Governor M. Jodi Rell Tuesday issued the following statement after a jury convicted Steven Hayes on 16 of 17 counts in the July 2007 slayings of Jennifer Hawke-Petit, Hayley Petit and Michaela Petit of Cheshire and the assault on Dr. William Petit Jr.:
"The murders of the Petit family horrified and disgusted us all, almost beyond the ability of words to convey. Today's verdicts are a measure of justice - but they can never begin to restore the promise lost on that terrible day in July. That grief may ebb over time but it can never be fully expunged."