitants and take their money.

Things went wrong, as Komisarjevky explains, when Hayes unexpectedly encountered Dr. William Petit asleep on the front porch, at which point Komisarjevky hit him on the head with a baseball bat and tied him up at gunpoint in the basement. They then tied up Jennifer, Michaela, and 18-year-old Hayley. When they could only find $10 in the house, they waited until the bank was open, then made Jennifer go and get more money. She asked the bank teller for help, and the teller called 911, but police were unsure of the nature of the crime taking place, and lamentably slow in surrounding the house. They gave Hayes time to go and fill up cans with gasoline, and both men to escalated the nature of their crimes.

As Komisarjevsky admits in his confession, he raped the 11-year-old Michaela (whom her refers to here, the the discomfort of the intervieer, as “Kay Kay”, after hearing her mother refer to her this way; he also calls Jennifer and William Petit “mom” and “dad”). He also photographs the assault on his phone. This provokes Hayes into raping Jennifer. When the men realize William Petit has escaped from the basement, they tie Jennifer up and douse the house with gasoline. The two daughters were tied to their beds and Jennifer tied up downstairs as the house burned down.

Both men blamed on another for the murders. In 2010, Hayes was convicted of the murders and sentenced to death. Komisarjevsky, was found guilty on October 13, 2011, and sentenced to death on January 27, 2012. However, in August 2015, Connecticut abolished the death penalty, and all death sentences were commuted. Hayes and Komisarjevky are both serving life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Listen to the confession here.