Upon entering the Petits' home, Komisarjevsky beat William with a baseball bat, and he and Hayes restrained him in the basement, along with Jennifer and her daughters.

The invaders tied Hayley and Michaela to their beds, doused them and the house with gasoline, and set it on fire, leaving them to die of smoke inhalation.

[4] The case garnered significant attention in Connecticut, with the Hartford Courant citing it as "possibly the most widely publicized crime in the state's history".

[5] The murders received national and international attention,[6] and had a significant impact on Connecticut's death penalty, ultimately delaying its abolition.

[10][11] On the evening of Sunday, July 22, 2007, 48-year-old Hawke-Petit and her daughter Michaela went to a local Stop & Shop grocery store in Cheshire, Connecticut.

"[19][20] According to Hayes's confession, she and Komisarjevsky had planned to rob the Petit house under the cover of darkness, leaving the family bound but otherwise unharmed.

[28][non-primary source needed] Surveillance video from a gas station shows Hayes purchasing $10 worth of gasoline in two cans that were taken from the Petit home.

[22][33] Evidence that Komisarjevsky raped Michaela came from her autopsy, during which State Medical Examiner Dr. Wayne Carver found his semen in her body.

[37] Forensic testing results showed that there was bleach on Michaela's clothes, indicating that Komisarjevsky may have tried to eliminate DNA evidence from the assault.

[54] The Petits' elder daughter, Hayley, had just graduated from Miss Porter's School, where she played varsity cross country, basketball, and crew and was a high honor roll student.

[39] William has not returned to his medical practice since the murders, stating his desire to be active in the foundations set up to honor the memory of his family.

According to Connecticut state prison officials, the transfer was done as part of an interstate corrections compact due to reasons pertaining to "safety and security.

Komisarjevsky's attorneys argued that the recordings could have helped bolster their argument that the police were inadequate in their response and therefore raise questions about the credibility of their testimony.

[98] Hayes's defense attorneys argued that Komisarjevsky was the mastermind behind the home invasion and that he was responsible for escalating the violent nature of the crime at every critical point.

[99] Hayes had attempted to negotiate a life sentence in a plea bargain but prosecutors chose to take the case to trial so that she could get the death penalty.

[106] On December 2, 2010, Hayes apologized for the pain and suffering she had caused the Petit family and added that: "Death for me will be a welcome relief and I hope it will bring some peace and comfort to those who I have hurt so much.

Komisarjevsky's attorneys offered for him to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence, but prosecutors took the case to trial in order to give him the death penalty.

[113] His attorneys blamed Hayes for the murders, arguing that she was the criminal mastermind, while their client was a confused and easily led man who did not intend to kill anyone.

"[116][117] Though he acknowledged taking part in the crime, he insisted that he did not intend to kill anyone, saying: "Millions have judged me guilty of capital offenses I did not commit.

He spoke about how the trial affected him, saying that he had become "quite comfortable in the face of hatred and bigotry" and said that the jury who recommended the death penalty for him "believed me so worthless even my very existence is deemed intolerable.

[91] The Cheshire home invasion murders had a significant impact on Connecticut's laws regarding the death penalty and on the debate surrounding the topic.

The Hartford Courant listed the Cheshire murders and the subsequent death penalty repeal as some of the top stories that shaped the 2010s.

"The Cheshire home invasion murders and the subsequent repeal of the death penalty dominated the political and criminal justice landscapes in Connecticut for the first half of the decade.

[7][119] In 2009, the Connecticut General Assembly sent legislation to abolish the state's death penalty to Governor M. Jodi Rell ostensibly to be signed into law.

[120] On November 8, 2010, Rell issued the following statement regarding the jury's recommendation of a sentence of death for Hayes: The crimes that were committed on that brutal July night were so far out of the range of normal understanding that now, more than three years later, we still find it difficult to accept that they happened in one of our communities.

[121][122]On April 11, 2012, the Connecticut House of Representatives voted to repeal capital punishment for future cases (leaving past death sentences in place).

[123][124] In August 2015, the Connecticut Supreme Court declared all capital punishment inconsistent with the state constitution, effectively commuting the killers' sentences to life imprisonment.

On July 31, Governor Rell called for a special session to consider tougher crime legislation and on August 31 she appointed a task force to examine Connecticut's criminal justice system.

[125] In 2007, John Carpenter, an employee of the Chase Collegiate School, ran the New York City Marathon, raising $8,554 for the "Miles for Michaela" campaign[60] – a scholarship benefit.

Founded by a local couple, Don and Jenifer Walsh, the event raised over $100,000 for Hayley's Hope and Michaela's Miracle Memorial funds.