Steven Hayes was sentenced to death today in a Connecticut courtroom for the gruesome murders of Dr. William Petit's wife and daughters. INSIDE EDITION has the details.
Sentenced to die. The monster who murdered a doctor's family in a horrific home invasion was given the ultimate penalty Thursday.
Dr. William Petit, badly beaten, was the sole survivor of the massacre.
INSIDE EDITION's Paul Boyd reports from the outside the courtroom, saying the atmosphere in the courtroom was somber and highly emotional. Heartwrenching family photos were played during a slideshow. At the end, Dr. Petit broke down in tears crying, and was embraced by loved ones. The judge told the convicted killer, "This is a sentence you wrote for yourself, in flames that night."
47-year-old Steven Hayes told the court he wanted to die. "I am tormented and have nightmares from what happened in that house. Death to me will be a welcome relief," he told the packed courtroom.
Hartford Courant reporter Alaine Griffin said, "It was just a very emotional day in court today."
Jennifer Petit and her two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were murdered and their home torched in 2007.
Surveillance video showed Mrs. Petit being forced to withdraw $15,000 from a bank by Hayes, and additional surveillance video showed Hayes filling her car with gas.
Speaking before the judge today, Dr. Petit revealed he wanted to take his own life after his family was wiped out.
He said, "The impact of these crimes is like a bomb going off in my house. I've considered suicide many times. There is a giant hole in my universe."
Griffin told INSIDE EDITION, "He came right out and said that. He talked about how he had no family left. He had nothing. Nothing at all."
