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2007 Cheshire, Connecticut Murders

SOLVED2007Cheshire, Connecticut3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
Illustrative

On July 23, 2007, two home intruders, Linda Mai Lee (known as Steven Hayes at the time of the crimes) and Joshua Andrew Komisarjevsky, entered the Cheshire, Connecticut home of the Petit family. According to court evidence and confessions, the pair had initially planned only to burglarize the residence but escalated to murder. Komisarjevsky had spotted Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughter Michaela at a local grocery store the previous evening and followed them home.

Upon entering the home in the early hours of July 23, Komisarjevsky beat William Petit with a baseball bat, and the two men restrained him and the rest of the family. Lee later drove Jennifer Hawke-Petit to a bank, where she was forced to withdraw $15,000; she alerted a bank teller that her family was being held hostage, and the teller notified police. While police established a perimeter outside the home without revealing their presence, Komisarjevsky sexually assaulted 11-year-old Michaela, an assault later confirmed through DNA evidence from her autopsy. Lee raped and strangled Jennifer Hawke-Petit. William Petit managed to escape through the basement despite severe injuries and reached a neighbor's yard for help.

Before fleeing, Lee and Komisarjevsky doused the house, including the daughters' bedrooms, with gasoline and set it on fire, having tied Hayley and Michaela to their beds. Both girls died of smoke inhalation; Hayley had managed to free herself and collapsed in a hallway, while Michaela's body was found still bound to her bed. The two perpetrators fled in the family's car but were quickly apprehended by police after crashing into a police vehicle. The invasion lasted approximately seven hours. Both Lee and Komisarjevsky later confessed to the killings, each blaming the other for escalating the violence.

Lee was convicted on 16 of 17 counts in October 2010 and sentenced to death in December 2010. Komisarjevsky was convicted on all 17 counts in October 2011 and sentenced to death in January 2012. In August 2015, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled the state's death penalty unconstitutional, retroactively commuting both sentences to life imprisonment. Komisarjevsky's subsequent appeals, including claims regarding withheld evidence and trial venue, were rejected by the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2021 and the U.S. Supreme Court declined further review.

The case drew significant national and international attention and was described by the Hartford Courant as among the most widely publicized crimes in Connecticut history. It significantly influenced the state's death penalty debate, prompting a 2009 gubernatorial veto of a repeal bill that cited the case, before the legislature ultimately abolished capital punishment for future cases in 2012. The murders also spurred reforms to Connecticut's parole and criminal justice systems, including new monitoring requirements for parolees and a ban on parole for violent offenders. William Petit, the sole survivor, later established foundations in his family's memory and was elected to the Connecticut General Assembly.

Key facts

Victims
Michaela Petit, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, Hayley Petit, William Petit
Date
2007
Location
Cheshire, Connecticut
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 2007-07-22

    Jennifer Hawke-Petit and daughter Michaela are noticed and followed home from a grocery store by Joshua Komisarjevsky.

  2. 2007-07-23

    Home invasion occurs at the Petit residence in Cheshire, Connecticut; Jennifer Hawke-Petit, Hayley Petit, and Michaela Petit are killed. William Petit escapes and survives. Perpetrators are apprehended after a car chase.

  3. 2007-07-31

    Governor M. Jodi Rell orders electronic monitoring of paroled burglars.

  4. 2007-09-21

    Governor Rell bans parole for violent offenders and orders a review of convicts on parole.

  5. 2008-01-25

    Governor Rell signs a bipartisan crime bill creating a new home invasion offense.

  6. 2009-06-05

    Governor Rell vetoes a bill to abolish Connecticut's death penalty, citing the Cheshire murders.

  7. 2010-10-05

    Linda Mai Lee (then known as Steven Hayes) found guilty on 16 of 17 counts.

  8. 2010-11-08

    Jury recommends death sentence for Lee.

  9. 2010-12-02

    Judge Jon Blue formally sentences Lee to death.

  10. 2011-10-13

    Joshua Komisarjevsky found guilty on all 17 counts.

  11. 2011-12-09

    Jury recommends death sentence for Komisarjevsky.

  12. 2012-01-27

    Judge Jon Blue sentences Komisarjevsky to death.

  13. 2012-04-25

    Governor Dan Malloy signs law repealing Connecticut's death penalty for future cases.

  14. 2015-08

    Connecticut Supreme Court rules the death penalty unconstitutional, commuting both perpetrators' sentences to life imprisonment.

  15. 2016-08-16

    Lee and Komisarjevsky are transferred to separate correctional facilities in Pennsylvania.

  16. 2021-04-12

    Connecticut Supreme Court rejects Komisarjevsky's appeal in a 7-0 decision.

Best coverage

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People

  • Michaela Petit

    VICTIM

    11-year-old daughter sexually assaulted and killed by smoke inhalation after the house was set on fire.

  • Joshua Andrew Komisarjevsky

    CONVICTED

    Convicted on all 17 counts in October 2011 and sentenced to death; sentence commuted to life imprisonment in August 2015.

  • Jennifer Hawke-Petit

    VICTIM

    Killed during the home invasion; raped and strangled.

  • Hayley Petit

    VICTIM

    17-year-old daughter killed by smoke inhalation after the house was set on fire.

  • William Petit

    VICTIM

    Husband and father who was beaten and restrained but escaped and survived the attack.

  • Linda Mai Lee

    CONVICTED

    Convicted on 16 of 17 counts in October 2010 and sentenced to death; sentence commuted to life imprisonment in August 2015. Known as Steven Hayes at the time of the crimes.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Places

Cheshire, Connecticut

41.5122, -72.9036

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
On July 23, 2007, two home intruders murdered Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters Hayley and Michaela during a home invasion in Cheshire, Connecticut; Dr. William Petit survived. Both perpetrators were convicted and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment.
Where did the murders happen?
Cheshire, Connecticut.
Who was convicted?
Joshua Andrew Komisarjevsky (Convicted on all 17 counts in October 2011 and sentenced to death; sentence commuted to life imprisonment in August 2015.) and Linda Mai Lee (Convicted on 16 of 17 counts in October 2010 and sentenced to death; sentence commuted to life imprisonment in August 2015. Known as Steven Hayes at the time of the crimes.).
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in Connecticut

Sources

  1. ENCYCLOPEDIC2007 Cheshire, Connecticut murdersWikipedia · 2026-07-07
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — ABC NewsABC News · 2026-07-07
  3. PRESSContemporaneous coverage — The New York TimesThe New York Times · 2026-07-07

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026