Dr. William Petit Joins Fight to Repeal State's Early Release Law

Dr. William Petit has joined former State Sen. Len Suzio’s fight to end Connecticut’s early release program.

Petit, who joined Suzio at a press conference Wednesday morning in Cheshire, signed Suzio’s petition in support of ending the program.

WFSB 3 reports that Suzio has collected 5,000 signatures in favor of repealing the law.

Petit told WFSB that “it seems to me if someone was convicted of a violent crime, (like) an armed robbery, assault ... rape, etc. and they are convicted in our jury system,” a sentence should be given by a judge and the sentence should be served.

Read the full story here.

Petit’s wife Jennifer Hawke-Petit and their daughters, Michaela, 11, and Hayley, 17, were killed in a home invasion in 2007.

The convicted killers Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes are both on death row and appealing their convictions.

They have both been in the news lately as a state attorney recently agreed with Komisarjevsky’s appeal lawyers that a court hearing is needed to address the issue of a new trial in light of the recent discovery by Cheshire town employees of a file cabinet containing sought-after police recordings from the day of the town’s triple-homicide. Read more here.

Hayes recently filed a lawsuit against state Department of Correction officials, claiming his rights are being violated because he isn’t being given a kosher diet to conform to his religious beliefs. Read more here.

(Patch file photo)

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