Jurors in Conn. Triple Murder Trial Report Nightmares, Sudden Violent Images
Nighttime is difficult for the jurors who convicted Steven Hayes this November in a Connecticut home invasion and triple murder.
Joel Zemke, 62, has trouble falling asleep, the New York Times reports. Maico Cardona, 31, has nightmares about a little girl tied to a bed crying for help. Before going to bed at night, he checks his doors and windows to make sure they are locked.
Hayes was convicted for the violent home invasion in which he and a co-defendant were accused of tormenting a Connecticut family and then setting their house on fire, killing two girls strapped to their beds. The girls’ mother was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. The father, Dr. William Petit Jr., survived.
Some jurors told the Times they are plagued by sudden images and thoughts about the case. Diane Keim said she could be driving along when she will get a sudden image of a fire. Paula Calzetta recalls a recent dinner with friends in which, out of nowhere, she began thinking about testimony and tears came to her eyes.
“It reminds me of what men in war must go through,” Calzetta told the Times.
The Connecticut judicial system has offered counseling to the jurors through a pilot program.
