Steven Hayes, a convicted killer in Connecticut, is serving a life sentence for the brutal murder of the Petit family. He seems to have drastically changed since committing the 2007 murder.
Reportedly, Hayes, now 52, has become an Orthodox Jew, while on death row. In a recent mugshot, he is seen with a long flowing beard, sporting a white kippa.
Though on death row, last year Connecticut abolished capital punishment leaving those on death row in a life sentence.
In 2014, Hayes claimed he was being denied properly prepared kosher food, and sued the Department of Corrections. He claimed he had to choose between following Hashem’s commandments or starve.
Hayes and an accomplice, Komisarjevsky, were convicted after the brutal murders of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley. The father was also badly hurt but survived.
The women were brutally murdered in their Connecticut home, the mom being raped and strangled to death, while the girls were tied to the bed and set on fire, the youngest girl being raped by Komisarjevsky.
On Tuesday, Komisarjevsky, requested a new trial, saying his lawyers weren’t give all the police recordings. However, Prosecutors say the recordings have no information that warrants a new trial.
The family of the victims have been critical of the police response, saying that the officers waited too long to go into the home, to try and save the victims.
(Source: OnlySimchas.com)
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19 Responses
Who was megayir him?
I once considered taking a volunteer position as a chaplain at a state prison in a remote location. When I spoke to the full-time chaplain there, a Protestant galach, he sent me a list of the Jewish prisoners there. I noticed that nearly all of their names looked distinctively non-Jewish. When I questioned him about it, he chuckled and said: “They are really not Jewish, but they are just trying to get better food.”
Can someone explain to me how it’s possible for a murderer and rapist to become an Orthodox Jew?
Moshe1994 – how it’s possible? Have you ever heard of the word תשובה? If memory serves me correct the great Amora Reish Lakish didn’t have a very admirable background before he met Rav Yochanon.
Moshe1994:
Unfortunately,one of the side-effects of freedom of religion is that in America anyone can call themselves anything they want. How do you think the so-called “messianic jews” get away with calling themselves that? You and I know differently but the LAW allows it. Same thing here. I seriously doubt that this animal is any kind of Jew… like voseppes said, he’s just angling for better conditions of his imprisonment.
@ TorasMosheEmess: Great answer thank you.
There is more to being a Orthodox Jew then just having long facial hair and a white hat!
Why do you post this. This man is disgusting.
It beggars belief that anyone who can do such things can be an Orthodox Jew, even allowing for Teshuva. These crimes were beyond horrific – how the victims must have suffered. Let him starve.
Glad the shemonah esrei specifies “v’al gerei hatzedek”. Whatever his status as a ger he’s for sure missing the second part.
avi732_This man should have been electrocuted for his heinous crimes. Only the insane liberal courts prevented that. Teshuvo does not work here-any murderer would have been executed summarily in the gemoro’s times. And Rish Lokish was not a murderer. So, cry for the victims and don’t spend any sympathy on this evil man and murderer.
He “became” not he become.
One reason Mr. Hayes’ suit lacks merit is that, according to Jewish Prisoner Services International, he is not a Jew, Orthodox or otherwise.
In order to convert to Judaism, the advocacy group says, a person must undergo “a lengthy and serious period of study” and have the conversion approved by a rabbinical court. “One cannot become a Jew by simply declaring that he … is Jewish,” the group says, “or by beginning to practice the Jewish faith.”
Avi, you’re kidding, right? Read up on this case – it was brutal. Do you really think he did Yeshiva for that? And you are comparing non-Jewish rapist and murderer to Resh Lakish? Just curious, what do you think Resh Lakish would say about that? Resh Lakish did not have to convert. This guy did. Who was the Rav/B”D who could say, yes, this guy wants to sincerely convert – after a brutal crime taking three lives? Am I missing something, or was there a Rav Yochanan here? BTW, fill me in, had Resh Lakish murdered or raped anyone? As I recall, he was a highway robber. Correct me, please, if that’s wrong.
Avi, “Dan le-kaf zechus” does not require us to be foolish. As a matter of fact, does that apply to a non-Jew?
Oops, do you really think he did Yeshiva?
this man should’ve been killed by the electric chair but thanks to liberals (many of them Jews) he is allowed to live.
Wow!
I didn’t realize how many apikorsim we has on this site.
The gemora in gittin (57b) says that Nevuzadron – known as Sar Hatabochim (cheif butcher) killed over 3 million yidden at the time of the churban bayis rishon and then did complete tshuva and became a ger tzedek.
There is no such thing as an act so bad that you can’t do tshuva!
That does not mean that this man in Connecticut did proper tshuva or became a ger tzedek, but to say that he couldn’t have is apikorsus.
Hard to understand where he found a mikva in prison and without tevila there is no geirus.
For that matter, who will testify that they did milah on him?
this fellow is from the worst of the worst. If you know what he did it is incomprehensible. If Connecticut ever wises up and puts back the death penalty I will be happy to start the IV if invited.
Of course, in theory, one can do teshuvah for anything. That said, is it appropriate for a basar vo-dam to accept the sincerity of this man’s Yeshiva to the extent that he acts on it and performs giyur? Think gerei aroyos (w/ an aleph) vs. gerei emes….I think this man’s Yeshiva should have been left between him and the only Ro’eh la-Leivav.