One of the suspects in a brutal Connecticut home invasion that left a mother and her two daughters dead has asked a judge to allow him to plead guilty, but his lawyers objected due to concerns over his mental state. Steven Hayes asked to plead guilty during a competency hearing last week.
The competency hearing was scheduled after Hayes attempted to kill himself on January 30.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Hayes and Joshua Komisarjevsky for the murders and sexual assaults of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, 11-year-old Michaela and 17-year-old Hayley. Dr. William Petit survived the home invasion attack.
If Hayes, 46, is allowed to plead guilty, under Connecticut law a jury or a three-judge panel would determine his sentence.