Convicted Killer Steven Hayes Suing For His Right to a Kosher Prison Diet

Convicted killer Steven Hayes, one of the men on death row for the 2007 Cheshire home invasion triple homicide, is suing 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, according to the New Haven Register.

Hayes, 51, describes himself in a hand-written civil rights complaint as an orthodox practicing Jew and claims that he has been continuously denied the kosher diet he has been requesting since May 2013.

The complaint comes on the heels of the other man convicted in the killings, Joshua Komisarjevsky, seeking a new trialbecause tapes of Cheshire police calls allegedly were not provided to the defense team during his trial.

Both men were convicted, in separate trials, with felony murder and sentenced to death for the 2007 killings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her children, Michaela, 11, and Hayley, 17. Both Komisarjevsky and Hayes are appealing their convictions.

In his complaint, Hayes wrote that his First Amendment and Eighth Amendment rights are being violated.

Hayes wrote that the denial of a kosher diet is “a clear violation of my 1st Amendment Right to freely practice my religion of choice, Judaism.”

Hayes wrote that it is also cruel and unusual punishment since “the denial of the kosher diet forces me to eat non-kosher food in order to survive (food is a basic need). I have also experience (sp) ‘secondary’ weight loss due to refraining from eating non-kosher products.”

Hayes also wrote that he suffers a metabolic allergy to soy and his acceptable food choices are severely limited.

“I have been suffering almost starvation for the past year,” Hayes wrote.

Public Defender Thomas Ullmann, who represented Hayes at his trial, told Michelle Tuccitto Sullo of the New Haven Register that he is pleased Hayes “ has some spiritual interest and is occupying his mind.”

The Register reports that Ullmann also said Hayes’ desire for kosher food is a “legitimate request” and added “I am happy he is finding some spiritual solace.”

Read the full story at the New Haven Register here.