Death Penalty Jury Hears Co-Defendant's Journal Entries

The convicted murderer of a Connecticut woman and her two daughters has attempted suicide several times since the horrific crime. A Yale psychiatry professor interviewed Steven Hayes several times and told the court today of his attempts. Though his lawyers are fighting for life in prison, Hayes said he'd prefer the death penalty, reports ABC News. His testimony came a day after a jury deciding on the punishment heard journal entries from his accused partner, Joshua Komisarjevsky, who faces a separate trial.

Attorneys for Hayes say the entries show Komisarjevsky was the ringleader, and they're tough to take. He refers to 11-year-old victim Michaela as the "angel of my nightmares" and to 17-year-old Hayley as a "fighter." He praises the "courage" of the mother, Jennifer Hawke-Petit, but insults the father, William Petit, who was beaten unconscious, as a "coward." Responded Petit outside court: "I really don't want to dignify the ravings of a sociopath." Click here for more on the case.
(More Steven Hayes stories.)