After four days it was finally decided that Steven Hayes should receive the death penalty for a home invasion during which he murdered Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her two daughters Michaela and Hayley Petit in 2007. Jurors deliberated for 17 hours over a four day period before arriving at the unanimous decision to send Hayes to death row.
To sentence someone with a penalty of death must be an incredibly difficult decision to make – having that kind of control over another individuals’ life. While it is one thing to sit at home and think yes or no about the death penalty – it must be quite another to actually be one of the people making the decision.
On Tuesday, CBS News “The Early Show” spoke with six of the jurors - Maico Cardona, Diane Keim, Herbert Gram, Paula Calzetta, Joel Zemke, and Jennifer Turner about their decision to give Hayes the death penalty.
When asked again by "The Early Show" if Hayes should die by lethal injection, the jurors each reaffirmed their decision and said yes.
"We definitely took our time," Cardona told the morning show. "We wanted to make sure that we followed the laws of the state of Connecticut, and we followed the instructions that the judge gave us."
Keim said it was a challenge to keep their emotions in check. "We were given the task to work within - work in concert with the law, and in doing that, that's why it has taken us four days to make the decisions and reach a consensus."
In the end, the jurors came to the unanimous agreement that Hayes should be sentenced with death by lethal injection.
This decision is what Dr. William Petit, the father and husband of the slain women, had hoped for.
According to CBS News, Petit spoke to the press after the sentence was delivered, saying that it was not about revenge.
"Vengeance belongs to the Lord," Petit said. "This is about justice."
While Dr. Petit will never get his wife and children back, at least he can move forward feeling that justice is being served.
Photo Credit: CBS News
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